Rónán Mullen (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Indeed. Our country, as we are all aware, faces tremendous challenges, particularly in public health and our public finances. We all want to do our best to serve our country. We always seek to anyway, but at this time particularly it is important that we all bring our "A" game to our job as public representatives. I wish all fellow Senators well and congratulate those who are taking their seats for the first time. It is a very important and exciting time for them. It is happening in very unusual circumstances. I also congratulate those who successfully sought re-election. I am very grateful to the electorate of the National University of Ireland constituency, which has honoured me with election on the first count and which has shown me for the first time in my life what a surplus looks like. I am very grateful for that.

There is a certain cultural drift in this country and throughout the western world, as we all know, even as we contend with real existential problems. With regard to the debates that may be ahead of us, and not just on public health or financial issues, there may be times when there is a strong drift in a particular direction culturally speaking. We are looking at a Seanad where there will be a very strong and overwhelming majority on many occasions, so at the outset, it is all the more reason that it behoves the majority faction, and everyone here as a legislator, to seek to generate an atmosphere and a context of debate that tries to avoid groupthink, demonisation, silencing and all the rest of it. We set an example in our own way in the Seanad to the rest of society. In a world where legitimate public expression is sometimes greatly threatened, I hope there will not be too much wokeness - or wokeishness - in this House. If there is, then I certainly promise to provide as much constructive opposition as I can.

I wonder whether it was groupthink or just some failure of perspective that caused those who had the very difficult task of putting our new Government together to overlook - as Senator McDowell eloquently pointed out - the significance of having a representative here from Northern Ireland, specifically from the unionist community. That was a major mistake, a major lack of political vision, a major failure of political responsibility and a huge oversight. I do not know how it can be rectified in the short term but it can be rectified in some significant way. This will not have gone down well in the North of this country.

Just as serious, and just as lacking in political nous, has been the exclusion of ten counties in the west when it came to the allocation of senior ministerial portfolios. Again, that has caused huge hurt, anger and annoyance there but not just in the west of Ireland. The Western Peoplehas said that this is a "Cabinet fit for Cromwell". That article pointed out that Mayo had certain representation in "Dara Calleary and another by birth in Pippa Hackett". It also mentioned Deputy Hildegarde Naughton. The article also said "but the role of Super-Junior Minister is akin to being a non-playing substitute on All-Ireland Final Day." I believe the Western Peoplehave got it just about right. Again, this is very regrettable. I wish the new Taoiseach the very best in his new role. I hope this is something he will reflect on. I hope that we in the Seanad will compensate in some way for that serious failure by the incoming party leaders of the new Government.

I welcome from my own neck of the woods, first time and newly appointed Senator, Aisling Dolan, who has proven herself in a very short time to be a polaiteoir an-chumasach go deo agus go n-éirí go geal léi.We meet in challenging times but, hopefully, we can work well together for the good of our country, and I wish everyone well. I hope that in early course the Government will show a greater measure of political judgment and inclusivity than it has done in recent days in relation to the specific decisions I mentioned.