Is é céad-ghnó na Dála Taoiseach a ainmniú.
The first business of the Dáil is the nomination of the Taoiseach.
Nomination of Taoiseach.
Tairgim:
Go n-ainmneoidh Dáil Éireann an Teachta Seán F. Lemass chun a cheaptha ag an Uachtarán chun bheith ina Thaoiseach.
I move:
That Dáil Éireann nominate Deputy Sean F. Lemass for appointment by the President as Taoiseach.
Cuireann sé anáthas ormsa cuidiú leis an moladh sin.
It gives me great pleasure to second the motion.
Tairgim:
Go n-ainmneofar an Teachta James Dillon mar Thaoiseach.
Cuidím leis an tairiscint sin.
I second the motion.
Mr. Tully
I move:
That Deputy Brendan Corish be nominated as Taoiseach.
During the recent general election campaign the Labour Party made it clear that they were an independent Party with independent policies, and over the past three and a half years, and during the previous general election campaign, we have also done the same. We believe that the Labour Party are the only Party who will eventually remove the ills, economic and social, which affect this country.
Hear, hear.
Mr. Tully
For the past few years, we have, as I said, been putting that policy before the people and during the past general election campaign it was clear that a very big number of people realised that our policy was the correct one. The result can be seen in these benches today, because we have a very largely increased membership of our Party. We hope in the foreseeable future to have a Party big enough to challenge Government in this country.
It appears clear that Deputy Lemass, the nominee of the Fianna Fáil Party, will be elected Taoiseach today, but because of the fact that we do not agree with Deputy Lemass—not personally—in a number of the policies which his Party support, we must vote against that nomination. We therefore decided to nominate—and I now nominate—the leader of the Labour Party, Deputy Brendan Corish, as Taoiseach, and we will vote against any other nominee.
In seconding the proposal that Deputy Corish be elected Taoiseach, I want to make our position quite clear. We fought the general election, and, indeed, the general election of 1961, on the basis that we had distinctive policies which were incompatible with several points of the policies and programmes of the other two Parties. It is on that basis that we are proposing today that the leader of the Labour Party should be elected Taoiseach, and to reaffirm our own independence and our political entity. We do that in the full knowledge that because of the procedure of this House, it is quite likely that there will be only one vote, and that we will not have an opportunity of voting for Deputy Corish as Taoiseach. As Deputy Tully said, we are voting against Deputy Lemass as Taoiseach because we disagree fundamentally with many points in his programme and policy. Similarly, if we are given the opportunity by the House, we will vote against the election of Deputy Dillon on the same basis. We hope the House is quite clear on that.
Question put: "That Deputy Seán F. Lemass be nominated as Taoiseach."
The Dáil divided: Tá, 72; Níl, 67.
Tá
- Aiken, Frank.
- Allen, Lorcan.
- Andrews, David.
- Blaney, Neil T.
- Boland, Kevin.
- Booth, Lionel.
- Boylan, Terence.
- Carter, Frank.
- Carty, Michael.
- Childers, Erskine.
- Clohessy, Patrick.
- Colley, George.
- Collins, James J.
- Corry, Martin J.
- Cotter, Edward.
- Crinion, Brendan.
- Cronin, Jerry.
- Crowley, Flor.
- Crowley, Honor M.
- Cunningham, Liam.
- Davern, Don.
- de Valera, Vivion.
- Dowling, Joe.
- Egan, Nicholas.
- Fahey, John.
- Fanning, John.
- Faulkner, Pádraig.
- Fitzpatrick, Thomas J. (Dublin South-Central).
- Flanagan, Seán.
- Foley, Desmond.
- Gallagher, James.
- Geoghegan, John.
- Gibbons, Hugh.
- Gibbons, James M.
- Gilbride, Eugene.
- Gogan, Richard P.
- Brady, Philip.
- Brennan, Joseph.
- Brennan, Paudge.
