Michelle O'Neill
Mid Ulster · Sinn Féin · Northern Ireland
“We are shocked and deeply saddened for both the victim of the horrific incident in north Belfast and the people who have been impacted on by the disorder that we have witnessed since. There is absolutely no justification for racism, violence or intimidation.”
“It is the latest chapter in a political psychodrama. It has been playing out in Westminster for forever and a day but particularly over the past 10 years. Tomorrow is the 10th anniversary of Brexit, which inflicted so much damage to the wider economy. We are now on the verge of having a seventh British Prime Minister in 10 years.”
“We cannot look at things in isolation. Whether it is the refugee integration strategy, the framework or the legislation, all those things need to move together and at pace.”
“I agree with the Member about the ugly language that was used to describe some people in our community. Like the Member, I have met many people from the black and ethnic minority community in recent times. I do that on an ongoing basis, but I did so recently given what happened over the last number of weeks.”
“There is not just one answer to it, as the Member knows. We need to come at it from every angle. That could be a policing response initially, for which additional funding was secured. I agree that this is the third year in a row in which we have had that type of racist behaviour on our streets. Likewise, I would describe it as a pogrom.”
“Building on that progress, the Executive Office is contributing £3·3 million towards the Derry on the North Atlantic Museum, which is due to open in 2027 and will further enhance Ebrington’s role as a heritage and tourism destination. <BR /> <BR />Ebrington is also continuing to develop as a vibrant events space.”
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“With all due respect, I do not think that this is a day for stunts, but let us all collectively work together to ensure that this is sustainable and lasting and that we do right for the people whom we collectively serve. We choose to be in the Assembly and the Executive because we want to make a difference. I am here; I have turned up. Everybody has turned up today. We should be grateful for that, but, more than that, we should get down to the business of delivering.”
“It is my dream that our children and grandchildren will achieve beyond all of our wildest dreams and all of our wildest ambitions. I believe in our young people. They can change our society; indeed, they can change the world, if we only give them the chance. Let that be our legacy. Let our legacy be that chance — that freedom — for every young person and every child out there. Nineteen ninety-eight opened up a new horizon of hope and optimism. Now, in 2024, let us gift today's generation everything that they deserve.”
“My eyes are fixed firmly on the future, looking towards that future where we unify people and society. <BR /> <BR />Every generation must write its own chapter and define its own legacy. Scotland's greatest Irishman, James Connolly, proclaimed what are my ambitions for our young people:”
“None of us is being asked to surrender who we are. Our allegiances are equally legitimate. Let us walk this two-way street together; let us meet one another halfway. I will be doing so with an open hand and with heart. <BR /> <BR />Much suffering and trauma persists in our society as a result of the injustices and tragedies of the past. We must never forget all those who have died or been injured or their families. I am sorry for all the lives lost during the conflict, without exception. As First Minister, I am wholeheartedly committed to continuing the work of reconciliation between all of our people. The past cannot be changed or undone, but what we can do — what we all can do — is build a better future. I will never ask anyone to move on, but I really hope that we can all move forward. I want us to walk in harmony and friendship.”
“That such a day would come was unimaginable to my parents and grandparents' generation, but, because of the Good Friday Agreement, that old state that they were born into is gone and a more democratic and equal society exists. This is now a better place for all of us. This place that we call "home" and which we all love — the North of Ireland, Northern Ireland — where you can be British, Irish, both or none, is all a changing portrait. Yesterday is gone. Today is a new day, and my appointment today reflects the change that is happening. <BR /> <BR />I am a republican. I will serve everyone equally and be a First Minister for all. To all of you who are British and unionist, I say this: your national identity, your cultures, your traditions are important to me. I will be inclusive and respectful to you all.”
“I was a 20-year-old mother at the time of our agreement. I remember vividly the sense of hope and that real feeling of optimism. I got right in behind the politics, and I have worked since then to build the peace. There is no question that our society has been fundamentally transformed because of our peace process. I stand here, an elected First Minister, proud as someone who represents that Good Friday Agreement generation and someone who will lead us into the next 25 years. I am also an Ulster woman, a Tyrone woman and a deeply proud Irish and European citizen. <BR /> <BR />This is an historic day, and it represents a new dawn. For the very first time, a nationalist takes up the position of First Minister.”
