Mattie McGrath: Christmas thanks and a call for an election date
Mattie McGrath addressed the Dáil on 18 December 2019, offering Christmas greetings and thanking parliamentary staff and guests including Count Coelho and Sister Consilio. He urged the Taoiseach to set a date for the upcoming election, calling for clarity and an end to uncertainty.
Christmas greetings and acknowledgements
McGrath opened with festive good wishes for a "happy and holy and peaceful Christmas" and thanked those involved in recent ceremonies, including Count Coelho and Sister Consilio, for their work and awards given to brother Kevin last year.
Tributes to staff and colleagues
He thanked a wide range of people around the House - the captain, the ushers, canteen staff, cleaners, the guard and the chicaner - and acknowledged members and constituency office colleagues, including those who had travelled to Europe.
Request for an election date
McGrath asked that Santi approach the Taoiseach to "enlighten them as to give us the date," referring to communication between himself and Deputy Martin about when an election will be held. He argued that naming a date would remove uncertainty for the public and politicians alike.
Tone and closing remarks
The speech mixed gratitude with humour, likening current arrangements to "a couple meeting at a dance hall" and ending with a light-hearted call to "let the romance begin for a new government." He closed by wishing colleagues well and offering seasonal greetings.
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Congratulations, indeed, good wishes for a happy and holy and peaceful Christmas and to thank everybody and to thank you, Les Count Coelho, for the lovely ceremony we had last week with Sister Consilio and all those people, what they do to brother Kevin last year and that wonderful award, but just to say also to the Count Coelho, to wish him well and look forward to being back and to send Christmas greetings and to everybody outside the house, but even the members that left us here went to Europe and all our work colleagues in our offices as well in our constituencies, but to thank the captain, the ushers and indeed the canteen staff and the cleaners, everybody, the guard, the chicaner as well, everybody's involved in this house, it's an honour and a privilege to be here and I hope Santi will come to the Taoiseach and enlighten them as to give us the date that writing love letters over and back himself and Deputy Martin to know when we're going to have it, it's like a couple meeting at a dance hall and there was no communications in, so they can talk and we'll get the election, I'll get a date, it'll take us all out of our uncertainty, so, to wish you are, I didn't say, I didn't say you didn't, but you've lost a lot of the skill of it since, you have to be writing to himself, get down and talk and take the people out of their English and give us a date, whenever it is, and let the romance begin for a new government, gore maith gwyf. Thank you.
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