Sinn Féin’s attempt to overthrow the government was defeated in the Dáil by a margin of 85 votes to 66, with one abstention.
The result, at 7.15 percent, was better for the coalition than many had expected, with the government passing a vote of no confidence.
Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said the working majority of the government was clear from the result, and Sinn Féin had inadvertently shown that the government would pass a budget and make sure that next year, the year after, or possibly even after, there would be no SF government.
If the motion had passed, the budget would have been pushed back and people would not get relief for the winter. It was a good government, he insisted, with the highest number of people employed in state history and record FDI. Jobs were created in all regions.
All change is not a change for the better, and Sinn Fein’s would be a bad change, he said. In a few years there would be fewer jobs and less investment because SF “doesn’t understand how the economy works.”
Earlier, the Taoiseach confronted the Sinn Féin motion of no confidence, saying it was a debate between those who believe in tackling problems and those who believe in exploiting them.
Micheal Martin said: “We are being told that the government has supposedly failed because it failed to implement its full program in just two years.
“Last week, Mary Lou McDonald insisted that Sinn Féin be tried after ten years and two full terms in office. As always, double standards are the watchword of this cynical opposition.”
“Ireland is a modern and dynamic country, with its challenges to overcome. But those who denied the successes “just show they have no interest in a fair debate,” he said.
“They prove that the progress of our country and the future of our people is not really their main concern,” the Taoiseach said.
“Crying out ‘not enough’, ‘more’ and ‘what about’ represents an approach to politics that is fundamentally deeply unfair.”
The two most pressing crises faced by the incoming coalition were a historic pandemic and the fastest-moving recession on record, he said.
“I promised that we would do everything possible to mitigate the terrible toll and work for a speedy recovery. By honest judgment. this administration has served the Irish people well in these critical challenges.”
Ireland was rated as one of the top three in the world for the resilience of its Covid response. It had the second highest vaccination rate in Europe.
“We are more right than the vast majority of countries. Had Ireland performed at the EU average level, there would have been more than 4,500 Covid deaths.
“If we had performed at the same level as the UK, there would have been 5,500 deaths.”
Ministers had to endure attacks over the vaccine rollout like a mess, he said, but “it was the biggest public health mobilization in Irish history, and frankly, the problems it had were minor.” Meanwhile, youth unemployment in Ireland was the lowest in Europe.
“Continued government action has helped our country come out of the recession faster and more successfully than most,” the Taoiseach added, but “the hard work to ensure high employment levels and a strong economy seems to be boring the opposition. “
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said the motion was tabled because change is needed now more than ever. The government had no contact, no ideas and now no time, she said.
“A government that is unraveling before our eyes has lost popular support. Last week it lost its Dáil majority, now the Taoiseach is scrambling to get the votes to win a no-confidence vote,” she said.
“It says on the wall: this coalition is falling apart.”
The coalition must now go and make way for a government that will finally put workers and families first, she said.
“Not only has this government failed to improve, but it has managed to make a bad situation so much worse. This is especially true of housing, health care and the cost of living crisis that has literally pushed households to the brink.
“The government has no urgency, no vision, no capacity to understand the gravity of these problems in the lives of ordinary people,” Ms McDonald said.
“In fair judgment, the Taoiseach fails.
“Far too often the government’s message to the people was ‘Suck it up, keep going, shop around, you’re on your own’. Well, that’s just not good enough.
“People expect so much more from the ones they choose – the ones they pay very well to get the job done.
“Let’s not forget that this coalition came to the office and stated that it would fix the housing. This was a very bold statement that has not aged well. On the watch of the Taoiseach, the housing crisis has escalated into a housing disaster.”
However, Darragh O’Brien, housing secretary to Fianna Fáil, said Mary Lou McDonald had demonstrated that her arrogance “wasn’t just stratospheric — it’s gone intergalactic”.
It would need NASA to track progress, he added. Meanwhile, Sinn Fein blocked progress and sowed discontent, he said.
Labor Party leader Ivan Bacik said the country needed a new government and the people also needed a pay rise.
The tone of the debate was “fake indignation and mock rage,” she claimed, “but the government we need is one of the left…and that’s not this government.”
Sinn Féin spokesperson on housing Eoin Ó Broin cited homelessness and alleged policy failures related to the housing crisis — which, according to Social Democrats co-leader Catherine Murphy, “had been plunged into disaster,” echoing President Michael D Higgins’ description.
Only one in two likely owned a home by the time they retired. Deliberate housing policies made homes unaffordable, she said.
Paul Murphy of People Before Profit said the government is doing a good job of representing the people who are benefiting from the housing crisis and the cost of living crisis.