Pauline O'Reilly (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Taoiseach, former Senators and all of our distinguished guests. To some, Seanad Éireann is familiar, small and almost cosy but I have seen, at close quarters, Ministers and officials squirm as they contend with lengthy debates in our Chamber. I have seen notes being passed from officials to Ministers as, hours into a debate, a Minister takes to his or her feet for the umpteenth time to respond to a cross-examination by Senators on policies or on legislation. Why do they squirm? It is because there is nothing quite like being held to account in a public place to keep politics honest and ultimately, there is no advancement of thought without debate followed by reflection. The change that this debate brings about may not happen today or indeed tomorrow, but it does come. I have seen changes made to Ministers' legislation and policy approaches either through negotiations behind the scenes or as a result of an earlier debate.

Debate is the very foundation of democracy and of human society and is one of the cornerstones of Seanad Éireann. It is underestimated but powerful. As four of only nine Green Party Senators to have ever sat in Seanad Éireann, it is an honour for us in the Green Party group to engage in that debate but it is also a grave responsibility for the Minister of State, Senator Hackett, Senators Garvey, Martin and myself. Indeed, this is true of all Senators as we face the greatest challenge human beings have ever faced, the existential threat that is climate collapse. That is the biggest change to hit politics and was invisible to the First Seanad. The evidence is all around us that climate change is here as we experience both the warmest and the coldest days in the middle of a winter unlike any that we can remember in the last 100 years. As we sit in our Chamber, there is a sense of anxiety about the future in the public consciousness and not just in politics. This new reality did not exist 100 years ago.The climate science has now been accepted but it is climate action that politics must now be pushed to accept. The most important function our Chamber can now provide is to agree actions to save our species. It will take massive change to how we work, travel and feed ourselves. Some of this has already started to happen but much more is needed.

We in the Green Party, in common with former Senators Boyle, Dearey, de Búrca, Ó Brolcháin and O'Sullivan, seek change in approaches to climate, biodiversity and animal welfare. Human rights are also at the core. This Chamber provides an enviable opportunity to elect and appoint from diverse backgrounds, as others have said, from both North and South. More must be done to develop in that direction. This is part of the reason for our party's steadfast support for the bicameral parliamentary system. The Seanad has already begun to provide a platform for more women than any other chamber at national or local level, at 40% representation for women. It is an honour to be one of those women. It is an honour for all us here today, regardless of gender, to share in the history of Irish democracy.