Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Tá siad ag gáire. I second the nomination of Deputy Michael Healy-Rae because I believe he is a man who listens to the people. In politics since he was ten years of age, he canvassed in by-elections. Bíonn sé ag éisteacht leis na daoine - listening to the people - which the Government parties have completely lost. We need to have a contest in this House. We cannot move around and have no elections. That is why we are doing this today.

I wish Deputy Varadkar the best in his retirement and wish the Minister, Deputy Harris, who will be elected, his family, and his wife and children well as well.

The sudden departure of the outgoing Taoiseach, Deputy Varadkar, in the Government's final year creates serious instability and surrenders to the public service. It is akin to the captain of a ship being first off when there is a shipwreck at which he is meant to stay until last.

Let us be clear, the Minister, Deputy Harris, and his few new Fine Gael Ministers bring no novelty and no change to the current Fine Gael-led Government's legacy. The legacy will be seen as their incompetence and decision to stop listening to the people. The Government has burdened the public with higher taxes and disregarded the voices of the ordinary people, both urban and rural.

From the outset, the three-party coalition lacked a plan, a vision and any bit of empathy with the people who elected them. The people voted in 2020 for change. They got no change but a Government cobbled together by Deputy Micheál Martin and Deputy Varadkar. Deputy Martin was the architect because he did not want to be the first Fianna Fáil leader never to be Taoiseach.

I ask you, Minister Harris, how can we have trust? I hold a letter here that you wrote to the pro-life campaign in 2012 in Wicklow. It states that you are contesting the next election, are happy and so proud to support them, and are pro-life:

In response to your ... questions:

1) Yes, if elected to the Dail I will oppose any legislation to introduce abortion in Ireland.

2) Yes, I will support legislation that protects the human embryo ... [and that protects babies at all costs].

Given the legislation you brought in, how can we trust you? The legislation was the most vicious, rigorous and disgusting that ever happened.

Deputy Harris's legacy in health includes the children's hospital and the promise to the unfortunate people with scoliosis, who were here a few weeks ago, that they would not have more than a four-month wait, and yet they are waiting years and languishing.

I note Fine Gael's attack on local government. The party demolished local democracy. It appointed and set up Irish Water, an unmitigated disaster. There are many, many others.

The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Conglomerates are the name of the game. Vote for Fianna Fáil. I refer to the beef barons and Cement Roadstone. All those people, all the big monopolies, are squeezing the lifeblood out of our communities. It is not what the people of Ireland gave their lives for here. It is a sad legacy.

Moving the deckchairs on this ship tonight will not do anything else for anybody. Deputy Harris should call an election, go to the people, get a fresh mandate and do something for the people.

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