A dhaoine uaisle.
Is cúis onóir dom a bheith in bhur dteannta inniu chun mo bhuíochas a ghabháil le sean bhaill an Oireachtais as bhur obair ar mhaithe leis an tír i rith na mblianta.
It is a great honour to host the Annual Reception for the Irish Parliamentary (Former Members) Society - and a great pleasure to see so many familiar faces and such a good turnout.
This is an important social event in its own right but it has, of course, a wider significance. It is an opportunity to mark the great service you have all given to your communities and to our country. It is also a chance to acknowledge the enormous contribution and sacrifices made by your families in sustaining our democracy.
Whatever our politics, we all have a lot common. We have all experienced the rigours and the rough and tumble of political life. We have shared in the roller-coaster excitement of election time. We have run innumerable clinics. We have had the honour of representing the Irish people. We have had the privilege of participating in our Parliament. We believe in politics. And we have all had the same motivation - to make a difference, for the better, to the world around us.
It can be thankless enough work at times but as Ralph Waldo Emerson said: "The reward of a thing well done is to have done it well." And anyway, as the Book of Proverbs has it: "A man is tested by the praise he receives.", so it is probably just as well we do not have to face that test too often!
Politics matters. People sacrificed their lives to give us the gift of self - rule and parliamentary democracy. I think all of us here this evening were very conscious of this when we entered into politics. And both we and those who went before us took our responsibility to the past very seriously. Mistakes were, of course, made and opportunities were lost along the way but we all kept trying, in the words of the 1916 Proclamation, "to pursue the happiness and prosperity of the whole nation". And I think today's Ireland justifies the act of faith that was made in the future of this country, all those years ago.
Some people are quick to dismiss politicians as irrelevant. The fact is, however, that the key milestones in the development of the country were the work of politicians. Just think, for example, of rural electrification, free secondary education, the establishment of the IDA, EEC membership, the establishment of the IFSC, our system of social partnership and the Good Friday Agreement. None of these came about of their own accord. They happened - and countless other positive developments happened - because politicians willed them to happen and worked at making them happen and making them work.
Yes, we all know that there is still much to be put right. And new challenges and new issues are constantly emerging to replace the old. Politics is not about perfection and the world of politics and policy, like the world itself, keeps on turning. But everybody here can rightfully claim to have played a very real part, as politicians, in helping to put the world to rights and it is only right and proper to celebrate this. Politicians do important work, whatever some might say.
It is, of course, worrying that, according to a survey carried out in 2006 by the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission, 60% of respondents did not regard the work of our parliament as important. We clearly need to do more to promote the work of the Dáil and Seanad to the public, not least because the more people take an interest, the bigger the pool of talent on which our parliament can draw.
I know that the Commission itself is working hard to bring parliament to the people and this is very much to be welcomed. Every T.D. and every Senator has a role to play in raising the profile of Dáil and Seanad. And I have no doubt that the members of this Association will play their part, wherever they can, in communicating the importance and relevance of our parliament.
I do not think anyone would say this is going to be an easy task. The people we serve have many other interests and concerns, apart from what goes on in the Dáil or Seanad. It is particularly hard for us to compete for attention with the glitter of celebrity. And the media has less time today for serious parliamentary reporting. It also has to be recognised that, while there can be moments of high drama, the process of legislating and debating is unexciting and uninspiring, much of the time. The same could be said of the day to day work of many other organisations. But there are serious issues at play in our parliament and interesting stories to be told and we have to keep trying to raise peoples' awareness of what we are about. Our system of parliamentary democracy is by no means perfect and it is easy to poke fun at it. But it works: it provides stability, it delivers - and it is a lot better than any alternative.
In seeking to raise our parliament's profile, we need, of course, to be realistic. We have to get used to the fact that today's world is a very contested space and we face a lot of competition for people's attention.
We also have to keep things in perspective. It is a very welcome fact, for example, that the 30th Dail contains 49 new T.D.s - proof positive that there are still plenty of people out there who see politics as the noble profession which it is and who have the vision and drive to rise above the negativity and apathy and set about serving their country. Plenty of strong minds and stout hearts like those present here this evening. I have no doubt that that will continue long into the future because, as Aristotle said, "Man is by nature a political animal" - and human nature does not change.
Before closing, I would like to say a few words about the forthcoming referendum on the EU Reform Treaty. Many people in this room gave great leadership on European issues throughout the 35 years of our EU Membership and are well aware of how beneficial this membership has been to the development, not just of our economy, but of our nation as a whole. There is always a risk that we take the great gains we have made for granted.
The Reform Treaty is the logical step to ensure that our Union is fit for purpose. And it also improves democracy within the Union, including important new roles for national parliaments and a stronger role for the European parliament.
By making the Union more effective and efficient, the Treaty will help the Union support and sustain economic growth, create and protect jobs, and promote international trade and environmental sustainability.
I know that, with your combined experience of previous referendums, you will be watching with interest the debate on the Reform Treaty that will take place in the coming months: I would encourage you to make that interest an active one and become involved in this very important debate.
In closing, I would like to wish you all a very enjoyable evening and every happiness and good fortune for the future.
Thank you very much for your attention.
ENDS.