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The Assembly - Season 1 (IE) - Episode 01: Micheál Martin
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00:0134 autistic and neurodivergent adults from all over Ireland have gathered in
00:06Dublin's Docklands for a television program like no other.
00:10Welcome to the assembly.
00:11What's it like having your own TV show?
00:13Why did you decide to get varicose veins removed on your leg?
00:17How much did you control your children's life?
00:22This location has been specially chosen to suit our cast.
00:26There are no lights, they're free to come and go as they please, and they share the space with the
00:31crew.
00:35What do you think we should be asking?
00:38What brand of tea do you like?
00:40What is your opinion of immigrants coming to Ireland?
00:45Why do you think Trump targets you so much?
00:47Do you still think Tom Cruise is the perfect man?
00:50Are you enjoying your time as Taoiseach?
00:51If you were to live your life over, what would you do different?
00:56There's no script, no rules, no secrets.
01:00This is an offer you cannot refuse.
01:03The team has been busy researching today's subject.
01:06They are ready for action.
01:08Welcome to the assembly.
01:20I do think that he'll be nervous because I don't think he has been in a room with a lot
01:25of autistic and neurodivergent people.
01:27Especially 30 of us in the room, like, it's going to be nerve-wrecking for him.
01:31Do you like the Taoiseach?
01:33Well, I think he'll be nice talking and I'll ask him more questions and maybe, yeah, ask him some questions,
01:42yeah, one to three, yeah.
01:46Autistic people so often find themselves as being a minority in any group that they're in.
01:50But in this case, it's a weird turn of events because he's in the minority now.
01:55My ten-year-old self would probably say yes to meeting the Taoiseach.
01:59So my ten-year-old self would be pleased to know about this.
02:04Not very favourable.
02:05Like, I'm a progressive, he's a conservative, so there are deep gaps between our opinions.
02:12I actually emailed the Taoiseach a number of months ago and seemingly he was too busy to meet me.
02:19Finally, I get my chance to ask him questions.
02:22Good morning.
02:23Good morning.
02:24Good morning.
02:25Good morning to you.
02:26How are you?
02:27Good to see you indeed.
02:28Good.
02:28Hi, my name is Aidan Saini.
02:29Nice to meet you.
02:30My name is Michal Martin.
02:32Yeah, good to see you.
02:33Paddy, how are you feeling about interviewing the Taoiseach today?
02:36Fine.
02:38Have you ever interviewed the Taoiseach before?
02:40No.
02:40Are you excited?
02:42Mm.
02:44Aunt Taoiseach, it is an honour to have you here today.
02:47Thank you so much for coming to the Assembly.
02:48And to welcome you today, I would like to bring up Rebecca.
02:56Hello and welcome to the Assembly.
02:58We're a team of autistic and neurodivergent interviewers and we're so glad you could join us here today.
03:03As for the rules, there are none.
03:06Nothing is off limits and anything can happen.
03:09Please introduce yourself.
03:12Hi, my name is Michal Martin.
03:14I'm currently Taoiseach.
03:15I started life as a teacher and then I went into public life and into politics and I was born
03:21in Turnless Cross in Cork and I now live in Banaloc in Cork.
03:26And to kick us off with our questions today, Courtney.
03:30Hello Taoiseach.
03:31Hello Courtney.
03:32My first question is why did you want to come on to the Assembly today?
03:36To meet you, to meet all of you and to hear you and listen to you and do my best
03:42to answer the questions that you have for me.
03:45My next question is, did you know that 85% of autistic people in Ireland are unemployed?
03:50I would have had an idea of that.
03:51That's why I think we have to do far more on the employment side.
03:55Yeah.
03:55And particularly, there's a number of things we can do.
03:58I think we do have a wage subsidy for employers.
04:00We had to help them to employ more.
04:02We also have to work the, you know, social protection system so that if you got a job you don't
04:10lose some of the benefits that you had if you were on a loans or a disability loans.
04:15That you can keep that a bit longer.
04:16A lot of people are afraid if they go into a job they might lose their supports and benefits.
04:29How do you know Mr Taoiseach?
04:33How are you?
04:34How are you?
04:36How are you?
