Deputy Mary Lou McDonald- speech from 17 Dec 2022

Ciancorla, I begin by offering my good wishes to Deputy Leo Varadkar as he enters Office of Antísog for the second time. To lead government is a huge honour and an even greater responsibility and we all want those who assume this responsibility to succeed on behalf of the people of Ireland. Nearly three years ago people voted for something new. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have passed power between themselves for a century. And our people have paid a heavy price for this perpetual merry-go-round. Financial crash and recession, jobs lost, livelihoods ruined, homes repossessed, austerity, vicious cuts to public services, communities made to carry the can for the mistakes of those at the top. So to break from the past people reached hopefully for something they'd never had before. A government that would put workers, families and communities first. A government with the determination to match their ambitions, their hopes and seize Ireland's opportunities for the future. A government that would do what is necessary to improve their lives by fixing a broken housing system, by tackling the crisis in our hospitals and by working to build a fairer, sustainable, modern economy. Our people had a glimpse of what that might be, the historic chance of a government for change. Following the 2020 general election, your collective instinct was to come together to block that demand for change. After decades of pretense, all it took to bring Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael together was the threat to your power and your positions. In the end, what mattered most to you was keeping others out. So with this coalition, the people have got another government that fits neatly into the pattern of 100 years. A tired government that resorts again and again to excuses and alibis, instead of bringing real leadership, ambition and fresh ideas. This coalition of Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Greens has stuck to the age-old, worn-out playbook that sees workers and families failed, short-changed and left behind. A government that persists with a way of doing business, that prioritises insiders, the well-got and the well-connected. A system that keeps ordinary people on the outside looking in, that keeps children with scoliosis waiting in agony for life-changing surgery, that leaves elderly people on hospital trolleys for days, that has working families relying on food banks for a decent meal. I said back in 2020 that this broken way, this Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael way of doing business, means that governments come and governments go, but nothing really changes. And so it has come to pass. On the watch of this government, the housing crisis has become a housing emergency. The crisis in our health service has deepened, and despite working very hard, thousands struggle to afford the basic necessities. Taoiseach, punish the government. Of all your failures, your failure in housing is inexcusable. Your government has spent the last two and a half years recycling the very policies that created the housing emergency in the first place. And we now see the impact of this emergency on education, on health and on our economy. Our teachers and our nurses can't pay extortionate rent or save for a deposit, so they're leaving. They're going to Britain, to the Middle East, and our schools and our hospitals struggle to recruit and retain staff. Investment is threatened, as workers are unable to take up good jobs with good salaries, because they can't afford secure housing. The human cost of the housing emergency is tragedy upon tragedy. It is now driving our young people out of Ireland in search of a better life. They look around them, and they see houses that they'll never be able to afford to buy. They walk past fancy build-to-let apartments that they'll never live in. So as hurling or camogie training or over a pint, they talk with their friends about their future, and they just don't see one at home. So many parents will spend this Christmas watching their sons and daughters pack their bags to take long flights away from their families, away from home, to live in Toronto or Boston or Sydney. Forced emigration is back with us again, and yet your government stands by and watches this happen. There is no doubt that your failure to fix housing has done real, real damage to our society, threatens our international reputation, our competitiveness, but worse, so much worse, smothers the chance of our country reaching its full potential. Governments are here to serve the people. Governments should be judged on their record. And the record of this government is one of spectacular failure. The changeover of Taoiseach, the swapping of ministerial office, won't change anything, really. 100 years ago, a great Republican leader by the name of Liam Mellows said, Men who get into positions and hold power will desire to remain undisturbed and will not want to be removed or will not take a step that will mean removal in case of failure. Liam Mellows was right. The man sitting at the Taoiseach's office is changing, but there will be no change in policy, no change in direction, no change in delivery. Indeed, your first act as Taoiseach now is to reappoint ministers who have failed to get the job done. You reward incompetence. You reward failure. So the truth is this. We need a change of government, not just a change of Taoiseach. And of course, there is the real danger that people looking on at this meaningless shuffling of positions may become disheartened. But I'm asking people everywhere not to surrender your belief in change. I'm asking you not to give up or give in. Hold tightly to your hope. A new and united Ireland is about you. A new and united Ireland is for you. And a new day is on the horizon. We have never been so close to achieving real change. This hope is especially important for our young people, young people who want to be given their chance, young people who will achieve great things if we give them their moment. We need a government that will work for them and with them to change Ireland. An Ireland that gives our young people a life of opportunity, opportunity to stay and build a good life, the opportunity to travel and experience the world without being forced out and the opportunity to come home. Our people, particularly our young people, deserve an ambitious government that says we can do it. This is how we will do it and we will get the work done. Sinn Féin wants to lead a government for change. A government that will house our people, build strong public services, achieve energy independence and advance Ireland's journey to full nationhood. As we approach the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, it is now time to write the next chapter. It is time to plan, to prepare for democratic constitutional change. Taoiseach, it is time for government to establish a citizens' assembly on Irish unity. And as we move forward, we will look again to a spirit of partnership. The people of the north are entitled to a government. We need the political institutions up and running, delivering for all communities. That is the best way to build progress and a better tomorrow. So it is time to cast aside the small thinking of the past. It is time to do big things for Ireland and for our people. It is time to give those of us who are committed to change the chance to show what we can do. If I were given the chance to lead a government of change, I would stand before the people and I would say this. We set out to end the housing emergency because we believe that every person has the right to a roof over their head. And we will not stop until this is achieved. We set out to build a fair health service for all of Ireland because we believe that every person has the right to treatment and care. And we will not stop until this is achieved. We set out to build our economy, our prosperity, because we believe all people are equal and deserving of opportunity. And we will not stop until this is achieved. We set out to end partition, to unite Ireland in our time because we believe that we are stronger together. And we will not stop until we achieve this. This is the type of ambition that Ireland needs. And Sinn Féin is ready to lead, to govern, to deliver. So we believe the people should be given a straight choice. The tired performance of this failed government or Sinn Féin's positive, ambitious, achievable vision for Ireland. So much has changed in the last three years. So if you, Taoiseach, are so confident that your government and your policies command the support of the people, then you should give them this choice in a general election. Let the people have their say. And let the people choose who leads. Thank you, Taoiseach. And let the people choose who leads. ��