Brian Ó Domhnaill (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Ba mhaith liom ar dtús báire iarraidh ar an gCeannaire Gníomhach díospóireacht a bheith againn ar chúrsaí Gaeilge agus Gaeltachta. I ask for a debate on the Irish language, Gaeltacht and island affairs. It was noted that such a debate would occur in the House but to date it has not occurred. Is it possible to bring the relevant Minister of State, Deputy Kyne, come before the House for that debate?

I add to the congratulations and sentiments of goodwill towards President-elect Trump. I am not particularly shocked by the outcome, to be honest, when we drill down through some of the detail of voter apathy and democratic interchange with the way political correctness, as has been referred to, has gone a bit mad, particularly right through the media, not just in America but across the developed world. The ordinary voter does not really get political correctness and he or she is more concerned by his or her own economic whereabouts. America has an unemployment rate of only 4.9%, which would be the envy of any European country, but people were still disenfranchised in a way so they voted as they did.

There is a message here for political parties and politics in general. As politicians, and particularly leaders in politics, we must stop following the media and instead set the agenda. The politicians are forgetting to listen to the people and instead they are following the melee of media commentary on where a country or society wants to go. They are forgetting to ask or to lead people where they should go. There is a message there for us. We will now see the fallout, and it will extend to this country as well due to the quite naïve decision of the Taoiseach and other Ministers to deny an opportunity to meet Mr. Trump if he had been available to come here as a Republican nominee before the presidential election. The issues remain. We have St. Patrick's Day and there are many Irish citizens living in the United States. It is vital that engagement is instigated with the new Administration with President-elect Trump at an early date.

I ask the Acting Leader to facilitate the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade in coming to the House to discuss how those bridges can be built with the new Administration. That will not only see President-elect Trump in the White House but it will also see the Republicans controlling Congress. There are serious issues at stake.