Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Over the past couple of weeks, much has been made of the responsibility of Independents to engage with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael in terms of looking at how to form a minority Government that would rely on the support of either Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael. I met Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael before the round-table discussions in Government Buildings took place. After consulting my supporters, I decided not to participate in that process. I came to the conclusion that it was a farce more quickly than those who did participate in that process. From talking to Independents who did participate, it seems that the general consensus among everybody is that it has been fruitless because there have been no discussions between Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael in conjunction with it.

I knew this beforehand. I decided not to take part when I listened to what each side had to say and what it intended to do. Some of the documents I was presented with showed that there was no willingness to make changes and fundamentally change the Government. I was elected with a mandate for a fundamentally different type of Government and I did not see that this could arise from that process.

It will not arise from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael coming together either but it gives us the opportunity to have a fundamentally different Government at some stage in the future. This comes down to the biggest difficulty in this process for Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. The dogs in the street will say that there no difference policy-wise between Fine Gael or Fianna Fáil. The only difference is around personalities and a bit of history. Since 1932, either Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael has been in Government and has controlled the Opposition in this House. Both parties have controlled this House and the functioning of politics in this country since 1932 and they are desperate to continue to exercise this control into the future.

Deputy Micheál Martin spoke earlier about the fundamental challenge of reforming politics. The people have taken on that challenge but Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have not recognised it yet because they voted both of them into a majority situation. This is the fundamental change that can and should happen as a result of this process because this is a Government that works. Everybody told us before the last election how the numbers decide what happens. Those are the numbers and the only thing stopping it happening is the fact that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael want to control both sides of the House indefinitely. This is the fundamental change and this is the thing we must challenge. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael must accept that politics has changed fundamentally and their iron grip on Government and Opposition is ending. If it does not end now, it will end after the next election.

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