Michelle O’Neill makes historic speech as first republican First Minister at Stormont
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00:00 I am pleased to take up the office of First Minister. I affirm the pledge of office as
00:08 set out in Schedule 4 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998.
00:11 I have received a letter from the nominating officer of the DUP advising me that Mr Keith
00:18 Buchanan will serve as nominating officer for this item of business. I call Mr Buchanan to
00:22 nominate a Member of the Assembly to the Deputy First Minister. I allow him up to three minutes
00:26 to say a few words in support of the nomination. Thank you Mr Speaker. On behalf of the Democratic
00:34 Unionist Party I nominate Emma Little-Pindelly MLA. Thank you.
00:38 I would like to order.
00:40 Ms Little-Pindelly are you willing to take up the office of Deputy First Minister and
00:51 affirm the terms of the pledge of office? I confirm that I am willing to take up the
00:55 office of Deputy First Minister and I affirm the terms of the pledge of office
01:00 as set out in Schedule 4 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998.
01:04 There will be an opportunity for speeches and I'll begin by calling the First Minister and
01:12 then the Deputy First Minister to address the Assembly. I call the First Minister Ms Michelle O'Neill.
01:20 It's more an honour to sha'a su an seo mbhair fío feire. Today opens the door to a future,
01:26 a shared future. I am honoured to stand here as First Minister. We mark a moment of equality
01:34 and a moment of progress, a new opportunity to work and to grow together. Confident in
01:41 that wherever we come from, whatever our aspirations are, we can and we must build
01:46 our future together. I'm really delighted to see every MLA back in this chamber today
01:52 and I welcome the fact that the DUP have decided to re-enter the democratic institutions and that
01:57 the outcome of last year's Assembly election is now being respected. And I also look forward
02:03 to a meeting of the North South Ministerial Council shortly. The power sharing coalition
02:09 that is being formed here today by the parties must now dedicate itself to delivering an ambitious
02:14 agenda for change. I wish all incoming Ministers well and I pledge to work with you all and to
02:21 collaborate with you all. The public are now relying on each of us to act in their best interests,
02:27 to serve our whole community with good faith. We must make power sharing work because collectively
02:33 we are all charged with leading and delivering for our people. In common cause we must work
02:39 to make life better for workers, for families and communities, to create hope and opportunity.
02:45 We must be respectful of each other. The days of second class citizenship are long gone and today
02:52 confirms that they will never come back. As an Irish Republican I pledge cooperation and genuine
03:00 honest effort with all those colleagues of a British, of a unionist tradition who charge
03:05 the union. This is an Assembly for all, Catholic, Protestant and Dissenter. Despite our different
03:13 outlooks and our different views on the future constitutional position, the public rightly demand
03:18 that we work together and that we deliver together. And also that we must build trust and confidence
03:24 in our ability to collectively do that. And that will require courage, it will require ambition,
03:30 not just from those of us that are elected but also from the public. And if we all can invest
03:35 in this and the more of us do that then the better chance it has to succeed. Now this power sharing
03:41 coalition will undoubtedly face great, great challenges and there are many nettles for us
03:46 to grasp. The rising cost of living has been a heavy burden on many households and businesses
03:52 and there are people out there that are living hand to mouth and they need our help. There are
03:56 too many patients waiting for treatments and support. Our teachers, our nurses, all our public
04:01 sector workers are being forced onto the picket lines and that demands urgent action from us.
04:07 There is no escaping the impact of Tory austerity. It has badly damaged our public services.
04:12 They have presided over more than a decade of shame and they have caused real suffering to the people
04:18 that we represent. I wish to lead an executive, an executive which has the freedom to make our
04:24 own policy and spending choices. We cannot continue to be hamstrung to the Tories in London.
04:30 So together we must unite and we equally must fight with one voice the corner of everybody that we
04:38 represent, every citizen in this society and we must fight for properly funded public services.
04:42 Now I know that we have many shared priorities and those will be reflected today but we must
04:49 deliver more. We must deliver more on affordable childcare and support to support workers and
04:54 families. We must deliver more on social and affordable homes because everybody has the right
04:59 to call somewhere their home. We must transform our health and social care system and we must
05:04 ensure that children with additional needs have first-class support. Key infrastructure developments
05:09 such as the A5, the A29 road schemes, Casement Park and other signature projects will be delivered so
05:16 that we can enhance connectivity and support communities. Regional balance and the continued
05:22 investment in Derry and the North West are essential. We must work together to mitigate
05:27 the climate catastrophe. We must protect Lough Neagh and realise its massive potential.
