Lynn Ruane (Independent) | Oireachtas source

As with everyone else, I thank the staff, my colleagues and everybody involved in keeping the Houses running. However, I must be honest. Halfway through this term I became somewhat disillusioned with politics and with where power is concentrated and where it flows. I had to a lot of soul searching to re-establish the idea that politics can work, although it must look radically different from how it looks now. Looking to America and the western world's failure to protect the people of Gaza, it feels like we are living in a non-reality where truth no longer matters. Even though it might seem noble or whatever to thank people within this House, I want to thank the activists in every arena I have worked in, including those involved with the issues of addiction and Gaza. Over the last two years, I have spent more time in the prisons system than I have in here and I can tell you now that is where I have been reminded of truth. People living on the fringes and margins who have been excluded and isolated for a very long time are much more honest people because they live the day-to-day reality of an ordinary citizen. Going into an election, if any of us are lucky and privileged enough to be re-elected, we need to ensure it is not these walls that inform what politics is and what the truth is. We must spend much more time working with ordinary people and with people we might not necessarily understand or agree with. If we can do that, we can move to much more unconditional support and acceptance and a much more radical form of equality in Ireland. We have not seen that for a long time. We should come back here with a much more radical approach. "Radical" is not a dirty word. It is not associated with the fringe edges of anything. "Radical" can mean massive change and massive upheaval in a system that is not working for a great many. I thank everyone who has worked with me over recent years and the people who have continued to support me to be here.