Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The motion before us here today states: “That Dáil Éireann reaffirms its confidence in the Taoiseach and in the Government.” The Taoiseach should enjoy his victory today when he wins this vote but he should remember it is a pyrrhic victory. It will not last long. History shows that many who feel the need to have a vote of confidence in themselves and their leaders come to a sticky end not too long after. This pyrrhic victory will give the Taoiseach a glow for this evening but the real test will be in the ballot box. I believe the public has already decided it has no confidence in this Government. The Taoiseach will win today. He should enjoy his hour of glory.

The people are cross because the Taoiseach promised a democratic revolution. He had, as Minister after Minister has said, the biggest majority in the history of the State but he squandered it. People expected more from him. He promised them more. He promised a democratic revolution but the public got nothing. It was short-changed and let down. This is why people are not happy with how politics is conducted in Ireland. The public, as we have seen in election after election, is not happy with any of the established political parties. That is in part because the two parties to which it gave the biggest mandate since the foundation of the State have let it down badly in promising reform and not delivering it.

People expected honesty and openness as the hallmark of this Government but not even the Cabinet is in the loop for some major decisions of the Economic Management Council. We have seen on some occasions, whether to do with banking or other EU issues, the Minister for Finance reading a script in the Chamber and members of the Government are so far excluded they do not know what will be on the next page. Not only is there no honesty and openness, but that does not even apply within the Cabinet ranks.

The Government has been in office for four years. For the first three years of that time the troika held its hand. It has been on its own for one year and what a year that has been. It has been a political disaster in the way the Government has managed the country. For the first three years its hands were tied. It had very little to do but show up and read pre-ordained scripts in here. It got along well for the first three years. People will disagree about whose programme it was implementing but it implemented a programme. Once it was left on its own the Government started to collapse almost immediately.

In the past year, the Taoiseach has been forced to sack the Minister for Justice and Equality, the Garda Commissioner, the confidential recipient and many other people. He has been forced to sack the Minister for Health and to exile the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government. It is clear that the Government learned nothing during all of this. I introduced legislation in this House last week, on foot of the McNulty affair and the sham appointments to State boards, to put such appointments on a statutory footing. I do not want them to be made by way of guidelines, which is what the Government is determined to do so that it can avoid a statutory process.

The medical card fiasco has continued in the past year. The probity review that was announced 14 months ago as part of the October 2013 budget has caused havoc in the health cards system. We have not got over that yet. The Minister is still talking about trying to provide for more discretion at local level, but that has not happened to date. One of the problems with this Government is that it does not deliver on its promises. One of the reasons for that is that all of its budgets have been regressive. It has had options, but each year it has chosen to impose most of its adjustments on front-line services that affect people who are waiting to access accident and emergency services, to get outpatient appointments or to move up the fair deal waiting list.

The Government established the new Department of Children and Youth Affairs and held a referendum on children's rights. It blew that referendum. It has yet to be enacted because of the actions of the Taoiseach's office, the offices of certain Ministers or certain Government offices in seeking to use the people's money to influence how they should vote in the referendum. That referendum has not yet been implemented. I applauded the establishment of the new Department, which was outstanding. However, approximately 800 children are sleeping out of home tonight. They are in hotel rooms and bed and breakfasts. They are carrying their bags up and down the stairs. They do not know where they will be for Christmas. What kind of stress is that putting on their mothers and fathers? That is what this Department of Children and Youth Affairs is doing for children. It is doing very little. The impact on families is extraordinary.

I met a lady in Mountrath this morning before I came to the House for this debate. She told me she will scream if she hears once more that Ireland is out of recession. The Government has been screaming at the people that the country is out of recession, but the majority of people have not felt that in their own pockets. I know there is more spending in the shops. One third of the population is probably doing well. They probably have more money, but two thirds of people do not.

The Government also established the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and gave it the simple job of drawing up accurate budgets and expenditure plans.

See this speech in context