Dan Boyle (Green Party)

The local elections were held on the same day as the European Parliament elections. The Government party in Britain only got 15% of the national vote. The Czech Green Party, which had been in government there until recently, also experienced a similar collapse in support by virtue of being in government during the most serious economic downturn experienced. I have accepted both in and outside the Chamber that certain policy decisions, prior to my party entering into government, contributed to a worsening of the Irish economic situation, making it more than experienced elsewhere. That said, it is my preference that my party stays in government to correct the effects of many of these decisions.

The nature of being in politics and of being an honest and responsible politician is to meet challenges sincerely. It is to try, when something is wrong, to admit it. It is to use that platform, to the best of one's abilities, to correct it and make matters better. I will never apologise for that even if that means a diminution of personal support or an inability to get elected at any time. The essence of politics is to be in government, to try to effect change and to try to make things better. However, when I hear of the games that are played on particular issues, it causes despair.

In a personal sense, I admit this was a difficult election and I came across people who undoubtedly were angry. Many people have many reasons to be angry. I refer to people who have lost their jobs, who have difficulty in making mortgage payments or those whose pension entitlements have gone up in smoke because of the collapse of markets. However, some of the anger I encountered came from people who are not affected by any of these factors and who have been caught up in a general feeling that one must be angry and that one must be angry at someone. If this country is to recover, people must be focused in their anger. One must ensure the right people take responsibility for what has gone wrong and for what needs to be corrected.

I accept there have been political failings. However, as for the issue of the banks being trotted out periodically, what is the alternative approach that the others claim will cost any less or will have a different effect? Regardless of whether one nationalises, adopts a good bank and bad bank approach or takes a NAMA approach, it all will come down to the Irish taxpayer. There is no way of avoiding what has happened and no other combination of parties or politicians will be able to effect a different result. All one can do is to try to use the situation to ensure the impact is lessened.

Unless people are sufficiently honest to admit this, our politics are suffering. I believe the real effort to bring forward changes will require honesty. This election really was about anyone but the Government. It is quite obvious that this was the voters' intention and those were the results that followed. However, it is a sort of perversion of democracy when people get voted for on the basis of what they are not, rather than on what they are for. They were not voted for because of what they stand for or because of their experiences or abilities. While that criticism probably is too general, it was a factor in these elections. People were elected who came from nowhere and did not have a particular background but who, because the mood of the moment was anyone but the Government, succeeded in being elected. Those Members who are in the Chamber at present came through the political process in the traditional manner. They contested local and national elections, were elected as councillors in the first instances and have gained experience of all that. However, when the mood is so volatile that anything can happen, anyone can be elected and that is not safe for our democracy. We need more-----