Micheál Martin: A Century of Fianna Fáil and a Plan for Ireland

Thank you for your very warm welcome. Thank you for making this such a successful and positive Ardais. As a party, we've always focused on the future, but I want to take a moment to mark a very special day. Exactly 100 years ago, a remarkable group of men and women came together to found Fianna Fáil. Many had sacrificed their youth to the cause of Irish independence. They had lost people close to them, feeling the highs of national unity and the pain of tragic division. They saw a country still struggling to assert its sovereignty or to provide for its people. The great figures who formed our party, Éamon de Valera, Constance Markievicz, and so many others, rejected negative and divisive politics. They believed that this country could achieve great things, that it could stand proudly among the nations of the world, that it could, that it must provide a future for its people. What they achieved was greater than anything they imagined possible. And their very first decision was that Fianna Fáil must welcome people from every part of our country and every community. This evening I want to thank you, our members and supporters, for all you do for our party. Steadily, through visionary policies and relentless work, possibilities for our country were transformed. Over 100 years we didn't get everything right, but our record is a record of real and sustained achievement which no other party can match. I know that each of us here has particular policies in our past which inspire us. For me it's Fianna Fáil decisions to increase pensions, to create jobs through investment, to join Europe, expand education, and to achieve peace on our island. We have much more to do, but over the last century our country has grown in so many significant ways. Once the poorest country in Western Europe, now a world leader in many areas. Nearly 2.5 million more people living here now, with dramatic improvements in jobs and incomes. People living 25 years longer and healthier. A historic peace deal in place. And Ireland stands proudly with the democratic nations of Europe and the world. So tonight I want us to say thank you. Thank you to those who took the brave decision to begin this journey of leading the transformation of our country. To do this by founding Fianna Fáil, the Republican Party. Remembering our history is important, but it is far more important to talk about today and the future. Our only priority must be answering the needs of this time and setting out a course forward for our country. Let others practice the politics of anger, the politics of exploiting people's problems. Our duty, our obligation is to do the much harder work of solving those problems. And let no one be in any doubt, today our country faces very serious challenges. This is a time of huge global disruption and turbulence which is impacting on us. We can see this every day, not just in the news, but in our work and in the daily need to make ends meet. The trade we rely on for our jobs is threatened, and it is challenging to meet all of the needs of a fast rising population and the expectations of new generations. I know that people watching this evening are worried about the future, but I have absolute faith that Ireland can and Ireland will overcome the challenges ahead. Every day people can see a politics focused on chasing short term impacts. They see a drift towards more aggressive and negative politics. Few are dealing with complex issues in a serious way. So I want to take a different approach this evening. I'm not going to go through a long list of actions from the last year, or try to win a few extra headlines with promises for the next budget. I'm not going to waste time attacking other parties. Instead I'm going to do something more positive and more constructive. I want to talk with you about the bigger fundamental challenges we are facing as a country, and exactly what can be done to meet and overcome them. It's not about making short term gestures, it's about delivering action as serious as the problems we face. I would sum this up in terms of specific major challenges. We must secure our economic future. We must reduce cost of living pressures on people. We must deliver housing and services which people can access and afford. We must empower people with the skills and support to thrive in the face of rapid change. And we must build a shared future on this island and stand up for our values abroad. Let me take each of these in turn and show some of the actions which Fianna Fáil is determined to implement to address them. A strong economy which provides well paid jobs and funding for public services is essential. In almost every area the threats are clear. We have to act if we want Ireland to prosper. We have huge strengths, but we will lose them if we take them for granted. We have to get out and shape the future. And that's why we are determined to deliver critical investments, to open up new markets and to support job creators through tax reform that rewards work and incentivises enterprise. Infrastructure is one of the most important, if least exciting words in public life. Ultimately it's about the things you need to help an economy and society work. It's about the roads, bridges, buses and trains which connect us. It's about the pipes and cables which bring water and energy to our homes and businesses. It's about the schools and hospitals which serve our communities. To secure our future we simply have to drive critical investments in these areas. And that's why for Fianna Fáil delivering the largest ever sustained programme of public investment is an absolute priority. If we want to be successful we must trade with the world. Trade supports hundreds of thousands of jobs, providing the revenue which funds pensions and public services. So disruption of trade through tariffs and closed borders is a direct threat to us. You cannot oppose trade and claim to support Irish jobs and businesses. We need a new national effort to secure our ability