Michael Collins (Cork South-West, Independent Ireland Party) | Oireachtas source

We are talking about a vote of confidence in the Ceann Comhairle. While circumstances have led us to this incredible situation, it is unfair that the Ceann Comhairle should share all the blame. I attended every business and Dáil reform meeting of the new Dáil. The antics of some leave a lot to be desired and it leaves a bad taste in this Dáil that will not be forgotten for a long time. The bottom line is that the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste did what I have called a stinking bad deal with Michael Lowry and his team of Regional Independents. Without a scrap of paper, without a policy and without even a website, this shocking nod-and-wink deal that could well run to billions of euro of taxpayers' money was done. The Taoiseach asked at length about what choice did he have because no one else came forward. This is truly misleading the Dáil because we in Independent Ireland came forward. The problem the two parties had was that Independent Ireland had policies and solutions to problems. We were willing to sit down, marry our policies into the programme for Government and deliver for the people. The Taoiseach, in his only acknowledgement of our honest negotiations, said he could not meet our demands. The honest answer is he did not even speak to us until the stinking deal was done with Michael Lowry. We knew then the train was gone from the station, and we were left at the station.

The Taoiseach and the Tánaiste did not want to do a deal with us because we would have stood by our principles and not caved in like the Regional Independents. We wanted a Government driven by policy and a proper programme for Government, not new ministerial positions, with perks and Mercs alone costing the country more than €5 million. Independent Ireland was willing at all times to talk and to deliver on housing without dreaming up false figures on housing targets and delivering on infrastructure in a country that has wastewater tanks all over leaking into local rivers, delivering on health without people waiting years on waiting lists, delivering on education where parents would not have to stand outside shops fundraising to keep the school door open or go to the local parish priest to pay the electricity for the local school. We were willing to deliver on real climate action where people would get their homes insulated within a few months of application and a freeze on the hungry cash grab by this Government called the carbon tax. We would freeze any increase to enable our elderly and families to fill the tank of oil at home, heat the house or put the diesel or petrol into the car to do their normal daily work.

We were willing to deliver on farm payments for the close to 10,000 farmers waiting two years for GLAS payments, for the long-forgotten fishermen of Castletownbere up to Killybegs and down to Wexford to get new fishing quotas or even the bluefin quota the rest of the world has and not the dirty decommissioning deal delivered by the previous Government. We were willing to deliver on tourism where we would not see a drop of 30% in February and 20% in January in people coming to this country and where we would have forced the hand of Government to deliver the long promises about the 13.5% VAT to 9%. We would have delivered on all hotels the length and breadth of Ireland to be open for tourism and not IPAS. The Taoiseach did not want to do business with Independent Ireland because our policies could not be negotiated. He wanted a blank sheet from Michael Lowry's side, full of nods and winks.

I was not happy with the happenings in the Dáil last week. That is why I will be voting no confidence in the Ceann Comhairle.

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