05:32 With new leadership in the economy department we will work in partnership with businesses,
05:37 the trade union movement, education providers and the community and voluntary sector
05:42 to improve economic performance. A reformed invest NA will be required to promote regional
05:48 balance because everybody should share in the benefits of prosperity. We will now begin to seize
05:54 the considerable opportunities that are created by the Windsor framework to use our dual market access
05:58 to grow our exports and attract higher quality FDA and to realise the all-island economy's potential.
06:06 We must do more to shape the type of society that we live in.
06:12 Violence against women and girls is an epidemic and it's an emergency and it requires urgent action.
06:20 That means every one of us working collectively to challenge misogyny and sexist attitudes
06:24 that have led and continue to lead to violence against women. As political leaders we need
06:31 women and girls out there in our society to know that we have their backs, that we are looking
06:36 after them and that we are going to bring in laws to protect them. One of the first actions this
06:41 incoming executive must take is to introduce the new strategy to tackle violence against women and
06:46 girls and I know that we are all committed to doing that. Mr Speaker our society is becoming
06:53 increasingly diverse as reflected in the census results and that is something that is to be
06:57 respected and also something to be celebrated. Everyone from every section of this society
07:03 must know that they matter and that we care. Last year we marked 25 years of peace and the
07:11 signing of the Good Friday Agreement and that was a political accommodation that provided a peaceful,
07:16 and a democratic alternative to 30 years of conflict. So we all know, collectively we all
07:23 know, as a society we know the value of peace and today we are all heartbroken for the suffering of
07:29 the Palestinian people and I call today in this chamber for an immediate ceasefire for dialogue
07:35 and for peace. I was a 20 year old mother at the time of our agreement and I remember vividly the
07:43 sense of hope and that real feeling of optimism and I go right in behind the politics and I have
07:48 worked since then to build the peace. There is no question that our society has been fundamentally
07:55 transformed because of our peace process. I stand here proud, proud and elected First Minister as
08:04 someone who represents that Good Friday Agreement generation and someone who will lead us into the
08:08 next 25 years. I'm also an Ulster woman, a Tyrone woman, a deeply proud Irish and European citizen
08:15 and this is an historic day and it does represent a new dawn. For the very first time a nationalist
08:24 takes up the position of First Minister. That such a day would ever come was unimaginable
08:30 to my parents and grandparents generation but because of the Good Friday Agreement that old
08:36 state that they were born into is now gone and a more democratic and a more equal society exists
08:42 and this is now a better place for all of us. This place that we call home, that we all love,
08:49 the north of Ireland, Northern Ireland, where you can be British, Irish, both or none,
08:55 is all a change in portrait but yesterday is gone. Today is a new day and I think my
09:02 appointment today reflects the change that's happening. Now I am a Republican. I will serve
09:09 everyone equally and be a First Minister for all. To all of you who are British and Unionist,
09:16 your national identity, your cultures, your traditions are important to me. I will be
09:22 both inclusive and respectful to you all. None of us are being asked to surrender who we are.
09:29 Our allegiances are equally legitimate but let's walk this two-way street together. Let's meet
09:35 one another halfway. I will be doing so with an open hand and also with heart.
09:41 Much suffering and trauma persists in our society as a result of the injustices and the tragedies
09:51 of the past. We must never forget all those who have died or been injured or their families.
09:59 I am sorry for all the lives lost during the conflict without exception.
10:03 As First Minister, I am wholeheartedly committed to continuing the work of reconciliation between
10:10 all of our people. The past cannot be changed or cannot be undone but what we can do,
10:16 what we all can do, is build a better future. I will never ask anyone to move on but I really
10:25 do hope that we can all move forward. I want us to walk in harmony and friendship.
10:31 My eyes are firmly fixed on the future, looking towards that future where we unify people and
10:38 society. Every generation must write its own chapter and define its own legacy. Scotland's
10:45 greatest Irishman, James Connolly, proclaimed, "What are my ambitions for our young people?"
10:52 Our demands are most moderate. We only want the earth. It is my dream that our children and
11:00 grandchildren will achieve beyond all of our wildest dreams and all of our wildest ambitions.
11:06 I believe in our young people. They can change our society. Indeed, they can change the world
11:13 if we only give them the chance. So let that be our legacy. Let our legacy be that chance,
11:20 that freedom for every young person out there, for every child.
11:23 1998 opened up a new horizon of hope and optimism. Now, in 2024, let us gift today's
11:31 generation everything that they deserve. Go raibh maith agaibh.
11:35 I now call the Deputy First Minister, Ms Emma Little-Pengelli.
