Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I congratulate the Ceann Comhairle on his election by the Thirty-Second Dáil. This day four weeks ago I had no idea or ever dreamt that I would be addressing Dáil Éireann as a Member of the 32nd Dáil. However, the people of Kerry sent me up here, alongside my brother, Michael. Many people went to a lot of trouble to ensure we got up here. They are looking at us today and wondering what is going on. In the same way as the parties proposed their leaders for Taoiseach, I could have proposed my brother, Deputy Michael Healy-Rae, for Taoiseach but I would never try to make a laugh of the country. That is what is going on here today. I am sorry to say I will be voting against the four nominees proposed here because they are not providing a permutation that will work as a government this evening. More talking needs to be done, and more should have been done in the past two weeks since the election.

The people of Ireland played their part. They voted for every Deputy here. They are relying on all of us to come together and form a government. There is talk that we may have to have another election. What difference will that make? Will the people of Ireland change their minds in a few weeks? I do not think so.

I do not know what happened in the Civil War; it was long before my time but there is a lot of talk about it. The bigger parties must get together and offer us a government and give over what I call posturing because time is slipping by. Imagine if a referee was in Croke Park on the third Sunday in September and Kerry and Dublin were in the field and the referee had no ball. That is what we are like here today. We have nothing substantial to vote for from any side. I will be voting against the people proposed today.

There is talk about four weeks. That is too long. Two weeks is too long. The parties will have to get together and give us a proper permutation that will provide a stable government for the country. The people voted; they have spoken. It is up to the parties to forget about the past. The future is what we want. We are living for today. They have the ball in their hands. They should not drop it. They will have to get around the table and work together because the people are asking for that. When I go down to Kerry tonight, they will be very disappointed that there is no government.

The whole of Ireland is looking at us today. There are many people from Kerry outside the building today. It is sad to think we are going down without a government after all this. As Deputy Michael Healy-Rae said this morning, what if this number of people turned up for a wedding and the bride and groom never turned up? It is much the same here. The parties do not have their figures right. They have not added them up together. No permutation or leader proposed offers us a real chance to provide a stable government for the future. I ask them to work better at it now.

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