The House will now hear an announcement from the Taoiseach.
Dissolution of Dáil.
I wish to inform the House as a matter of courtesy that I am proceeding immediately to advise the President, pursuant to Article 13 of the Constitution, to dissolve Dáil Éireann and to summon the incoming Dáil to meet at 3 p.m. on Thursday, 26 June 1997. I wish the Ceann Comhairle and other Members of the House who are not seeking re-election a very happy and healthy future. I wish all other Members well in their endeavours to return to the House. Go n-éirí libh go léir i bhur gcuid iarrachtaí.
I will hear a brief comment from the leader of the main Opposition party.
I thank the Taoiseach for finally putting everyone out of their misery and announcing this general election for which we have waited a long time. It is for the people to give their verdict on this Government which has been an aberration for over two years. I wish everyone well as it will be a difficult three weeks for them, their friends, families, supporters, organisations and voters. It is a sad day for you, a Cheann Comhairle, and for many other Members, or it may be a happy day, but I am sure there is a tinge of sadness. Many Members on all sides of the House who have served the public faithfully will leave us today and I thank them for the service they have given to the people. Regardless of their political allegiance, I consider all of them colleagues.
Since many countries in the world still fight for their vote — people here fought long enough for it — I hope the electorate will use the opportunity on 6 June to cast their vote. Needless to say, I have my preference, on which I will elaborate outside the House in the next three weeks.
It is a good day's work that the Taoiseach decided to put up his hands and go to the people. The sad epithet of this rainbow Government will be: "Here lies the rainbow, red, white and blue, which worked for itself but never for you."
(Interruptions.)
I am glad Deputy Mitchell has decided to run again in my constituency. We in Fianna Fáil confidently go before the people with our policies and our candidates to seek a mandate to lead this country into the 21st century. Thank you, a Cheann Comhairle, for your assistance always.
I am delighted we are formally commencing the election campaign, which has been under way informally for some time. I pay tribute to the outgoing Deputies who are not seeking re-election — there are 16 in all from the various parties. I hope they will have many happy years in retirement. In particular I pay tribute to my colleague, Deputy Clohessy. I also pay tribute to you, a Cheann Comhairle, as you will not be with us in the 28th Dáil. Thank you for your work in keeping order, sometimes in very difficult circumstances, in this Dáil.
Politics will be on trial in the next three weeks and it behoves us all to act in a responsible way. A general election is about issues, ideas and values, nothing else. I hope we will concentrate on dealing with the real issues that confront our people, penal levels of tax on work, high unemployment and a two-tier society.
I am proud to be the first woman to lead a political party in a general election campaign. It is ironic we have to wait until the threshold of the 21st century to bring that about. In this election we will choose a Government that will take us into the 21st century and it is important to have a decisive result. It is also important for voters to carefully consider the choices. We do not wish to see a return to the position in the early 1980s when one or two people held enormous clout and extracted expensive deals from the Government of the day. I appeal to the people to think only in terms of choosing a Government and to exercise the franchise, which is very important. In the coming weeks we will all be under pressure, but we must remember that thousands of students will sit their examinations on 11 June and their future and that of their families must be foremost in our minds.
I do not wish the Taoiseach to return to office, but I wish him well in the election campaign. I hope the campaign dignifies politics, particularly given the unsavoury events of recent years. If it does that, it will be a great day for democracy.
I bid you all a fond farewell, slán agus beannacht de gach éinne.
The Dáil adjourned at 12 noon sine die.