Today we nominate a Taoiseach in a week that Donald Trump was inaugurated, surrounded by his broligarchy, his billionaires and his sexual predators. He announced that the US intends to continue to destroy the planet for profit, pick on minorities and move in a more competitive and genocidal direction. Beside him, the world's richest man did two fascist salutes for good measure. What was being announced was the end of a liberal era for capitalism and politics. That will resonate in this Dáil as well. Already, the Go…

-----partly in an attempt to prostrate itself in front of Trump and the corporations and to ignore the ongoing suffering of the people of Palestine. What was a very right-wing Government will become more right-wing, including with the motley crew of those who espouse some of the ideas of misogyny, racism and climate denial as well. They are becoming more right-wing and more clearly pro-capitalist. We need a left that is more left, more anti-capitalist and puts up a challenge and an alternative. Socialists in this D…

I feel that in rallying behind its selection for Ceann Comhairle, it could be the first and last rally for women that the next government is likely to do when it comes in. I will be opposing the Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael nominee for Taoiseach, whenever they decide to put one forward. They are the parties that do not care that young people are leaving this country in droves, along with essential workers who are bitterly disappointed at the outcome of this election, the parties that do not provide school places for a…

I want to make the point that I will be abstaining on that nomination simply because we do not have a real prospect of an alternative government.

Given the recent moves to the right that Sinn Féin has made-----

Okay. They are turning their backs on vulnerable groups like trans young people and denying them healthcare, and on refugees. This makes it very difficult to give them a free pass.

Can you stop heckling me? In doing so-----