Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Ar dtús, ba mhaith liom comhghairdeas a dhéanamh leis an Taoiseach agus leis na hAirí nua. I wish them well. Like Deputy Nolan, I thank the Taoiseach for his work on SUSI, apprenticeships and other issues in his time as higher education Minister. I acknowledge that unlike what I said this morning about his abysmal time in health.

Recently, it has not only been Fine Gael that has been far too left for far too long. In my opinion all three Government parties and most of the Opposition occupy that left-wing space even though it is the private sector that generates our national income and wealth and even though 80% of employees work in the private sector. You would never guess that listening to Irish public debate. In recent decades, we have seen a growth in the influence of ministerial media advisers and the alumni of youth wings of our political parties. The Government is spending over €7 million of taxpayers' money on these advisers this year. The result is that glib soundbites have increased in importance while the delivery of bread-and-butter solutions has declined. The recent referendums illustrated the rise of soundbites and the decline of substance. An example of that decline was how the "Yes" referendum campaigns actively misrepresented the legal advice received by the Government. The Government’s main efforts over the past three years have been to distract the public from its substantial failures on housing, health, crime and immigration. These failures are visible, consistent and undeniable. Our leaders appear impotent, which might explain why so many of them, including at least 11 Fine Gael TDs, are unwilling to put their names forward for re-election. Nothing is changing because the first thing the new Taoiseach has done, before he has even taken up the reins, is to surround himself with media advisers with the single aim of distracting rather than serving the public as the cycle of failure and mistruth continues.

In Simon's world, under the Government, we have more asylum seekers and fewer gardaí to patrol our streets. Anyone who heard the Simon Harris, or Taoiseach as he is now, speech in Galway last weekend would be left wondering whether he lives in the same world as the rest of us. I do not mean to be disrespectful, but in Simon's world things can only get better. In Simon's world, crime is down, taxes are low and the buses run on time, but people do not live in Simon's world. They live in the real world. The Taoiseach will be bedevilled by the daily failures of Simon's government.

The ongoing immigration crisis is a direct consequence of Government policy failures. The Minister for the environment's unfulfilled promises to provide proper accommodation and abolish direct provision have only worsened the situation. We are witnessing young people being forced to go abroad on a daily basis. That is not right and it is not good for Simon's world or our world.

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