Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Is mór an onóir agus an phribhléid dom an Teachta Mary Lou McDonald a ainmniú d’oifig an Taoisigh. Bheadh sí i gceannas ar rialtas do ghnáthdhaoine, gnáthoibrithe agus teaghlaigh, agus is í an ceannaire a bhfuil an fhís agus an diongbháilteacht aici todhchaí níos fearr a sholáthar d’Éirinn. It is my great honour, a Cheann Comhairle, to nominate uachtaráin Shinn Féin, an Teachta Mary Lou McDonald, to the office of an Taoiseach. During the election, we said that Ireland needed a new Government and a new leadership for a better future, a new leadership with the vision, determination and political will to make a positive difference in the lives of ordinary workers, in families and communities, a new leadership with new ideas to meet the incredible opportunities and important challenges facing Ireland over the next decade. Mary Lou McDonald is that leader. She is a leader who is rooted in the Irish republican principles of fairness, equality, economic justice and unity of our country. The Government an Teachta McDonald would lead would be a Government of change, a new Government that would end the housing crisis and make housing affordable for working people, a Government that would transform our health services and end the wait for treatment, one that would introduce affordable childcare for families, ensure a better, fairer deal for ordinary workers and ensure that our young people can build a future and a life here in Ireland.

We have had 100 years of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael Governments. It is enough. The last thing we need is another Government that prioritises the wealth and privilege of those at the top. That is what we will get again, be there no doubt about it, if Deputies Micheál Martin and Simon Harris get their deal over the line. Make no mistake about it, a Cheann Comhairle, if this happens, as sure as night follows day we will be back in this Chamber in a number of years talking about the same problems, only worse again. It is time to turn the page, to reach with ambition for better, for a new Government for working people, a Government that will put reunification at the heart of its vision for the future. That is the Government Ireland needs and an Teachta Mary Lou McDonald is the person who can lead it. She is a leader of incredible strength, resilience and perseverance. The values of fairness, hard work, standing up for people and treating everyone with respect are at her core. We need that now more than ever. This is a time of generational change here in Ireland, a time of great opportunity. The leadership that defined the past cannot and will not achieve a better future. We need a Taoiseach with the courage to break with the merry-go-round of a century, a new Taoiseach and a new Government that will truly put workers, families and communities first, with the audacity and determination to take us to that further shore where opportunity, prosperity and hope are open to all our people. Mary Lou McDonald would be that Taoiseach. She would lead that new Government. I ask all Teachtaí here who want to achieve a better future to support the nomination of my friend and colleague, Mary Lou McDonald, for Taoiseach.

See this speech in context