Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

People voted for change on 8 February - real change on health, real change on housing, real change on the pension age and real change for climate justice. Voters rejected a rigged economy run for the 1% and with a total bias against the needs of workers, young people and our planet.

Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have ruled this country for nearly 100 years. They are the opponents of real change. They are the representatives of the wealthy vested interests that have rigged the economy and cast a blight on so many lives. That is why I will vote against the nominees of both those parties this evening. The people who voted for real change cast their votes for a variety of parties but more than any other for Sinn Féin. I will cast my vote for Deputy McDonald this evening to respect that vote of the people and to increase the pressure on her party to deliver the change that people demand. The Deputy cannot deliver real change alongside either Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael, and I call on her to rule out those coalition options. I want to see a Government that delivers real change. That cannot be done without taking on the billionaires, the corporations and the big landlords and breaking with their system. If such a Government is not yet possible, I will use my vote to allow a Government that excludes Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael coming to power, using my position to help build broad support in society for a majority left government with socialist policies as soon as possible.

One of the key disagreements Solidarity has with Sinn Féin relates to its role in the North. Before voting for the Sinn Féin nominee, I must register the following points. Unity can never be achieved by coercion or by forcing a settlement on a minority. We will never support any proposal which heightens sectarian division between Catholic and Protestant. We need a Government in Dublin with policies that are the complete opposite of the neo-liberal policies Sinn Féin has implemented in Belfast alongside the DUP. The only basis for unity is the rejection of sectarian politics, with working people uniting in pursuance of their common class interests.

I will vote this evening against the Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael nominees. They stand for no change. I will add my voice to the voice of the majority in our society now demanding the delivery of real change.

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