Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour) | Oireachtas source

It is great to see such a large crowd here today. I feel like calling a quorum, but I will not. This is probably the most important issue facing us in the world and not one single representative is inside the Chamber. I am sure the Acting Chairman will agree it is incredible and he may wish to speak to people about it.

I find it deeply ironic that this House is debating climate change today. As reports came through last night regarding a deal to support a minority Government, there was one major issue missing from the text of the documents. Just like the response we have had to this debate with nobody turning up, the major issue missing from this now infamous document is climate change. The global cause of this generation is missing from this famous document. To me that demonstrates in particular that Fianna Fáil, the co-conspirators in this no-confidence, so to speak, agreement with Fine Gael, has absolutely no global focus, no environmental focus and that the poorest of the poor throughout the world, who are suffering most from the effects of climate change, are absolutely nowhere on Fianna Fáil's radar. What we can see in the Chamber illustrates it right now.

Incidentally, it is incredible and astonishing that this document took 70 days to write. That is ten days per page to write this famous document. A third level college was the right location for these talks, because the Trinity treaty, as it were, is the greatest example of student politics at its worst.

It was my experience that over the course of the passage of the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill, Fine Gael had to be dragged into the process reluctantly and did not take seriously the principle of climate justice. However, at least overall Fine Gael did something. Fianna Fáil's overall game is power with absolutely no responsibility. I regret to see that we are not witnessing the dawning of a new day of politics, but maybe pints with the people are more important to Fianna Fáil than the world's poorest. Deputy Rabbitte, representing her party, is very welcome.

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