Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

To be appointed a member of the Government of Ireland is a unique honour and a great privilege. It must be a wonderful day for Deputy Joe McHugh to be made one of those 15 people who are charged with the running of our Republic after centuries of struggle to have that capacity. It is a great privilege and honour for him and one which is well merited. There is no one in the House who does not appreciate Deputy McHugh's ability and his sociability as someone who can interact with everyone here. Like the leader of Sinn Féin, however, the Labour Party will not support Deputy McHugh's appointment, not for any personal reason but because we do not have confidence in the Government and never have had. That is because it is a very unusual construct. I was approached as was everyone in the House to cobble together the numbers but one must look at what is happening in Westminster where there is also a confidence and supply arrangement. For the first time in several hundred years, Irish unionists are determining policy which is not in the best interests of their nation. If we turn the mirror on ourselves, we see that this is not a normal Government. While we have had minority Governments in the past, we have never had a construct like this in which a very significant minority is held in position on a grace and favour basis, in essence, by the largest party in opposition which has been waiting since the inception of the Government for the right time to pull it down.

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