Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

I can give a perspective of somebody who is brand new to the House, its procedures and atmosphere. It has been a painfully slow 40 days, as Deputy Boyd Barrett alluded to earlier. It is in my mind all the time how dreadful this looks to the public, which as others have mentioned is suffering from the housing crisis, disabilities and being left on trolleys while waiting for health care. People like the Luas strikers and those voting tonight in Tesco on industrial action if they do not get their pay rise must be frustrated in thinking about the maths of what is going on here. For 40 days, we have been highly paid, both through salaries and expenses, with some of us getting more than others. We are being paid to do nothing, as we have done nothing, and the financing and resources have been wasted while many in this House would criticise Luas drivers and others for taking strike action to improve their conditions.

One of the repeated mantras that keeps coming back to me and jarring in my brain is the idea that we are all trying to fulfil the ambitions of this country and we must put the interests of the country first. Look at the diversity of political opinion in the House. The interests of this country are not shared by everybody in this country when Deputy Enda Kenny and Deputy Micheál Martin speak about putting the interests of the country first, as they mean certain interests. I mean different interests. There are competing interests.

I can give the example of the question of homelessness and housing. The Minister responsible for housing, who has just spoken, has repeatedly driven the interests of the private market, developers and builders in the question of dealing with the housing crisis.

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