Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It was tax credit. Anyone in this country looking for change and radical reform will not find it in the speech delivered by Deputy McDonald.

What was also conspicuously lacking in that speech was what was not mentioned. There was no mention of Covid, the war in Ukraine, the economy and the value of jobs, and, shamefully, Brexit. That kind of approach might work when leading an Opposition and when one is more interested in the content of a social media video than the content of policy, but it will not work if one is looking to lead a country. It points to the greater void at the heart of Sinn Féin policies. Sinn Féin wants more rental accommodation to be built, yet it demonises landlords and anyone who seeks to provide it. It wants to make progress on climate change, yet it is against any measure, particularly difficult measures, that are needed to achieve it. It wants to abolish the local property tax in Ireland, yet it wants to hike the tax in the North. Sinn Féin wants to make progress on the cost-of-living challenge. One week it is in favour of targeted measures and the next week it is in favour of broad measures.

Has there ever been a darker act of humour in recent Irish politics than Sinn Féin publishing a Private Members' Bill to control social media trolls? Has there even been a darker moment of irony when the party brought that measure forward? Amid the odd hint of a policy we hear from Sinn Féin, it points to the darker and more difficult truth. It is a party that is negative on Europe, indifferent to investment and always sees income in our country as something to be spent and never earned. Deputy McDonald showed an awareness that it might work for making a speech when putting forward a case in a Private Members' motion, but her speech showed no recognition of the challenges this country faces. It ended with a claim of optimism.

How hollow a note to end on.

The Government knows there is much to do. We know we have much to achieve. This is an historic Government composed of different politicians and three different parties, but we are united in our view as to how we can make progress, progress that we will make.

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