Frances Fitzgerald (Fine Gael)

I will begin again and summarise by saying it is important that everybody was so involved in the democratic process. Their campaigns were strong and vibrant.

Turning to the outcome of the elections, the verdict of the people has been given and it is resounding. Fianna Fáil has suffered its worst ever electoral defeat and the Green Party has been decimated. Fine Gael is now the largest party in local government, with the highest share of the vote and the highest number of seats. There is no doubt the people expressed their anger at the Government through the vote.

Many Government Ministers have since said that people voted as they did because the Government took tough decisions. It was not because the Government took tough decisions but because they took wrong decisions. People feel betrayed that so much money has been wasted while they are feeling the pain on the front-line. They are angry at the waste, rising unemployment and the price individual families are paying, day in and day out, for the poor management of the economy by the Government.

It is clear the people have withdrawn the mandate from the Government through the electoral process and that they want a general election. I want to move an amendment to the Order of Business to discuss the outcome of the elections and the need for a general election. It is appropriate that we should discuss these matters in the House today.