Matt Carthy to Vote No Confidence Tonight
Matt Carthy delivers a forceful address in the Dáil and announces he will vote no confidence in the government this evening, saying ministers have lost the trust of their constituents. He argues the government ignored the financial pressures facing workers, carers, people with disabilities, families, small businesses and farmers and only offered half measures.
Key message: Matt Carthy told the Dáil that Sinn Féin tabled the no-confidence motion as a messenger for people under sustained pressure. He said the protests have been driven by ordinary, hard-working citizens and that the government's budget made many households worse off.
Who he spoke for: Carthy named workers, carers, people with disabilities, families, small businesses, farmers, contractors, bus drivers and hauliers as those whose concerns were ignored. He described protesters as the backbone of local economies and said many had never protested before but were forced to act.
Historical context: Carthy invoked the founding idea of the Dáil that elected representatives are messengers of the people, not merely titled officials. He challenged Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and independents to deliver the messages they are receiving from constituents.
What he demands: Carthy said TDs must choose which side they are on - either represent those who elected them or support what he called a shambolic government. He concluded by confirming he will vote no confidence this evening and urged other TDs to bring their constituents' message to the chamber.
Key message: Matt Carthy told the Dáil that Sinn Féin tabled the no-confidence motion as a messenger for people under sustained pressure. He said the protests have been driven by ordinary, hard-working citizens and that the government's budget made many households worse off.
Who he spoke for: Carthy named workers, carers, people with disabilities, families, small businesses, farmers, contractors, bus drivers and hauliers as those whose concerns were ignored. He described protesters as the backbone of local economies and said many had never protested before but were forced to act.
Historical context: Carthy invoked the founding idea of the Dáil that elected representatives are messengers of the people, not merely titled officials. He challenged Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and independents to deliver the messages they are receiving from constituents.
What he demands: Carthy said TDs must choose which side they are on - either represent those who elected them or support what he called a shambolic government. He concluded by confirming he will vote no confidence this evening and urged other TDs to bring their constituents' message to the chamber.
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Transcript
Comhairle, for all the government's arrogance and back-slapping, the truth that ministers haven't divulged is that your TDs are under more pressure today than they have been in a political lifetime. And that pressure, that pressure, Dara, isn't coming from Sinn Féin or any other party, it's coming from your own constituents. Yes, Sinn Féin tabled the no-confidence motion, but we're just the messenger, folks. The message has been sent loud and clear. This government has failed and you've lost the trust of the people. You refused to listen or acknowledge the financial pressures facing workers, carers, people with disabilities, families. You ignored small businesses, farmers, contractors, bus drivers, hauliers, virtually everyone else. You introduced a budget. You introduced a budget that actually made people worse off and then you had to be dragged kicking and screaming to act and when you did, you introduced half measures. Those that have been making their voices heard are the salt of the earth. I've spoken to them. Hard-working people, most of whom actually had never protested before in their lives. They were the same people, the same people actually, that we turned to when the parties in government actually crashed the economy. They were the people who lost businesses and then rebuilt them. They're the people who went without meals in order to save their farms and their homes because you bailed out the banks instead. They're the backbone of the domestic economy, the lifeline of every town and village and rural community in this state and their voices have been heard, loud and clear. And the question today is, have you lot listened? Because Ciancórla is teachty d'áile midge. We, when the revolutionary generation established the first Dáil, they made a very significant decision. Elected representatives wouldn't simply be titled members of parliament. Instead, those returned by voters wouldn't be given so much as a title, but an obligation. Chachti Dáilí, messengers of the people. And today is the day for every member of this house to bring the message of the people to this government. So will Fianna Fáil TDs actually bring the message that they've been receiving from their constituents? Will Fianna Gael TDs? What about the independents, those who pretend to be champions of the people? Will they act in the interest of those who elected them or will they act in their own self-interest? Because the truth is, if TDs are to live up to the promise of those who established on Ciancórla Dáil, if they're to fulfil the pledge to be messengers of the people, then this government will be gone tonight. It's time, I charge you, to pick a side. You're either on the side of those who you pledge to represent or you're on the side of this debacle of a government. Ciancórla, I'll be bringing the message of my constituents to this Dáil this evening. I will be voting no confidence in this shambolic government.