Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Therefore, the equal right to speak must also apply to Ministers and backbenchers of this party and also Members of the main Opposition party. As stated earlier, I took my seat in the Dáil exactly ten years ago today. So much has changed in the intervening decade. I have grown, evolved and changed in that time as well, but I am still motivated by the same ideals which drove me to enter politics in the first instance and which I know also drive many of the people in this House. For some, "politics" is a bad word but we have seen in other countries, and sometimes in this one, that politics can also be a way to inspire people to believe in something bigger. It can be a way to convince people that change is possible. I believe in the power of politics. It is not perfect, but it is the best way of solving problems and helping to build a better future. Michael Collins believed that, with the right political and economic social system in place, Ireland could become a shining light unto the world. A century later, that dream lives on in all of us in this Chamber, in all parties and none.

The election of a new Taoiseach is always an important day in our country's democratic life. It is a day when special attention is given to the working of this Oireachtas, not just at home but also around the world. Today was a demonstration of our democracy in action - something which we sometimes take for granted, yet for which other countries struggle. I thank all of those who spoke in this debate, those who spoke in favour of my nomination as well as those who spoke against it. I also recognise and thank those who voted for my nomination as well as those who voted against it or abstained. This Chamber is full of politicians who care passionately about the future of this country and who want to do what is right for all of our citizens. We may disagree about policies and implementation - we may even differ about the very goals themselves - but the fact that we meet here and express those opinions openly, based on our principles and our genuinely held beliefs, is a tribute to our forbears.

There have been a number of times in the history of the State when the Taoiseach has changed mid-term. It has often had a very significant effect. A change mid-term brought Seán Lemass to office in 1959 and he proved to be a modernising and reforming Taoiseach who transformed this country. It is also how John Bruton was elected in 1994. For three years, Mr. Bruton led the rainbow coalition with great distinction and made enormous progress in advancing the Irish economy, committing us to Europe and building on what had been done to help put in place the foundations for peace in Northern Ireland. I remember well the change of Taoiseach in 2008, when I had only been in the Dáil for a year. Back then, I noted that being elected Taoiseach is the greatest honour that can be bestowed on any Irish politician, perhaps hoping - but not expecting - that it was an honour that might be bestowed on me one day.

Passing on my congratulations to Mr. Cowen and his new Cabinet at the time, I said I wanted a Government that was strong on ethics, strong on the economy and strong on the principle of equity. Nine years on, I stand by those same principles and I will demand of myself and my Government what in the past I insisted of others.

I know that the mandate I am being given today comes from the Dáil. Nevertheless I hope that through our actions as a Government and the progress we achieve, we will be able to prove we have earned the trust and support of the people as well. As Taoiseach, I will always respect the Dáil, because this Chamber represents the elected will of the Irish people.

Today I am reminded of the words of the late Seamus Heaney in his poem From the Republic of Conscience:

At their inauguration, public leaders

must swear to uphold unwritten law and weep

to atone for their presumption to hold office

I am seized of the enormous task ahead of me and my responsibilities to this country and all its citizens. I approach it not with a feeling of presumption, but with a sense of profound humility, respect and appreciation for all that has gone before.

When the new Constitution was debated in 1937, some Deputies objected to the designation of Taoiseach as head of Government. Is é "Taoiseach" an teideal atá againn ar Phríomh-Aire na hÉireann. Is téarma Gaeilge é, agus is ceart agus is cóir sin. Léiríonn sé ómós dár stair, dár gcultúr agus dár n-oidhreacht. Fiú nach bhfuil mo chuid Gaeilge féin chomh líofa agus gur mhaith liom go mbeadh sé, tá an-chion agam ar ár dteanga dúchais. Le blianta anuas, tá sár-iarracht déanta agam feabhas a chur ar mo chuid Gaeilge. Mar Thaoiseach, beidh se ar intinn agam níos mó gnó agus níos mó díospóireacht a dhéanamh trí Ghaeilge le mo chomh-Theachtaí Dala. B'fhéidir nach mbeidh mé i gcónaí chomh tapa nó chomh líofa agus gur mhaith liom a bheith, ach ceapaim gurb é an rud is tábhachtaí ná iarracht a dhéanamh. Sa chaoi seo, tá súil agam go spreagfaidh mé níos mó daoine an Ghaeilge a úsáid sa ghnáthshaol.

Arthur Griffith, whose monument stands on Leinster Lawn, believed that people could not be moved solely by a cold thing like economics. He said it was rather a question of feeling. What he meant was if one wants to inspire someone to believe in one's vision, one has to appeal to their heart as well as their head. Economics and economic policies on their own were not enough. The Government I lead will not be one of left or right because those old divisions do not comprehend the political challenges of today. While others in the House might be obsessed with the political debates of the 1980s, I can assure them that I am not nor will my Government be. We will be focused on the solutions of the 21st century and the future. The Government I will lead will be one of the new European centre, as we seek to build a republic of opportunity that is a republic in which every citizen gets a fair go and has the opportunity to succeed, and in which every part of the country has a chance to share in our prosperity.

It is my honour to accept the nomination of Dáil Éireann for the position of Taoiseach and I will now go to the President to inform him of my nomination in order that under the Constitution he may appoint me as Taoiseach. Accordingly, I suggest that the House be suspended for four hours before we resume to discuss and debate the nomination of members of the Government.

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