Rory Hearne (Dublin North-West, Social Democrats)

I thank Aontú and others for bringing forward the motion today. It is an important discussion about how we choose our President, the processes set out for that and who is eligible to vote. The Social Democrats are open to engaging in a cross-party discussion about the processes in place to elect a President. Uachtarán na hÉireann, as has been set out, is the highest office in the land. It is a position that sets out the vision for Ireland and one that everyone in this country holds dear. That is why we have seen such strength of feeling around this presidential election from different perspectives. In many ways, people want to see a President who not only represents them, but also is a part of them.

Over time, we have seen the nature of the Presidency change, even within the structures and restrictions of the Constitution. We have increasingly seen Presidents, within the bounds of the Presidency, engage in the discussion and debate about what type of country we have. That is important. What we need is a critical, embracing discussion of everyone about the type of country we have. We only have to look at the record levels of homelessness and the way in which we have a generation who are locked out of a home. Indeed, I encourage everyone to read the article written in her.ie by Kat O’Connor about her generation being forced to accept a housing crisis. She is 31 and has reached a point of hopelessness when it comes to owning a home in Ireland. A total of 70% of 25-year olds still live at home. Why is this relevant to this debate? It is relevant because our President encapsulates and has a role in guiding us as a country around the values, nature and purpose of our country and what we are achieving. In that regard, people respect and hold the absolute centrality of the Presidency.

We are in favour of engaging with reforms, particularly around citizens in the North of Ireland being able to vote in the presidential election.

When it comes to the process, we need to think this through because we want someone holding that position who can represent us all in dignity. The President is our Head of State who will have that position for seven years. It is not a decision that should be taken lightly. Indeed, it is one of the reasons I am deeply frustrated and critical of the idea of people spoiling their votes in a presidential election. People fought and died for this vote. We will see millions of people coming out to vote on Friday in this presidential election, including old people who may have not been able to leave their homes for a long time, people who are ill, disabled people and young people. We will see them coming out to exercise their franchise because they hold dear and understand the importance of the Presidency. That is why I am deeply critical of the idea of spoiling votes.

We need to see changes, however. People feel excluded and we can see that. We can see what happened in Citywest, which was absolutely disgraceful. I call on politicians in this House to be careful with their language. Unfortunately, we saw it yesterday. There was no leadership but rather the fanning of flames of hate.

See this speech in context