Lynn Ruane (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Cathaoirleach. I will be brief. I wish the two candidates well. My comments are not personal to anyone at all. They are more a reflection of what my colleague from Sinn Féin said about the first test of fairness and justice. It is also the first test of working collaboratively because working collaboratively does not only happen with the scraps at the bottom. It also happens in how we discuss who has the power in a room. Working collaboratively means that, when discussions are had about positions like Chairmanships and Leas-Chathaoirleach and about those who get to make decisions at the top, it is meant to be done in collaboration. We cannot only say that we want to work together when all of the decisions around power have already been made. It is not just about fairness and justice, but also a reflection on how and when we work together. Unless we work together from the top through all of the positions and from the bottom back up again, then we will never be working together, given that the power will always remain concentrated and orchestrated in a particular direction. I challenge people to think about how, when we say we want to work in collaboration, it means at all levels of decision making and how we do things. Whether that is in secret or out loud, we should be willing to share power when the opportunity is there.