“<BR /> <BR />Last year, we marked 25 years of peace and the signing of the Good Friday Agreement. That was a political accommodation that provided a peaceful and democratic alternative to 30 years of conflict. We all know collectively, as a society, the value of peace. Today we are all heartbroken for the suffering of the Palestinian people. Today, in this Chamber, I call for an immediate ceasefire, dialogue and peace.”
“That means every one of us working collectively to challenge the misogyny and sexist attitudes that have led and continue to lead to violence against women. As political leaders, we need women and girls in our society to know that we have their backs, we are looking after them and we are going to bring in laws to protect them. One of the first actions that this incoming Executive must take is to introduce the new strategy to tackle violence against women and girls. I know that we are all committed to doing that. <BR /> <BR />Our society is becoming increasingly diverse, as reflected in the census results. That is something to be respected and also celebrated. Everyone, from every section of this society, must know that they matter and we care.”
“With new leadership in the Economy Department, we will work in partnership with businesses, the trade union movement, education providers and the community and voluntary sector to improve economic performance. A reformed Invest NI will be required to promote regional balance, because everybody should share in the benefits of prosperity. We will now begin to seize the considerable opportunities that are created by the Windsor framework to use our dual market access, grow our exports and attract higher-quality FDI and realise the all-island economy's potential. <BR /> <BR />We must do more to shape the type of society that we live in. Violence against women and girls is an epidemic, an emergency, and it requires urgent action.”
“We must deliver more on affordable childcare to support workers and families, and more on social and affordable homes, because everybody has the right to call somewhere their home. We must transform our health and social care system and ensure that children with additional needs have first-class support. Key infrastructure developments, such as the A5 and A29 road schemes, Casement Park and other signature projects, will be delivered so that we can enhance connectivity and support communities. Regional balance and the continued investment in Derry and the north-west are essential. We must work together to mitigate the climate catastrophe, protect Lough Neagh and realise its massive potential.”
“Teachers, nurses and all our public-sector workers are being forced onto the picket lines, and that demands urgent action from us. There is no escaping the impact of Tory austerity. It has badly damaged our public services. The Tories have presided over more than a decade of shame and caused real suffering to the people we represent. I wish to lead an Executive with the freedom to make our own policy and spending choices. We cannot continue to be hamstrung by the Tories in London, so, together, we must unite and we must fight, with one voice, the corner of everybody whom we represent, every citizen in this society. We must fight for properly funded public services. <BR /> <BR />I know that we have many shared priorities, and those will be reflected today, but we must deliver more.”
“Despite our different outlooks and different views on the future constitutional position, the public rightly demand that we work and deliver together, and also that we build trust and confidence in our ability to collectively do that. That will require courage and ambition, not just from those of us who are elected but from the public. We should all invest in this. The more of us who do that, the better chance it has to succeed. <BR /> <BR />This power-sharing coalition will undoubtedly face great challenges, and there are many nettles for us to grasp. The rising cost of living has been a heavy burden on many households and businesses, and there are people out there who are living hand to mouth. They need our help. Too many patients are waiting for treatment and support.”
“The public are now relying on each of us to act in their best interests and to serve our whole community with good faith. We must make power-sharing work, because, collectively, we are all charged with leading and delivering for our people. In common cause, we must work to make life better for workers, families and communities and to create hope and opportunity. We must be respectful of each other. The days of second-class citizenship are long gone, and today confirms that they will never come back. As an Irish republican, I pledge cooperation and genuine honest effort with all those colleagues of the British and unionist tradition who cherish the Union. This is an Assembly for all: Catholic, Protestant and Dissenter.”
“Today opens the door to a future — a shared future. We mark a moment of equality and a moment of progress, a new opportunity to work and to grow together, confident in the idea that, wherever we come from and whatever our aspirations, we can and must build our future together. I am delighted to see every MLA back in the Chamber today. I welcome the fact that the DUP has decided to re-enter the democratic institutions and that the outcome of last year's Assembly election is now being respected. I also look forward to there being a meeting of the North/South Ministerial Council (NSMC) shortly. <BR /> <BR />The power-sharing coalition that the parties are forming here today must now dedicate itself to delivering an ambitious agenda for change. I wish all incoming Ministers well, and I pledge to work with and to collaborate with you all.”
