At Leinster House
As the opening session of the 32nd Dail gathered interest from family, friends and foes alike, the Limerick Fianna Fail duo, who were both returned to Leinster House on the first counts with a substantial share of the vote, said that were pleased the party was back in business.
Pledging to support a sea-change of political reform, Deputy O’Dea said that they were encouraged by the will of the people to see the party back as the second biggest political force in the Dail and that they went to see politicians partake “in a new way of politics”.
“People are tired of ‘business as usual’ and tired of the ‘Punch and Judy show'”.
Speaking ahead of returning to his Dail seat, Deputy Collins said that the formation of a new Government is a “very fluid situation and the outcome remains to be seen.”
As the Dail reconvened to elect a new Ceann Comhairle in Fianna Fáil’s Seán Ó Fearghaíl by secret ballot, it went on however and failed in its bid to elect a new Taoiseach.
Deputy Collins earlier commented that a number of possible combinations to Government could still work.
“Fine Gael are the biggest party, we are the next biggest party and Sinn Fein are the third biggest party but they are just having a completely hypocritical stance in their approach as they campaigned to get Fine Gael out of office and to keep Fianna Fail out of office and now the seem to be happy to stand back and say the only show in town is Fianna Fail and Fine Gael”.
Looking to Europe, both Deputies cited minority Governments that “work quite well” abroad as Deputy Collins said that the “ways of doing political business before are no more”.
Earlier, Deputy Collins thanked the people of Limerick for returning him with a poll topping election result and hoped that both he and his party can provide real political change.
With Enda Kenny formally resigning as Taoiseach this Thursday evening, the Dail was adjourned until after the St Patrick’s Festival celebrations and will gather again later this month before adjourning again to April to allow political discussions unfold on the formation of a new Government.
