Noel Rock (Dublin North West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Tairgim:

Go n-ainmneoidh Dáil Éireann an Teachta Enda Kenny chun a cheaptha ag an Uachtarán mar Thaoiseach.

I move:

That Dáil Éireann nominate Deputy Enda Kenny for appointment by the President to be Taoiseach.

I stand today to nominate An Taoiseach, Deputy Enda Kenny, to continue his work for the next five years. As the youngest Deputy in my party, I am immensely proud to do so. I may be new to this Chamber but I know the difference this Taoiseach has made to the country. Perhaps it is hard to see and sometimes, indeed, hard to hear through the sound and fury of political opposition. Yet, his achievements are there and his achievements will last. These achievements include marriage equality, the country being saved from the financial abyss, an end to the tide of emigration of people my age, two increases in the minimum wage, saying goodbye to the troika and a change in politics for the better and forever. Your election today is testament to that kind of change and I congratulate you most sincerely, a Cheann Comhairle.

When the Taoiseach was first nominated, the country was asked to trust in the untested and to hang out its brightest colours in faith. There is always the idealism of the untested, the ideal perfection, but that is not reality. We know the reality. The reality is that experience bloodies and experience bruises sometimes. There is no doubt that being in government has bruised us as a party too. However, while in government, we took on the challenges for the greater good of the country. I am proud this Taoiseach has always put the country first and confident he always will put the country first. A Taoiseach should always be fighting for the good of our society, economy and country, and Deputy Enda Kenny, always has. It has not been perfect and there is so much more to do. However, one can only build a house on firm foundations. There is no doubt that this Taoiseach has strived to build those foundations in a selfless, consistent way, day in, day out. We can now build on those foundations, if we so choose. In this year, the centenary of our Republic, it is perhaps worth reflecting on that.

When I was younger the Taoiseach gave me the advice of Thomas Jefferson - "In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock." I will stand with him today and always. He brought this party back from being written off. Far more important, he brought our economy and our country back when many had written us off. We should not lose sight of that. As we mark 100 years of independence, we can look forward to a brighter future. I believe Deputy Enda Kenny is the man to bring us towards that brighter future. I am proud to nominate Deputy Enda Kenny today.

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