Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

-----on the big promises you made to get back into power at all costs. History tells us that campaigns are where Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael make their promises and in government is where they break them. It is a tale as old as time itself.

We already have sight of what is in store should Micheál Martin and Simon Harris get this deal of theirs over the line with the manful help of Deputy Michael Lowry. What we will have is more of the same. They simply propose to pick up where they left off before the election.

The discussions between the two parties, not surprisingly, have centred on the carve-up of power and position. The parties have argued publicly over the role of the rotating Taoiseach, over who gets which ministerial job and over who gets the big meeting rooms in Leinster House. There has been no talk, mind you, of double-digit rent increases or of the nearly 15,000 people who have been made homeless on the watch of those parties. More than 4,000 children are now in emergency accommodation. There has also been no talk of the Capuchin centre in Dublin that ran out of food parcels and vouchers for those in need so fast that its volunteers were left stunned. Those are the fruits of unchecked deprivation and an embedded cost-of-living crisis that leaves working households in real distress. More than that, it reflects the out-of-touch culture of entitlement that defines the centuries-old cosy club of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael.

There is hope. The political landscape of this State has been transformed irrevocably. All is changed, and changed utterly. The days of the same two parties controlling not just government but also opposition for generations are gone and not coming back. This election confirmed that 2020 was not a flash in the pan and was not simply a once-off election. Whether anyone likes it or not, our party, Sinn Féin, is now a significant and potent force in political life here. We are determined to work with others elected to this Dáil to build and strengthen the alternative to perpetual Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael government. Collectively, we were elected on a mandate of change and we have considerable strength. Our responsibility now is to collaborate and co-operate and to work together in common purpose to advance a platform of progress and force a change of direction from the policies that have wrought crisis, hardship and a denial of opportunity for far too many. We must also do better at convincing and inspiring more people, rallying more people to the vision of a better, fairer and more equal Ireland, and we will do that.

I know there is disappointment among a significant portion of the population. It is likely that we will not have the new government and new approach that is so desperately needed. That is politics. That is elections.

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