- Breslin, Cormac.
- Briscoe, Ben.
- Burke, Patrick J.
- Calleary, Phelim A.
- Haughey, Charles.
- Healy, Augustine A.
- Hillery, Patrick J.
- Hilliard, Michael.
- Kenneally, William.
- Kennedy, James J.
- Kitt, Michael F.
- Lalor, Patrick J.
- Lemass, Noel T.
- Lemass, Seán.
- Lenihan, Brian.
- Lenihan, Patrick.
- Lynch, Celia.
- Lynch, Jack.
- McEllistrim, Thomas.
- MacEntee, Seán.
- Meaney, Tom.
- Millar, Anthony G.
- Molloy, Robert.
- Mooney, Patrick.
- Moore, Seán.
- Moran, Michael.
- Nolan, Thomas.
- Ó Briain, Donnchadh.
- Ó Ceallaigh, Seán.
- O'Connor, Timothy.
- O'Malley, Donogh.
- Smith, Patrick.
- Wyse, Pearse.
Níl
- Barrett, Stephen D.
- Barry, Richard.
- Belton, Luke.
- Belton, Paddy.
- Burke, Joan T.
- Burton, Philip.
- Byrne, Henry.
- Byrne, Patrick.
- Casey, Seán.
- Clinton, Mark A.
- Cluskey, Frank.
- Collins, Seán.
- Connor, Patrick.
- Coogan, Fintan.
- Corish, Brendan.
- Cosgrave, Liam.
- Costello, Declan.
- Costello, John A.
- Coughlan, Stephen.
- Creed, Donal.
- Crotty, Patrick J.
- Desmond, Eileen.
- Dillon, James M.
- Dockrell, Henry P.
- Dockrell, Maurice E.
- Donegan, Patrick S.
- Donnellan, John.
- Dunne, Seán.
- Dunne, Thomas.
- Esmonde. Sir Anthony C.
- Everett, James.
- Farrelly, Denis.
- Fitzpatrick, Thomas J. (Cavan).
- Flanagan, Oliver J.
- Gilhawley, Eugene.
- Governey, Desmond.
- Harte, Patrick D.
- Hogan, Patrick (South Tipperary).
- Hogan O'Higgins, Brigid.
- Jones, Denis F.
- Kenny, Henry.
- Kyne, Thomas A.
- Larkin, Denis.
- L'Estrange, Gerald.
- Lindsay, Patrick J.
- Lynch, Thaddeus.
- Lyons, Michael D.
- McAuliffe, Patrick.
- McLaughlin, Joseph.
- Mullen, Michael.
- Murphy, Michael P.
- Murphy, William.
- Norton, Patrick.
- O'Connell, John F.
- O'Donnell, Patrick.
- O'Donnell, Tom.
- O'Hara, Thomas.
- O'Higgins, Michael J.
- O'Higgins, Thomas F. K.
- O'Leary, Michael.
- Pattison, Séamus.
- Reynolds, Patrick J.
- Ryan, Richie.
- Sweetman, Gerard.
- Tierney, Patrick.
- Treacy, Seán.
- Tully, James.
Tellers:—Tá: Deputies J. Brennan and Geoghegan; Níl: Deputies Crotty and Clinton.
Question declared carried.
Ba mhaith liom fíorbhuíochas a ghabháil leis an Dáil as ucht mé d'ainmniú mar Thaoiseach.
I should like to express my thanks to the Dáil for having nominated me as Taoiseach. I do not propose to make any statement of Government policy at this stage: other and early opportunities of doing so will present themselves. All I can say now is that I shall endeavour, to the best of my ability, to carry out my duties as Taoiseach.
It is necessary that I should now go to inform the President of my nomination so that he may appoint me, and for this purpose I accordingly suggest that the Dáil adjourn until, say, 6 p.m.
Sitting suspended at 3.40 p.m. and resumed at 6 p.m.