Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
War politics
family and my community. Without them I could have achieved nothing.”
Sinn Fein also proposed their leader Mary Lou McDonald for the top job, even though they knew that they wouldn’t have the numbers to beat Mr Martin.
The Dail did not vote on this nomination after Mr Martin won his vote.
But Pearse Doherty used the opportunity to remind the public his party believes the new Fianna Fail/Fine Gael/Green coalition will be more of the same “old politics”.
He added: “I want change, I want a
We all knocked on doors the length and breadth of this country, we heard the same message over and over again. There was a desire for fundamental change.
“Could we look people in the eye and say we presided over a Programme for Government that was ideologically the wrong government that breaks from things of the past.
“A government of FF and FG will deliver the very opposite.
“Instead of moving forward, we will be moving backwards.”
Sinn Fein’s youngest TD, Mairead Farrell, from Galway, seconded Ms McDonald.
Ms McDonald said: “Sinn Fein won more votes in the election and undoubtedly this was a mandate for change... our time is coming because change cannot be stopped.” Mr Varadkar slammed Sinn Fein, the new lead opposition, for “banging
approach? Or that was never economically sound to begin with and thus failed to deliver the changes they demanded from us?
“We couldn’t, and so we will robustly stand over our decision.” on” about change and criticised them for giving out about the Greens entering Government when they wanted to do so too.
He described it as “a load of spin and nonsense”.
Labour leader Alan Kelly staked his claim as an opposition leader by attacking Sinn Fein from the start.
He said about the party: “Their manifesto was a Late Late Show giveaway, one for everyone in the audience.”
And then he turned his sights on the incoming coalition.
Mr Kelly added: “The financials in this Programme for Government are comical – in fact, they’re so comical they weren’t put down on paper, they don’t exist.”
But it was his digs at Mr Varadkar,
Following the confirmation the Green party would go into this Government and thus attempt to rehabilitate the disgraced Fianna Fail party and keep Fine Gael in office demonstrates a betrayal of the movement for change that swept this country culminating in the General Election of that got the attention of everyone. He went on to give the outgoing Taoiseach and movie buff a good slagging about his recent habit of quoting from popular films such as teen drama Mean Girls and Lord Of The Rings, referencing the Bourne spy thrillers franchise.
He said: “We all know the outgoing Taoiseach loves his films.
“He must have taken some tips from Matt Damon when he was here during the lockdown as Leo has woken up akin to Jason Bourne with no actual memory of what he said about Fianna Fail or Micheal Martin over the last 10 years.
“I want to give this new Government notice that the Labour Party will hold it to account.” 2020. We now have a task of building movements to fight for social and affordable housing on public land, affordable childcare and a singletier National Health Service. “People Before Profit are ready to step up and fight for a different and fairer society.”
OVER the years Michael Martin has earned himself the unfortunate moniker of “The man who would be Taoiseach”.
But that was turned on its head yesterday as the 59-year-old Corkman was sworn in to lead the 33rd Dail with Leo Varadkar at his shoulder and Eamon Ryan by his feet.
It was, like this coalition Government, a long time coming. With three decades of politics under his belt he’s been knocking at the door for quite a while.
That can only prove a positive as he brings 31 years’ experience of cut and thrust in Leinster House to the office.
Micheal Martin has come a long way from his Turners Cross days and has already served under Charles Haughey, Albert Reynolds, Bertie Ahern and Brian Cowen.
SWEETHEART
As the son of a bus driver, he was one of the first in his family to go to university.
Not long after qualifying as a teacher, he entered politics in 1987, marrying college sweetheart Mary O’Shea in 1989 and taking a Dail seat the same year.
The couple suffered heartache in 2010 with the loss of daughter
Leana who died at the age of seven as a result of a heart condition.
Mr Martin moved up the ranks in the emerging leadership under Bertie Ahern, with a key cabinet appointment as Education Minister during the Celtic Tiger era.
Trouble came knocking when he moved to the health portfolio after a reshuffle in 2000, introducing the smoking ban in 2004 before moving to enterprise and employment.
In 2008, under Brian Cowen as Taoiseach, he was promoted to foreign affairs, managing to sidestep the blame over the Lisbon Treaty fiasco.
Three years later he replaced Cowen as party leader after the former was ousted over his handling of the financial crash.
The party was decimated in the 2011 general election – but has been on a curve of recovery ever since.
Martin is a proud Corkman with a love of GAA who held huge respect for his late father Paddy, and former Taoiseach Jack Lynch.
Our country has shown time and again we can overcome challenges & we’ll do so again
CONVENTION CENTRE DUBLIN YESTERDAY