04:37How are you?
04:37How are you?
04:37How are you?
04:38I don't speak Irish.
04:39I just know them few little bits.
04:42The first time you asked your wife out she said no.
04:46But eventually you two ended up dating and having children.
04:49How did that come about like after she said no like?
04:55How did you know she said no?
04:58Did I say that right then?
05:02Well yeah I remember I asked Mary to a film.
05:04And Mary didn't want to go to the film.
05:06And I kind of took that as a bit of a setback at the time.
05:09I remember Warren Beat and Diane Keaton were the stars and it was red.
05:12Weeks later though we went to a 21st birthday party in a place called Sondeswell Rugby Club.
05:21And things happened there that night and the rest is history.
05:25Okay.
05:26Thank you so much Mr Taoiseach.
05:28Things happened there we're just leaving it at that.
05:30Yeah I don't want to know anymore.
05:39First question what's it like in Cork because I heard it's pretty good.
05:43What's your thoughts on that?
05:44Jack Cork is wonderful.
05:46I bet it is.
05:47But actually it's a nice city.
05:49The people are warm.
05:50And there's a lovely place called the English Market which is full of food stalls which I have a great
05:56love for.
05:57That's good to know.
05:58And are the prices cheap?
06:00Like you know like reasonable?
06:01They're reasonable.
06:02Some of them can be expensive.
06:04I'm not going to tell you an answer.
06:05Fair enough.
06:06I mean like you know.
06:07As you know the cost of food has gone up.
06:09Yeah I mean like Ireland itself is expensive in general.
06:12You know that makes sense.
06:13Yeah.
06:13Okay.
06:14Next question.
06:15I heard you like mimicking.
06:17You know like voice acting.
06:18Like can you do voice acting?
06:19Or would you consider yourself like a good voice actor?
06:23Oh.
06:24I don't know.
06:25I don't know.
06:25I don't know.
06:25Let me speak.
06:26Let me speak.
06:26Yes.
06:27I was.
06:29But all my advisors were saying do not take off anybody anymore.
06:32Please.
06:33Take off.
06:34It's not good.
06:35Not good for your politics.
06:37And.
06:38Did you get Trump?
06:39I've.
06:40I've.
06:41Oh.
06:43Do you want to get me into trouble?
06:44Do you want to bring him up again?
06:45My favorite was Muhammad Ali.
06:48Oh.
06:48Do you remember?
06:48Is that?
06:49He's a boxer.
06:50Oh.
06:50Boxer.
06:51He was a great boxer in the 1960s and 1970s.
06:54My dad was actually a boxer.
06:55Was he?
06:56Unprofessional.
06:56Yes.
06:56But still a boxer.
06:57So was mine.
06:58Oh really?
06:59Something in common.
07:00Well is your father Italian?
07:02No.
07:02My father was Irish.
07:04Oh.
07:04Okay.
07:05Still something in common though.
07:07He boxed an Italian.
07:08Oh.
07:09Was it my dad?
07:10No.
07:10I don't know.
07:13I'll ask him that.
07:14I'll ask him that when I get back.
07:15He was a European champion.
07:17Oh right.
07:17And he boxed him in Milan and in Rome.
07:20And his name was Giovanni Giuseppe.
07:21That is not my dad.
07:22That's not your dad.
07:23Yeah.
07:23My dad's name is Antonio.
07:25And they became friends afterwards.
07:27I know you punched me in the face, but you want to grab a drink later?
07:30Yeah, exactly.
07:31Yeah.
07:32Yeah.
07:38Hello.
07:39My name is Adam.
07:40I lost my brother to suicide.
07:42Do you think your government has done enough for mental health?
07:46Not enough.
07:48I'm sorry to hear that first, that you lost a brother to suicide.
07:52And no words can console you or your family in relation to that.
07:57Mental health is something that we all have to be involved in.
08:01Sometimes people mask their difficulties very much.
08:04You don't see this happening or this coming.
08:08And so we have to work very hard in terms of our personal relationships.
08:12But then at governmental level, we do have to have stronger services at an earlier age,
08:17which go from psychology, from primary care with your GP and so on, to psychology to psychiatry.
