Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

On a personal level, I congratulate all the members of the new Government and the Taoiseach. It is a special day for all of them, and I am sure everyone in the House wishes them well in future.

We have a new Government at long last, and Fianna Fáil feels it has pulled the ultimate stroke, as it has designed the programme for Government, handed it to Fine Gael and opted to sit on the Opposition benches, taking no responsibility for its implementation. This is the biggest scam in the history of Irish politics, but it will not get away with it. This Dáil will, once and for all, expose Fianna Fáil's populist, unprincipled and self-serving approach to Irish politics. The reality is that Sinn Féin will lead the Opposition in this Dáil, as we will be the only party genuinely opposing the Government while Fianna Fáil collaborates from the Opposition benches. There is a new Fine Gael Government, put there by Fianna Fáil, and, complain though we might, we still have to get on to the work of addressing the very long list of problems that past Governments have neglected for so long.

Our broken economy is badly in need of repair and the lack of good jobs or opportunities for our young people must be solved. The new configuration of this Dáil means business as usual is no longer possible. During the election campaign, Fine Gael had the arrogance to poster the towns in my part of the world with the election slogan, "Keep the recovery going." That only served to add insult to injury.

The financial markets, the corporations and the banks were satisfied with their recovery, but the people continue to suffer. Nowhere did they suffer more than in rural Ireland and in my constituency.

The previous Government's priorities were not Sinn Féin's priorities and they were certainly not my priorities. I have four children coming of age and, like other parents, I want to see them have a future here in Ireland. I campaigned on a new deal for the west. What we have now is no deal for the west or for rural areas anywhere with low population levels. We have been neglected for so long that we feel completely forgotten. Government policies were to send the young away. Historically, that has consistently been the policy of Governments in the face of economic difficulties. This time the economic mess was bigger and the numbers emigrating were larger. Fixing the real problem, a broken domestic economy, never seemed to be on the agenda, and that certainly has to change in this new Government. Balance has always been missing from Ireland's economic structures. Except for long periods when virtually nothing was happening, we have only seen bubbles or burst bubbles. We urgently need to rebalance the economy, to rebalance the relationship between Dublin and the rest of the country, and to rebalance the traditional industries with 21st century businesses. It is about creating a future for the west that is not limited to agriculture and forestry and which better utilises the competitive advantages of our lower cost of production. Our farmers need to be supported by Government to be profitable in their efforts and not abandoned to the tycoons of the meat industry and the greedy corporations.

The generation of the 1916 Rising had vision. The Proclamation, which now occupies such a revered place in the pantheon of human rights documents, offered a vision for a better future through freedom. Its promise was what can be achieved by ordinary people when they have that extraordinary benefit of freedom, equality and opportunity. Those benefits of freedom do not come free. They require investment and work, not disinvestment and bleeding the regions to feed the banks and the markets. We need investment, infrastructure and imagination. We need an investment plan and an investment fund. Sixteen years into the 21st century and 26 years into the Internet age, the first thing we need is to imagine a better future and then build consistently towards it. That will require building business-grade broadband first and it will also require improvements to other physical and social infrastructure. That means budgets that will prioritise investment, not tax cuts at the top for the already well-off.

Our greatest resource is our people, especially our young people, with their creative new ideas and almost limitless energy. The real task that lies ahead is to capture that energy, empower their ideas and channel their skills into building a more diversified and healthier future economy. We must provide opportunities that will allow our children to raise our grandchildren in rural Ireland with full and proper education and health services. A more balanced economy across the regions, with a mix of businesses - small as well as large, low-tech as well as high-tech - will be required to guarantee that when the next economic shock arrives, be it external or home-made, we will have a healthier jobs base to fall back on.

Sinn Féin, as the real Opposition in this Chamber, will keep the pressure on the Government to deliver regional economic balance, to put a fund in place for rural economic development, and a plan for rural Ireland. Sinn Féin will work through the structures of the Dáil to be positive and constructive, to bring opportunity and prosperity to all of Ireland, rural as well as urban.

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