Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the debate. Taking up where my colleague left off in referring to the demeaning of the office of President by having to go around to councils and Oireachtas Members having to seek the advice and opinion of their supporters, we can think of presidential candidates in the United States and the campaigning in which they must engage to attain the most powerful office in the world. Our candidates do not have to go to the same levels.

Thinking back to 2011, the Government was elected to office and stated it was a democratic revolution. There was a seismic change to the personnel elected to the Dáil and the composition and configuration of political parties. Four years on, we are far from the revolution promised and needed. Looking at the reforms of the political system that could be nade without any constitutional change, there has been a total failure to grasp the need for real reform. The Executive retains power with a vice like grip and has concentrated it further in four Dáil Members. The debates on some 63% of Bills introduced since the Government took office were guillotined, despite having promised not to guillotine the debate on any Bill. The Government articulated that the relevant Ministers with responsibility for a particular issue would attend Topical Issue debates, but one hour ago three of the four Topical Issues debates were not taken by the Ministers responsible for the questions raised.

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