“Is mór an onóir liom seasamh anseo i mo Chéad-Aire.”
“Go raibh maith agat. Tá mé toilteanach oifig an Chéad-Aire a ghlacadh. I confirm that I am willing to take up the office of First Minister, and I affirm the Pledge of Office as set out in schedule 4 to the Northern Ireland Act 1998.”
“I nominate Carál Ní Chuilín as Deputy Speaker.”
“There must be a British-Irish partnership that provides joint stewardship and an intensified role for the Irish Government in the affairs of this state. Members of the public who are looking on here today are not seeing the change that they voted for in that Assembly election. If the DUP position of obstruction remains unchanged, it is imperative that a change of direction within the constitutional framework of the Good Friday Agreement now be advanced. If there are some in the ranks of the DUP who think that, by crashing the institutions, they will crash the Good Friday Agreement itself, I say to them that they are wrong. The Good Friday Agreement will prevail.”
“Although that is reprehensible, those are the hard facts before us all. At midnight tomorrow, the statutory legislation underpinning Executive formation falls if the Executive are not restored by then. A statutory duty is placed on the Secretary of State thereafter to call another Assembly election. Those are the rules. Mr Heaton-Harris signalled to the parties on Monday, however, that he intends to introduce new legislation at Westminster to change the rules and extend the deadline. <BR /> <BR />If it is the case that the DUP will not respect the outcome of the election and restore democracy, there is an obligation on both Governments — the British Government and the Irish Government — to look at plan B.”
“Few people out there know what the DUP is talking about, and fewer care, because it is not in the interest of the common good. The hardship, the suffering and bread-and-butter issues for workers, families, households and businesses are what count and are what the DUP still refuses to prioritise. The only remaining explanation therefore for the DUP boycott is the refusal to accept a nationalist First Minister. There is a dangerous attempt under way to disregard the democratic outcome of the Assembly election, and that threatens democratic governance, public administration, reconciliation and the very fabric of this society. <BR /> <BR />If Jeffrey Donaldson does not change his approach, this sitting may well be the final one of this Assembly. I fear that the democratic institutions of the Good Friday Agreement are in free fall.”
“My message, however, to the DUP today is still to join us and work with us. Let us get around the Executive table and make a real difference to people's lives. I stand for mature, pragmatic politics, whereby, irrespective of social, religious or political background, I see it as my duty to stand up fairly for everyone in our society, across all our communities, and to represent the Northern Ireland Executive as a First Minister for all. Regrettably, the DUP leader's approach is jeopardising vital public services, including health and education, with there being no clear explanation from him for stalling the formation of an Executive. <BR /> <BR />The argument that it continues to relate to the Windsor framework has now lost all credibility.”
“Tomorrow, 170,000 workers, including our nurses, doctors, civil servants, train drivers, bus drivers, teachers and education workers, police support staff, and, essentially, our entire public administration, will take unavoidable general strike action. It represents the single biggest day of industrial action in a generation. Those workers should not have to take to the streets. Due to the DUP's inaction, politics here is stalled indefinitely and our public services are at a standstill. <BR /> <BR />Today is the seventh attempt since the Assembly election to restore the Assembly and Executive. To date, the DUP has refused to respect the democratic outcome of that election.”
“Before Christmas, the British Secretary of State announced that his talks with the DUP had ended, yet Jeffrey Donaldson remains in suspended animation, undecided. All the while, children with special educational needs and their parents suffer. Patients who are on waiting lists and are crippled with pain suffer. That indecision is hampering the £3·3 billion that was put on the table. That money now hangs in the balance. <BR /> <BR />Workers are entitled to, and deserve, their pay rise today. Public-sector workers cannot be punished for DUP failures. The Tories have chronically underfunded the Executive for over a decade, and they now scandalously use that money as ransom to cause financial pain to our public services and public-sector workers.”
