Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

It became obvious to most of us, not today, last week or four weeks ago but on the day of the count, that the numbers dictated that those in two large blocks would be the key players. Essentially, the numbers have not changed since. It is about politics, but, first and foremost, it is about the numbers. Today, as it was last week, is about an individual, Deputy Enda Kenny, as opposed to Deputy Micheál Martin. That was the choice we were asked to make. It is a charade. It has to be about political choices, but we have not seen any programme. We have merely been asked to vote for an individual, but, essentially, that is not what most of us thought the notion of electing a Taoiseach would be about.

Obviously, we are in a changed environment. We are operating in a polarised Dáil because society has been polarised by decisions made. There is a great wealth divide, with a significant level of child poverty at a time when there is significant wealth in the country. People have become millionaires by some of the choices made. We look at the choices made on housing whereby the market, not only in the past five years but probably in the past 20, has been the dominant means by which houses have been delivered, yet at the same time waiting lists have grown. I am dealing with a family - a father and a mother and their two young children - who have nowhere to go tonight and it is no different on other days. It is about political choices.

I listened to the proposer of Deputy Enda Kenny as Taoiseach who talked about Fine Gael believing in a fair society. The decisions made in the past five years were underpinned by an ideology that did not deliver a fair society. There were choices to be made. Throughout those five years many of us identified issues, particularly housing and the provision of health services, on which the choices being made, in fact, caused the situation to worsen.

I listened to the Labour Party - as if it was ground zero day - over-promise prior to the 2011 general election, but it under-performed hugely-----

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