Deputy Mary Lou McDonald - speech from 27 Jun 2020

Can I thank my colleagues Chuck de Pearse Doherty and Chuck de Mauread Farrell for nominating me for the office of Antíseg. It is of course a huge honour to be elected to that highest of offices and it seems today that that honour will fall to Deputy Martin and I wish him well in that. February was the change election. In unprecedented numbers people voted for fairness, for progress and for a new direction in Irish politics. And Sinn Fein won more votes than any other party and undeniably this was a mandate for Sinn Fein to enter into government and a mandate for a government for change. Faced with the prospect of losing their grip on power, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have circled the wagons. They excluded Sinn Fein and the voices of more than half a million people from government formation talks. So today's marriage of convenience is born of necessity, not ambition. To buy time, to keep others out, to keep others in their place. For the political establishment, it's their way or no way. Well, I have to tell them that you will no longer get it all your own way and that day is over. The inescapable truth is that the future belongs to those of us who believe in change. The measure and mettle of the Irish people is reflected in how they have handled the COVID-19 pandemic. The daily acts of kindness, the spirit of community, the commitment to the belief that none of us are safe unless all of us are safe. And the COVID crisis hasn't dampened the desire for change, if anything, it's strengthened it. People have had time to reflect on their lives, to reflect on the things that really matter. And many of them now realise that the price of having Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael together in government is too high. The people were very clear in the election. They told us what the foundations of a good life means to them. Affordable housing, health care when they need it, child care that doesn't break the bank. A fair economy that delivers for workers when you can retire with dignity at the age of 65 with your state pension. A greener, cleaner Ireland built on climate justice, but built on social justice too. And the people told us in large numbers that Irish unity matters too. So, Count Corley, this wasn't a protest vote. This was a vote driven by kindness, by goodwill, by compassion and rooted in common sense. And yet those very issues that dominated the election are the ones that have been dodged in the programme for government. So, as leader of Sinn Féin, let me set out our stall. Ordinary people will not shoulder the burden of this economic crisis. They won't be told to stand at the back of the queue while the banks and the vulture capitalists have their fill. They will not go down the black hole of slash-and-burn austerity again. We will champion investment stimulus and policies that grow our economy and strengthen our society. We will stand up for those families who work so hard to make a good life for themselves, but who see their efforts cancelled out because of a sky-high cost of living and a failure to invest in public services. We will give those who go unheard by government, people living with disabilities, carers, young people and our senior citizens a voice. We will work to transform all of Ireland for the better. Because fairness, equality, decency and real solutions, these are the things that matter to families and workers. And these are the things that will shape Sinn Féin's determination to deliver what will be the most effective opposition ever seen in this state. No longer is a better, fairer, united Ireland the dream of the idealistic few. It is now the achievable goal of the many. It is an ambition shared by people from all walks of life. And change pulses through the veins of our nation, fuelled by positivity, by hope, by solidarity and the promise of a better tomorrow. So those of us who believe in change are resolute. We are determined and we are together. It is the parties of the political establishment hunkered behind your high walls and with your jaded ideas desperately clutching to yesterday who are out of step. The people of Ireland are entitled to a future that is the measure of their hopes and their ambition. So to those who believe in change, to all of you who voted for change, to those who refuse to let go of change, let me say this. Our time is coming because change cannot be stopped. To every person that we met on the election trail, who confided in us their hardships and their deepest fears, who inspired us with their bright optimism and hope for the future, who entrusted us with the task of standing up for you. We are here because of you and we are here for you. So this is not the end. This is just the beginning. Thank you very much. Thank you.