to trade with the world. It's not just about new industries. Trade is essential for farming, rural communities and the agri-food sector. We export over €21 billion of food products to 180 countries across the world. We have to open new markets, reducing our reliance on traditional ones. We have to build up our presence and our political engagement with more countries. And we have to support fair trade deals where they offer a clear opportunity for Ireland. To give one example, there has been a four-fold increase in our exports to Canada because of free trade. Yet there are some who continue to try to stop us ratifying the agreement which will secure this extra trade. It's a hard reality of politics today that so many parties ignore the economy. Every day in the Dáil they act as if the economy would just look after itself. They just don't understand that the surest way to lose our economic edge is to take it for granted. Because we believe in building a strong future for Ireland, Fianna Fáil is determined to act and to secure our economic future. For us, economic and social progress must go hand in hand, and too often it can be a struggle to afford a place to live or to cope with rising prices. To give young people hope that they can find and afford a home to buy or rent is a defining challenge of our time. There is only one serious way of doing this. We need to build more homes of every type and in every part of the country. We need action and investment which is steady and relentless, which permanently expands capacity to build homes and gives priority to those seeking their first home. Last year alone there were over 36,000 new homes built. But this is not enough. We must make it easier to build the homes we need, and we must be honest that this involves tough choices. We will implement our reforms to planning so that decisions are fair but also faster. We will deliver the largest programme ever of investment in critical services, so that the water, sewerage, power and roads we need for new homes are in place. And we are determined to push forward a new era in social housing as well as supports for people looking for a first home at an affordable price. Every party talks about housing, but we are the ones taking action to deliver it. Families and businesses feel the impact of energy and fuel prices made worse by the war in the Middle East. International supplies are being severely disrupted and there are huge swings in the import prices we pay. Here and now we have to help those under most pressure through actions to reduce price levels and directly support those worst affected. But this will keep happening, so we have to do more. We have to guarantee secure and affordable energy supplies in the future. We must go much further in reducing our dependence on imported gas and oil. The move to clean and sustainable energy is vital for our environment, but it is also absolutely essential if we want to deal with high and rapidly changing prices. Our National Development Plan and the investment funds we have established will provide billions to deliver more secure and affordable energy. And just like with housing, as a nation we need to be less tolerant of the systematic, years-long blocking of essential energy investments. We're implementing reforms for faster development of infrastructure, more efficient investments, and we are determined that they will deliver. Of course, helping people directly with the rising cost of living is one of Fianna Fáil's core priorities in government. We created and developed most of the key income supports for older people and those most in need. It's a tradition we're deeply proud of and will never relent on. Because we believe in building a strong and fair future for Ireland, Fianna Fáil is determined to deliver on more affordable homes and tackling the rising cost of living. In an era of rapidly developing technology and pressures on costs, our success will rely on the skills, abilities, and ideas of the Irish people. We are the party of consistent support for education. Every significant increase in education access has been delivered by Fianna Fáil, and that's because we know that education is the foundation for everything in life. The largest ever programme of investment in school buildings and facilities is underway, and it will continue. We have to make sure that young people have the skills they need to cope with rapid change. This also means that many traditional skills are now actually more important than ever. No app and no AI model will ever replace the need to develop your own ability to reason and interact with others. And that is why our decision to ban smartphones during school time is right, and it is why we will continue to help schools to cope with disruptive developments. Vindicating the rights of disabled people and empowering them through better access to services, employment and the cost of disability support is a defining priority for us. We are determined to deliver real and sustained progress on inclusion and equality. We will expand support for access and equality in our higher education institutions. But also, we will never forget the importance of training, which gives young people access to trades which are now as important as ever. And we know that Ireland's future depends on our ability to develop new ideas, new products and new industries. Today, hundreds of thousands of people work in jobs and industries which didn't exist 20 years ago. We've got to keep Ireland at the cutting edge, and that means sustained support for research in education and industry alike. And of course, the Irish language is a vital part of this. Without a doubt, you will have to support schools, and we will continue to work with schools to improve the Irish language. In return, we will be able to put an end to the use of foreign languages in education throughout the country, and we will have to do more to support engagement with all aspects of our culture, traditional and modern, north and south, and in music, literature, drama. In schools, we