“We meet today in a last-ditch attempt to elect a Speaker and form an Executive. We do so as the DUP continues its boycott and refuses to do its job. For two years now, we have been told that the basis of its boycott is its opposition to the Brexit protocol. The British Prime Minister revisited those arrangements, and, after more negotiations with the European Union, the Windsor framework was agreed, yet the DUP turned up its nose at it. That has caused damaging economic uncertainty alongside political instability here. <BR /> <BR />To placate the DUP further, the British Government entered direct two-way negotiations with Jeffrey Donaldson. In taking what we knew was a misguided and flawed approach, to the exclusion of the other parties and the Irish Government, as co-guarantor of the Good Friday Agreement, they have got nowhere.”
“Put simply, not to do so is a dereliction of duty, and it is really disheartening to all the families who are involved. There is an onus on every one of us here today to work together and, most importantly, to give hope to all the families who need us to get this done.”
“<BR /> <BR />Thirdly, turning to today's business, I acknowledge the presence of little Dáithí Mac Gabhann up in the Gallery, along with his parents, Maírtín and Seph, who are no strangers to this place. They are here to look on as proceedings get under way, and they are very welcome here today. <BR /> <BR />Let me be clear that today is not a day for party politics. Today is about those of us who are legislators fulfilling our duty and delivering on the Organ and Tissue Donation (Deemed Consent) Act 2022, or "Dáithí's law". Over 130 people are waiting for an organ. Ninety per cent of people in the North support organ donation, and every party in the Chamber supports that law. <BR /> <BR />There is little else to be said. The power is in the gift of each party and every MLA here to save lives by legislating in this place today.”
“As this is the first opportunity that I have had to do so, I begin by expressing my condolences and sincerest sympathies to fellow Assembly Member Alex Easton on the recent death of his beloved parents. Like all of us gathered in the Chamber, I am sure, I was so saddened to learn of their sudden and untimely passing. I have no doubt that few words could adequately express what we want to offer to Alex at this time, but I wanted to let him know that our thoughts and prayers remain with him and his family at this time. <BR /> <BR />Secondly, I offer our solidarity to all those from Turkey and Syria who have made their home here and who have lost loved ones in the recent quake that has taken everything from them. In many communities, the dead outnumber the living, and, again, we send our love and solidarity to them all.”
“As I said, last week, I welcomed the comments by the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen. She restated the Commission's willingness to resolve the issues with how the protocol is applied. We all want those issues to be resolved, but, in the meantime, we have been elected to be here in the Chamber, to have people's backs and to get the £600 into their pockets. They are crying out for help. They need us to do our job. They elected us to do our job. I will say this to you again: you should be ashamed of yourselves in the Chamber today. The public need our support. Do your job. Turn up.”
“Each one of those challenges that we face demands new thinking from us, as elected representatives, and a responsible and mature political response to help people who right now are desperate to see the end of the DUP boycott of politics. <BR /> <BR />Everyone knows that, by any objective measure, the protocol is working and is protecting our economy from some of the worst effects of Brexit. We need to focus on the opportunities that it presents through dual-market access and how that can create benefits and more jobs in building our economy. Of course, the Members opposite disagree with that, and that is OK. You are entitled to disagree, but, whatever about our different opinions on the protocol, we all know that any of the issues that have been identified with the protocol will not be resolved in the Chamber.”
“They need us to do our jobs, and they are, rightly, angry.”
“That strategy, if it can even be called a strategy, makes no sense and has no purpose. Incredibly, it is apparently a strategy dictated by a handful of loyalist bloggers. <BR /> <BR />Jeffrey Donaldson, of course, is not here. He is not here with us despite the fact that he was elected to sit here. I appeal again to him and to the DUP MLAs who have come to this sitting: rethink your approach; reconsider your position; and, most of all, recognise the dire and deteriorating circumstances that people — your voters; all our voters — are facing on a day-to-day basis, with the crisis in our emergency departments, the cuts to youth services and the very real prospect of the cold that is faced by many of our people, particularly the old, the very young and those with disabilities. People need our help.”
“I once more welcome that contact, but I go further than that and appeal for negotiations to be intensified. We do not have months to ponder; rather, we have weeks to take action that creates stability and certainty for society, businesses and politics. We cannot be left to the mercy of the Tories in London — people who are dictating the priorities here, when they have no votes and no mandate here. Already we are starting to see the consequences of having no Executive. Education services are being cut, with new services being targeted, and job losses and reduced provision are now being imposed against the wishes of elected MLAs. It is clear for us all to see that the DUP's political tactic is to abandon our people to a Tory Government intent on inflicting cuts and austerity on the most vulnerable in our society.”
