Tomorrow, Micheál Martin steps down as Taoiseach. His time in power has been a disaster for working people. Since June 2020, Martin has overseen:

• 50%+ increases in energy costs as the cost of living crisis hits working families

• Record homeless figures of over 11,000 people including almost 4,000 children

• 100,000+ people stuck on hospital trolleys in 2022 alone

The figures don’t lie. Despite the spin that you might hear from the Dáil and in the media, this is the true legacy of Micheál Martin for working people.

He has also overseen a determined push to undermine Ireland’s longstanding position of neutrality, cravenly moving us closer to NATO.

His replacement as Taoiseach is Leo Varadkar. Once portrayed as the poster boy for liberal Ireland, the sheen has long worn off and Varadkar now appears as he always was – another posh neo-liberal elitist with a penchant for handing out favours to his friends, tainted by allegations of corrupt behaviour.

Varadkar will deliver business as usual for Ireland. Business as usual means that the interests of landlords, developers and multinational corporations will continue to be prioritised by the government, while the needs of working people get lip service and a few crumbs from the table.

Our most prominent Thatcherite, Varadkar is a true believer that the private market holds the answers to all of Ireland’s problems.

Instead of building actually-affordable public housing, his solution to the housing crisis is to funnel taxpayer money into the pockets of landlords and developers.

Instead of leading the way economically by building up state-owned industries, he wants Ireland to rely on a small number of multinational corporations, which could pack up and leave us at the slightest inconvenience, taking our precious corporation tax with them.

Varadkar is happy to run the state down and leave people at the mercy of the market.

This is a recipe for disaster. It’s a set-up that is failing and will continue to fail working people and our families. 100 years on from the civil war, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael finally united to ensure a safe pair of hands for the Irish elite and to oversee continued misery for a vast section of our population.

The Irish working class deserves better than Martin, Varadkar, and Ryan.

If you want to see an Ireland that can provide for working people, fight back with the Workers’ Party.