Politics

Harris pledges to be ‘Taoiseach for all’ no matter their political view

Fine Gael leader makes his first speech in Dáil as head of Government, setting out priorities in housing and health

In his first address to the Dail, Taoiseach Simon Harris said, "I want to work every day to improve the lives of all". Video: Oireachtas TV
Marie O'Halloran
Tue Apr 09 2024 - 18:05

Thirteen years after his maiden speech to the Dáil, Simon Harris gave his first address as Taoiseach, after an 88 to 69 vote in his favour.

The new head of Government and Fine Gael leader “sincerely” promised “to be a Taoiseach for all”.

“No matter your political persuasion I will work with you and for you and for the country that I know we all love. I will be a Taoiseach who will listen,” he said.

“My message is simple I want to work every day to improve the lives of all in this country fuelled by hope and driven by a vision of a better world. I will provide a new leadership and a new energy.”

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After two hours of debate and his nomination as Taoiseach, Mr Harris highlighted his priorities.

“Housing remains the greatest societal and economic challenge of our generation – today I recommit to moving mountains to help build more homes and drive more home ownership. I will work tirelessly to support the delivery of Sláintecare, prioritise the delivery of mental health services and in a step change in how we care for older people.

“I mean this seriously I want to work with colleagues across this house to deliver real and meaningful reform for people with disabilities.”

At the outset he paid tribute to his predecessor Leo Varadkar and said that history would record that he was a “trailblazer” who gave “incredible service” in dealing with some of the biggest challenges of the time including Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic.

He also singled out Simon Coveney, standing down as minister for enterprise, “after serving our country with distinction in so many different roles over so many different years” and for “all that he did for our country during the darkest days of Brexit”.

Mr Harris said “I accept this new role in a spirit of humility ready for the challenge and full of energy and determination about what can be achieved. As Taoiseach, I want to bring new ideas and new energy and I hope a new empathy to public life.”

The debate started with Mr Varadkar’s last address as taoiseach and described his 13 years in Government as “the most fulfilling and rewarding time of my life. But today is the beginning of a new era for my party, a new chapter in my life and a new phase for this Coalition Government.”

Mr Varadkar said the three-party “historic” Coalition “ended Civil War politics in our Parliament”.

Describing Ireland as a “great country”, he said “we have been a stable and continuous democracy for over a hundred years, one of only a handful in the world”, and “we are not a failed State, we are a great State”.

Mr Varadkar believed that “most if not all of the problems that we have faced in the past 15 years have been international or external in origin or have had an international dimension to them”.

In a series of “reflections” he also recommended guarding “against excessive caution”, warning that being conservative was not always the best advice.

He said “health is not a black hole and health can be fixed. It is just expensive, takes time and is never easy due to resistance to reform. Just do not give up.”

Referring to national security he said “we have to be prepared for the consequences of an attack on an EU country and how we would respond to that”.

Mr Varadkar spoke about the “change in tone of political debate” and the growth in toxicity. He said of politicians that “we need to learn to disagree better.”

He said he always knew Mr Harris would be Taoiseach but perhaps a little sooner than he expected. “But I know he will rise to the occasion. He has empathy, energy spirits, campaigning skills, political antennae to take us forward and I look forward to voting for him.”

Fine Gael deputy leader Heather Humphreys nominated Mr Harris for Taoiseach and described him as “somebody who listens and works with people and is always willing to take on new ideas” and with endless energy. Mr Harris’s father Bart is a taxi driver and Ms Humphreys said “taxi drivers normally have their fingers on the pulse. If I were to give Simon one piece of advice today, it would be to make sure you listen to your father”.

Minister of State Peter Burke who seconded the nomination said Mr Harris had “the ability to listen, compassion, an agile mind, the ability to speak without hesitation, and a firm belief in his abilities”.

Tánaiste Micheál Martin stressed the role of centrist politics and hit out at those in opposition who call for a general election “every time there is a new taoiseach to be elected”. Hitting out at Sinn Féin’s “brazenness” he said the party “has a unique record of privately appointing and replacing leaders without every holding an internal election let alone a public one. In fact, today, no opposition party large or small, has a leader who went through a competitive election before assuming the role.”

Green Party leader Eamon Ryan was heckled most during his speech as he spoke of climate change and the partnership approach of the Government. When he said that Darragh O’Brien had turned housing around, a Sinn Féin Td told him to look at the homeless figures. Another TD told him to “go back to sleep”.

Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said that in all the areas that counted the Government had “comprehensively” failed and “no amount of bragging or bluster can disguise that fact”.

She added: “Let’s be clear what this is about today. This is not about what’s good for Ireland. It’s not about what’s good for the people. It’s about what is good for you. It’s your century-old cosy-club, circling the wagons once again, to cling to power at all costs. The people of Ireland deserve so much better.”

Ms McDonald said the incoming taoiseach repeatedly says have your back’ but people in their 30s in their parents’ box room did not feel that. “You have Jonathan Dowdall’s back,” someone shouts from the Fine Gael benches.

Labour leader Ivana Bacik referred to Mr Harris’s speech to his party’s ardfheis. “There’s a lot of talk about a ‘new energy’. It sounds like a Star Wars tagline. But where is that new energy in reality to deliver on housing, on healthcare and childcare, on climate action and workers’ rights and disability.”

Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns said “we need to see a radical change in approach to the crises facing us in housing, healthcare, disability services, childcare and climate action.

“The change that we need cannot be delivered by a Taoiseach from the same party with the same programme for Government and the same policies. The issues we face and will continue to face will worsen until we elect a Government with a fundamentally new approach.”

People Before Profit TD said he watched Mr Harris’s ardfheis speech and that he had said he was repulsed by Binyamin Netanyahu’s action. But he said that Fine Gael voted down a motion to enact the Occupied Territories Bill. “Thanks for watching,” quipped Fine Gael TD Paul Kehoe.

The incoming taoiseach laughed when Solidarity TD Mick Barry pointed to the ardfheis choice of song: ‘You ain’t seen nothing yet,’ and suggested he should instead have used The Who song ‘We won’t be fooled again’, the last line of which he said was ‘meet the new boss, same as the old boss’.

“You should bring a turntable next time,” Ceann Comhairle Seán Ó Fearghaíl.

Independent TD Danny Healy-Rae nominated his brother Michael for taoiseach and said “I believe he is well capable of carrying out the task because he has the understanding of the people.”

Mr Healy called on Sinn Féin and the Independents to back his brother for the role. He said if they had “any scintilla of independent,” they should but most of them “are Fine Gael at heart.

Marie O'Halloran

Marie O'Halloran

Marie O'Halloran is Parliamentary Correspondent of The Irish Times