“a deal can be done and that there will be:”
“She said that the single market must continue to function and:”
“Whilst they are spending all this time trying to find workarounds, the real question is this: how are they using the space that they have created to get a negotiated settlement with the EU in order to restore the Executive and put to the test the DUP's boycott? <BR /> <BR />I was in the Dáil last Thursday when European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, addressed parliamentarians the length and breadth of this island. She said:”
“Yesterday, we were in London and met the leadership of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) to hear the plight of our nurses. I want to send solidarity and support from the Assembly to the nurses and the other health and public-sector workers. They have our full support. I think that I speak for most Members in the Assembly in calling on the British Government and the people who hold the purse strings to immediately get around the negotiating table and get on with finding a resolution. <BR /> <BR />The Secretary of State has brought the Executive Formation Act through Westminster to extend the deadline to form a Government or to hold an election. He has given decision-making to civil servants and has cut MLA pay. He has set out a Budget statement and will bring forward an unadulterated Tory Budget Bill.”
“Today we meet for the fifth time since May to try to elect a Speaker, to reinstate the Assembly and to allow MLAs, mandated by the electorate to represent them and to work here on their behalf, to get on with the job. <BR /> <BR />As we meet in the comfort of this well-heated and well-lit Building, I am acutely aware that tens of thousands of families are living in cold homes, unable to afford to turn on their heating, and are worrying about the next bill coming through the door, as we face into the most difficult winter in a generation. Outside those family homes, our health service is in crisis. Healthcare workers are being forced to take strike action for safe working conditions and decent pay in order to defend themselves and the wider health service. It is an absolute disgrace that they are being forced into that position.”
“<BR /> <BR />Most parties in the Chamber, whilst opposed to Brexit, support the protocol and want it to work better. So, the negotiating parties have our fulsome support to land a deal. For the avoidance of doubt, however, let us also be clear: this Assembly and Executive have no mandate nor any role in those negotiations. So, to hold back power-sharing and to hold down the public in the meantime is futile, reckless, short-sighted and senseless. <BR /> <BR />The public will give their verdict on all of that in the next number of weeks. If the DUP continues to block power-sharing, let us also be clear that direct rule as we have known it in the past is not an option. The alternative to power-sharing is joint authority from London and Dublin.”
“The DUP wants yesterday: it is no longer available to you. What the people here want is the change that they voted for back in the May election. <BR /> <BR />Yesterday evening, the new British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, met the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen. They stressed the importance that they both place on relationships between London and Brussels, and on working together as friends and allies as they confront the global challenges, the uncertainties of war in Europe and the energy crisis. They also stated their shared preference for joint solutions and a negotiated solution to the current protocol issues, which will provide the stability and predictability that society and businesses here need after the disruption and upheaval of Brexit.”
“At a time when so many workers, families and businesses are suffering from the incredible pressures of the cost-of-living crisis, at a time when our health service is broken and needs to be fixed and at a time when waiting lists need to be tackled, people need to know that we have their backs. <BR /> <BR />The Secretary of State met with the parties yesterday and restated his position that, at one minute past midnight tonight, should no First Minister and deputy First Minister be appointed, he will call another election. Here we are in the Chamber today, and, in this hour, we could appoint a Speaker, a First Minister, a deputy First Minister and a new Executive who could meet immediately to take decisions to put money into people's pockets today. The DUP, however, continues to deny and disrespect the outcome of the May election.”
“Jeffrey Donaldson and the DUP have left us all at the mercy of the heartless and dysfunctional Tory Government, whose own survival is all that ever counts. The Tories care less for the consequences that their dire policy decisions and political choices have on the lives of workers and families here. Jeffrey Donaldson points the finger at everyone else for the DUP's indefensible and enduring failures. <BR /> <BR />The fact is that, back in May, people voted for change. They voted because they want politics to work. The electorate want grown-up politicians to take everyday challenges seriously — the things that impact on the lives of workers and families. Jeffrey Donaldson and the DUP do not take those matters seriously.”
