Lisa Chambers (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I propose that Dáil Éireann nominate Deputy Micheál Martin for appointment by the President to be Taoiseach.

Deputy Micheál Martin is very well qualified to undertake the duties of the office of Taoiseach. In nominating Deputy Martin, Fianna Fáil is remaining firm in its commitment to implement a change of Government. Deputy Martin is still making every effort to form a Fianna Fáil-led minority Government. The discussions with Independent Deputies to date have been very detailed, welcome and constructive, and these talks have been respectful and have involved debates on policy priority rather than being surrounded by spin. Deputy Martin remains determined to make every effort to ensure that the promises our party made prior to this election are implemented, namely, our fully costed policies on tackling homelessness, securing home ownership, creating decent jobs and supporting enterprise, cutting family costs and improving services that families need and tackling crime and developing community services.

To try to dismiss the divisions of today as Civil War politics is superficial and dismissive. One of the most striking things in recent days has been the number of people who have decided that Fianna Fáil has no right to keep its word. We do not deny the right of others to criticise or oppose Fianna Fáil but we will never accept the right to dismiss a commitment that we made as a party before the general election to more than 500,000 voters as being defined only by events of nearly a century ago. If we want to rebuild trust in Irish politics, is it not a good place to start to end the days of "Isn't that what you do during an election?" Election promises must mean something or we will never have the trust of the Irish people.

We have moved from a party system similar to Britain's to one which is very close to what one sees throughout Europe, where minority Governments are commonplace. They can work well but we need fundamentally to change how we do our business in this House and in the Seanad to make them work. That is why Dáil reform is key. Strong majority Governments can be arrogant, divisive and unfair, and we need to move towards a political system which ends the days of dominant governance of one party and one which gives every Deputy the right and the obligation to participate in the work of the Oireachtas. Deputy Martin's call for a major push on parliamentary reform has thankfully be taken up, and in the coming weeks we will hopefully see an Oireachtas which is more expert and effective in its work. Yet no reform is more important than breaking the idea that the only legitimate form of Government is a solid majority Government. If we have learned anything from the last few decades, surely it is that we need to change the way we govern our country. Minority Governments can work if people are willing to try, and they represent a much truer reflection of our society, where all, and not just some, of the people's representatives get to play a role. There must be security that Government can do its core business but there is absolutely no need for a Government to have the first, last and only say on every matter.

Deputy Martin has shown his strong personal commitment to reforming our Oireachtas and Irish politics, and his political CV speaks for itself. First elected in 1989, having served as a Minster in education, health, enterprise and foreign affairs and having a long-established involvement in Northern Ireland affairs, he is uniquely well qualified to do this job. He has represented this country and our Government with distinction on both the national and international stages and is exceptionally well regarded in Irish politics. As Leader of the Opposition over the past five years, he has consistently opposed Government policies which were unfair and hit the most vulnerable the hardest and has campaigned tirelessly for a fairer and more inclusive Ireland, one which values every citizen equally.

The majority of Deputies in this in this House today, myself included, campaigned for a change of Government. The people gave their verdict on the outgoing Government and its policies, and it is clear they voted for change. On that basis I believe we must do the same in this Chamber today. A clear choice is being presented to all Deputies in this House today, and I emphasise the word "all". We either vote or act in a way that re-elects Deputy Enda Kenny as Taoiseach or we choose an alternative and vote to elect Deputy Micheál Martin as Taoiseach. That is the choice before the House today. If Deputies sit on their hands or vote against Deputy Martin, they are effectively putting Deputy Kenny back in as Taoiseach to lead a Fine Gael minority Government. The people may not have been entirely clear on who they wanted to lead this Government but they were very clear on who they did not want. By voting for Deputy Martin as Taoiseach, Deputies would be honouring that commitment to implement change and opting to take our country on a fairer and more inclusive path.

My party colleagues and I consider him to be uniquely well qualified to lead the country towards the realisation of our shared objective - an Ireland for all.

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