Réada Cronin (Kildare North, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Power and influence are the two things that define governments and access to them. We recently had a vivid reminder of how it works, with the favour sought and given in the ever-decreasing circles around the Taoiseach, the most powerful office in this State. The man who now holds the office declared full confidence in the man who used to hold the office, who leaked confidential Government information. It seems that Government formation is an elite game to be played by elite players, decided on and chosen by themselves and each other. Lobbying can be a game in itself. It can be an extremely confusing game because the politician being lobbied today can be the person doing the lobbying tomorrow, especially when it comes to Fine Gael's Ministers of State at the Department of Finance, who can turn on a proverbial sixpence, as exemplified by Brian Hayes and Michael D'Arcy. It is a revolving door, going from running the Department of Finance to lobbying the Department of Finance on behalf of the banks that we bailed out.

People need to be able to make a living after politics but they should not and must not be able to make that living immediately after coming out of the privilege of the contacts, experience, information, influence and access granted through working in government. Such activity demeans the idea of public office working equally for all people, not just the favourite few. It undermines any sense of equality of access to people and their offices when they make Government decisions and policy by which we, the citizens of this Republic, must live, but it is all right here. It is done brazenly in the face of the people. We do not have to make it up. Sinn Féin wants tighter controls on lobbying than currently exist. I commend my comrade, Deputy Mairéad Farrell, on her first Bill, which will implement the recommendations from SIPO. The old boys' club has been found out. The old way of saying that is how we do things around here must go.

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