“Today, the Assembly is meeting in a last-ditch attempt to form a Government and get things up and moving. People will be watching, bewildered, as they go to their work, and they want to see their politicians doing the same. Most of us are here because we want to do the job that we were elected to do. Today, our caretaker Ministers rally to take decisions within tight limits before their civil servants are left in an impossible position come midnight, where they are expected to run our essential public services yet have no Budget and no powers to do so. <BR /> <BR />Jeffrey Donaldson and the DUP are in a perpetual stand-off with the public, the majority of whom they do not speak for or, indeed, represent. He stood for election, yet failed to show up. This is his mess and a failure of leadership by him and his party.”
“I stand ready to jointly work with others and to lead an Executive to help make politics work for everyone, to demonstrate that real change is possible and to help people to get through what will be an excruciating time in the winter months ahead.”
“A winter election during a cost-of-living crisis, when people cannot heat their homes, is not what people want; it is really not what people want. They want you to do your jobs like they are doing theirs. They want parties to work together to form an Executive. They want us to be accountable to them. They need our help. Families need our help. I say this again to the DUP, who continue to block an Executive being formed: join the rest of us; work with the rest of us; help to deliver for people; let us get people through the cost-of-living crisis in the best way that we can; stop denying people the change that they voted for; and discharge your political responsibilities. <BR /> <BR />I genuinely believe that, by working together, we can make a real difference for people.”
“We said that we would invest an extra £1 billion over the next three years to reduce waiting lists and to start to fix our health service. We want to be in the Executive now, and we want to deliver for people now. We stand ready to form an Executive now. We want to work together with all of you — everybody in the Chamber. We want to work together to put money in people's pockets now, because that is what they need from us. <BR /> <BR />It should be noted that, under the new legislation that extends the period for appointing a First Minister and deputy First Minister to 24 weeks, unless those positions are filled in 14 short weeks, the British Secretary of State will be required to call a second election.”
“It is unforgivable — I think that most people think that it is unforgivable — that, as they suffer as a result of all the rises in the cost of living, people are worried about the months ahead and particularly, as we move through the autumn, about the winter months. They are worried because they do not know how they will get through that period. I am sure that there are plenty of people on your Benches who are not worried about being able to put food on their table over the autumn and winter, but these are your constituents; they are all our constituents. We need to work together to do what we need to do to support them at this time. <BR /> <BR />People want us to fix our health service. People want us to work together to fix our health service.”
“The reckless approach of the DUP and of the Tories in London is all about themselves and themselves only — their own selfish interests and to hell with the ordinary people, to hell with the people who are struggling to put a roof over their head, keep a roof over their head, heat their homes and deal with the pressures that they face in their everyday life. You do not appear to care. I encourage you to care and to join the rest of us and form a Government, because your actions and the actions of the Tory Government are damaging to ordinary people, damaging to politics and damaging to our economy.”
“<BR /> <BR />The DUP is the only party — the only party — that is blocking and preventing the Executive being formed and meeting, which would allow us to distribute money to help workers and families, so let me say this to you, even at this late hour: workers need help, families need help and businesses need help, and you continue to punish the public whom we are elected to serve by your continued refusal to govern with the rest of us. All your actions will not wash away the protocol. The British Government legislating to renounce the protocol will not wash away the international rule of law.”
“<BR /> <BR />I listened to Jeffrey Donaldson on the radio this morning talk about how things are all fine and dandy, everything is great in Departments and they have budgets with which to do the business. That is not true. The fact is that budgets are becoming increasingly untenable. Departments face increasing financial pressure in delivering public services as a result of the significant rise in energy costs, coupled with the need to respond to the cost-of-living crisis that faces households and businesses.”
“<BR /> <BR />The majority of newly elected MLAs and Assembly parties want to come together and want to make politics work so that we can deliver for all the people across the community. We need to elect a Speaker and restore the Assembly. We need to form a Government, and we need to set a Budget to deliver public services. We need to provide financial support to households, fund our health service and cut waiting lists, which, at this moment, leave tens of thousands of people crippled in pain as they await treatment and surgery. Those essential public services are being constantly undermined and severely hampered because of the actions of the DUP.”