must encourage pupils to pick up instruments, to participate in performances, and to explore the diverse elements which make up the tapestry of our culture. We're implementing a permanent income scheme to help artists and people who work in the creative sectors. As we focus on the great economic, social and political challenges of today, the arts, language and culture must always be nurtured and advanced. In tackling the greatest challenges of this moment, we must also look at ourselves and our values at home and abroad. Division and conflict have caused immense damage to our Ireland. In line with the republican vision of Tone and Pearce, every person who joins our party must support our core objectives, and the first of these is to secure in peace and agreement the unity of Ireland and its people. Through years of relentless work and determination, Fianna Fáil Tíosig secured a historic peace agreement. Because of the Good Friday Agreement, there is now an agreed blueprint for deciding our future. Above all, this is a challenge to go beyond the old agenda, to find new ways of moving from peace to true reconciliation and a shared future. But too many years have been wasted, too often we've missed opportunities to show people the benefits of cooperation. The absence of violence has been precious, but too little was done to secure the full benefits of peace. That's why our Shared Ireland initiative is absolutely essential. It is an urgent and ambitious programme to build connections, deepen understanding and show the progress and prosperity which we all could share. Sean Le Mas once said, when people begin to work together, it's a habit which will grow. And that is the spirit which drives us, because Fianna Fáil believes in finding a new way forward for this Ireland. Wherever you look in the world, you can see that basic democratic values are under attack. Ireland cannot and must not stand on the sidelines. From our very first days, Fianna Fáil has believed that international cooperation is the only way to secure our interests and values. We created Ireland's tradition of active peacekeeping and humanitarian action, and we brought Ireland into membership of a European Union which is vital to our prosperity. In the face of those who want to hollow out the European Union, Ireland must be resolute. We can see in Britain how much damage they can do if left unchallenged. Fianna Fáil passionately believes that a stronger, more dynamic, more effective European Union is in Ireland's interests. In little more than six weeks' time, we will take up the role of the European Presidency. We will lead discussions on profoundly important issues like deepening trade, supporting entrepreneurs, framing the European Union budget, lowering the cost of doing business, and protecting people against online threats. Support for democracy has defined our party since its foundation, and it will be central to our Presidency as well. After four years of truly heroic struggle, the people of Ukraine deserve more than our admiration. They deserve our thanks. Fianna Fáil is clear. We support Ukraine in its defence against Russian aggression, and we support its membership of the European Union. When they prevail, and they will prevail, their struggle will be recorded as one of the most important moments in the modern history of democracy. In the wider world, we must redouble our commitment to the promotion of humanitarian values. The attempt to erase the Palestinian people from Gaza, and to push them out of their historic homes in the West Bank, must never be accepted, and must always be condemned. We must continue to work with other countries to demand accountability for the genocidal crimes which have been committed by the Netanyahu government and by Hamas. We must be a voice to support those who want a future of peace and sovereignty, and for those who believe in the United Nations and the international rule of law. In these tense times, Ireland cannot try to stand apart from the world, so we must decide who we stand with. To secure our future, we must never waver from our commitment to standing with Europe, and for the values of democracy and human rights. When our party was founded, nobody could have imagined that Ireland would one day help lead an organisation of 27 countries and 450 million people. That's a great testimony to those who believe that Ireland could overcome the toughest of challenges. And that is the spirit we need to honour. A spirit which has no fear in acknowledging that there are deep and serious issues to confront. A belief in the politics of substance. A commitment to the sustained hard work which serious issues need. We will secure the jobs and economy we need by investing in vital services, supporting trade and empowering the creators of new products and industries. We will give people hope on housing by pushing forward with building new homes and reducing delays. We will tackle high energy and other prices through a programme of investment and reform. We will protect those most in need by delivering increases in pensions and other supports. We will empower disabled people by advancing their rights, increasing their supports and enabling them to reach their full potential. We will promote education as the key to shaping our future, by adapting to the needs of an ever-changing world. We will ensure that Ireland leads in Europe and stands up for our values. We will work every day to realise the vision of a future shared by all of the people on our island. And we will do these things through a serious, ambitious and urgent approach. One which puts the interests of the people ahead of short-term politics. One which puts the politics of action ahead of the politics of anger. This is what guides our work. This is what we are focused on every day. We know how much is still to be done, but we have no doubt that Ireland can and will meet these challenges. Moving Ireland forward, that is our work, that is our commitment. Go raibh míle, míle maith agatha. Go raibh míle, míle maith agatha.