Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú) | Oireachtas source

Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCeann Comhairle agus guím gach rath air freisin. I hope the goodwill demonstrated to you by Deputies in the Chamber today will last for more than just today.

We must ask ourselves exactly what we are doing today. Many people will watch this event and see well-paid Deputies involved in a fruitless, pointless episode. We will achieve absolutely nothing today with regard to the election of a Taoiseach, and this is an example of the dysfunction that exists in the political system. All the Members who stood for election displayed an urgency that reflected the crisis in housing, healthcare, education, crime prevention and transportation. That urgency has been left behind, however, and many are now saying we should wait to see what happens. It is absolutely bananas that some politicians and political commentators are saying that a Government may not be organised before the end of April or even by May. It is incredible that some Members have spoken about the need for multilateral or bilateral meetings so that people can come together to work out a position for a Government. One Member suggested that an international facilitator could be put in place, perhaps a Boutros Boutros-Ghali type of figure, to get two political parties to speak to each other when there is no discernible difference between them anyway.

We heard Fine Gael talk about the need to prepare for Opposition, as if it needs some kind of plan to walk across the Chamber. This is absolutely bonkers. People locked out in Ireland and in serious crisis on a daily basis are depending on this new Dáil to be practical and real in the development of a Government now. I urge politicians to leave their posturing and egos behind. We must ensure that happens as soon as possible.

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