Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Since this Government took office in May last year, there has hardly been a more denigrated political phrase than "new politics". Whatever one wants to call it, the truth is that this Government was formed on foot of the decision of the people. It was difficult to form this Government, which is different in its function. The people's vote set us a challenge that we are genuinely working hard to meet and whatever shape future Governments and future Dáileanna may take, we should hope that we never lose the genuine best lessons from the new way of working that the current Government and Oireachtas have had to cultivate. Those lessons are listening to diverse voices, working together, winning the argument or finding a good compromise and finding the areas of common ground on the issues that matter to people so that we can make progress for them.

Everything about the Sinn Féin motion of no confidence is old. It is the old, easy "attack everyone" politics from a party that absented itself from any responsibility for Government formation after the election - the old, easy "call for an election today regardless of the consequences for the country tomorrow" politics. How can any party really believe that Ireland, which is preparing for the consequences of Brexit, can afford at this moment to dissolve its Parliament and head to the polls or does Sinn Féin just want to satisfy its desire for dissent and division? Sinn Féin expects us to believe it is the party that supports whistleblowers yet it wants to derail this Oireachtas before we can establish an inquiry to put a public platform of truth in place for Sergeant Maurice McCabe and others who have suffered and been wronged while trying to do good. We talk about whistleblowers. Talk to Máiría Cahill.

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