11:40 Thank you, Mr Speaker. First of all, I congratulate you on being elected
11:46 by both sides of this House to serve as Speaker. I know that you will carry out your duties with
11:51 diligence, which you are known for, and with great dedication. As one of the Class of 1998,
11:57 you have unrivalled experience on these benches, and I look forward to working with you and the
12:01 rest of your team in the Speaker's Office. I also wish the outgoing Speaker well in his
12:07 retirement and thank him sincerely for his service to the House.
12:12 Michelle O'Neill and I come from very different backgrounds, but regardless of that, for my part,
12:18 I will work tirelessly to ensure that we can deliver for all in Northern Ireland.
12:24 I recognise that for many today it is a historic moment, with the nomination of Michelle O'Neill
12:32 and myself as First Ministers. It is a day that confirms the democratic outcome of the election.
12:41 Mr Speaker, serving people in this House in any role is an honour and a privilege. It is
12:48 an opportunity to shape Northern Ireland for the better and to make a meaningful difference.
12:55 I love Northern Ireland. I am deeply proud to be from this place we call home. Despite our often
13:04 troubled history and divisions of the past, I know that we have incredible potential.
13:12 As a young girl sitting in Market Hill High School almost 30 years ago, I could never have
13:17 imagined that one day I would have the opportunity to serve in such a way. This is a responsibility
13:25 and an honour that I will never take for granted. Each and every day I will strive to make this
13:32 place the very best it can be. I thank Sir Geoffrey and Deputy Leader Gavin Robinson
13:39 for their support by being here today, their leadership in getting us to this point,
13:45 and for the great honour of being asked to step up and serve.
13:50 Mr Speaker, like so many across this Chamber and throughout Northern Ireland,
13:56 I grew up with conflict. As a child of just 11, I stepped outside my Market Hill home
14:06 on a warm August afternoon to the absolute devastation from an IRA bomb. Seared within
14:13 my experience is that haunting wail of alarms and of our emergency services,
14:20 the carpet of glass and debris, the shock, the crying and the panic that shook and destroyed
14:28 that place I called home. I am thankful that our young people today do not have to face
14:36 that terror that so many of us here did. But as a child, I didn't understand the politics of it.
14:44 But I will never forget the fear, the hurt and the anger.
14:51 There are moments in each of our lives that shape us. The past, with all its horror,
14:58 can never be forgotten, and nor will it be allowed to be rewritten. But while we are
15:04 shaped by the past, we are not defined by it. The experience of my childhood gave me the drive
15:11 and desire to make a different future, not just for myself, but to do all that I could and can
15:18 to ensure a better future for all of us. Across this chamber, we have different political viewpoints
15:25 and experiences. But what we also know is that the wee mummy waiting on her cancer diagnosis
15:31 is not defined as being Republican or Unionist. She is defined by the sleepless nights and worry
15:38 that she may never see her children grow up. The daddy fighting to get the right educational support
15:45 for his child is not defined by orange or green, but by the stress and anxiety for the future of
15:52 the child they love. Let this be our inspiration, for those are the issues that we can agree on.
15:58 The challenges so many families face throughout Northern Ireland are the same, no matter where
16:05 or what we are or believe. It is those shared problems that are blighting too many lives
16:13 that we can work constructively and urgently together to improve.
16:17 But we must learn the lessons of the last seven years, whatever path we are going to take,
16:23 on health service reform, schools reform, improving our public services and making this place a
16:30 thriving and flourishing Northern Ireland it can be. We will only succeed by walking that path
16:39 side by side and not by the dismissing and demeaning of the concerns of each other.
16:45 There can be no dominating from one to the other, but a new approach of recognising the concerns
16:52 of each other and finding solutions together. We are all born equal and the people who look
16:59 on this sitting today demand us to work together. Michelle is an Irish Republican and I am a very
17:06 proud Unionist. We will never agree on those issues, but what we can agree on is that cancer
17:13 does not discriminate and our hospitals need fixed. We can agree that too many mummies and some
17:18 daddies are having to give up work because childcare is too expensive. We agree that our
17:23 teachers need supported and equipped to teach and that our public sector workers need properly paid.
17:31 We all agree that drugs destroy communities and the police need the resources to put the dealers
17:37 out of business. We can all agree that economic prosperity is the game changer for every community.
17:46 Let us be a source of hope to those young people watching today, not one of despair. Let us prove
17:55 that difference is something that can be a strength through recognition and respect.
18:01 That difference need not be a barrier to progress and delivery. This is my pledge. I love this place
18:08 we call home. I will work tirelessly for delivery for all the people of Northern Ireland from every
18:15 background. I will do so with the best of my abilities, honoured by the privilege and opportunity
18:22 to do so. Let us do it side by side and let us keep Northern Ireland moving forward.
18:28 Yeah.