Barry Cowen (Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Clearly, we did compromise our position when we compare and contrast it to the manifesto we put before the people. We achieved more than 500,000 votes and we were glad to get them but it was not enough to lead a government. It was not enough to be in government. We honoured the commitment we made to the same 500,000 plus people when we said we would not go into coalition or form a coalition government with Fine Gael. However, we were pragmatists, democrats and republicans. We recognised the fact that as convoluted as the result was in respect of the return of the people and the figures it gave us, there was an obligation on those of us who partook and took our role seriously to seek to accommodate and facilitate the formation of a government. We asked other Members to support us and our leader on three separate occasions and we got no support other than what we had ourselves. We accept that. However, we did not sit on our hands and shout from the sidelines, which is what many people in this House will always do. The only way we will get them out of here is by doing things, by getting things done and by adhering to the principles, manifestoes and programmes for government that we place before the people. When that is done this issue will be put to bed by a majority contained within this Dáil. The will of the last Dáil will not be imposed on this one. By not sitting on our hands and in putting in place the pathway to deal with this issue we have produced a far more informed process than the Labour Party could have dreamed of in the last Dáil.

In the same way, we will also address the other issues that are far more pressing, as others have said, for example, in respect of housing, regional development and the provision of services in a fair and appropriate manner. That has not been the case in the past five years. That is the adjudication that people gave in the convoluted answer and result they gave us. However, we have taken our role seriously. We want to deal with this effectively and appropriately and in the manner agreed by two parties, the two adults, indeed, the many adults that were in that room who spoke on behalf of our respective parties. We look forward to dealing with it and we look forward to this Dáil making a decision ultimately. However, it will be a decision nonetheless by this Dáil and not by a government imposing its will on anyone else.

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