08:24And we need the full gamut of care.
08:28And we need to do...
08:28We're working on it all of the time, but certainly we need to do more.
08:39I work in a cinema and I love movies.
08:42What is your favourite movie?
08:44Lots of them.
08:45The Godfather.
08:48That's true and it's very acclaimed.
08:50I'm glad that you've really made it as your favourite movie.
08:55You're quite the mimic.
08:57All you need to know is the cat, you know.
09:05I love my job.
09:06What are you doing to help more people to get jobs they love?
09:10I think lots of people are getting jobs.
09:12But your point is, are they getting jobs that they love?
09:16Yeah.
09:16That's a good point.
09:18Look, I think what I say to people when I speak to students in school,
09:22I just say to them, do what you love.
09:23You know, I studied history and people say you'll never get a job as a history teacher.
09:26There just won't be enough of them around.
09:28I got a job as a history teacher.
09:30If you love art, if you love music, if you love film, just do it.
09:33And you will get a job out of that.
09:34And you will love it.
09:35I think what we have to do is make sure we create enough variety of activities.
09:40So we support the arts and creativity.
09:42We support technology.
09:43We support pharmaceuticals.
09:46We support food companies, you know.
09:48And try and create as many opportunities as we can.
09:54Good afternoon, Taoiseach.
09:57Why are there so few bus shelters in Wicklow?
10:00I rely on the bus and standing in the rain is not good for my health.
10:05That's not good enough.
10:06One good news is coming is that the minister is going to exempt bus shelters from planning permission.
10:12Apparently every bus shelter has to get planning permission.
10:14That's probably one of the reasons why they have been slow.
10:17But I will talk to Bus Airden for you.
10:20Brilliant.
10:20And I will say to them, get more bus shelters in Wicklow.
10:25What is your favourite karaoke song?
10:27Sweet Caroline.
10:29Sweet Caroline.
10:33I think it's everybody's favourite karaoke song.
10:36Mine is ABBA.
10:38Money, money, money.
10:40Must be funny.
10:42It's a rich man's world.
10:44Hey, don't look at me now.
10:45All the things I could do.
10:48If I had a little money.
10:52It's a rich man's world.
10:54Go on, Marion.
10:55Go on, Marion.
10:57Who did you believe was the worst performing leader of the Free the Fall party?
11:02That's a lousy question.
11:12Virgin Mobile, proud sponsor of this show.
11:17Virgin Mobile, proud sponsor of this show.
11:26How is everyone feeling?
11:28How are you doing?
11:28Andrew, you ready to go?
11:30This is Andrew, our impressionist.
11:33Thank you, Hughie.
11:34Now I'm 14.
11:36Tate on T-Shook.
11:37This isn't over.
11:38You cannot refuse.
11:43So here's the first one.
11:45This is going to be a bit of a willing in the years.
11:48Who did you believe was the worst performing leader of the Free the Fall party?
11:53Ooh.
11:54Ooh.
11:55You've got that in a deep end.
11:56Come with us, I said.
11:58That's a lousy question.
12:01Ooh.
12:03I'm only messing.
12:04I'm only messing.
12:04Come on.
12:05They were all good.
12:08I've got a ton of them.
12:09Because I don't look at things so negatively.
12:10So I think lots of people have strengths, lots of people have weaknesses.
12:13Okay?
12:14Yeah.
12:15The person that I liked a lot growing up was Jack Lynch.
12:19Not just because of Cork, but I think he's temperament.
12:22There was a calmness about him, firmness about him.
12:25That's true.
12:25And a modesty about him that I liked.
12:27Yeah.
12:27So here comes the second one.
12:29And unfortunately, this is going to be a bit of a doozer for you.
12:33What would you say would be, out of all the snacks, what would be the National Biscuit of Autumn?
12:38Unfortunately, of course, you have a bit of dislike of that, so we know.
12:45How do you live without biscuits?
12:49Look, I do eat cake, okay?
12:51Oh, well, there you go.
12:52No, don't give me, let them eat cake.
12:53But I do eat a bit of cake.
12:57Homemade cake, apple strudel or kind of, you know, stuff like that.
13:01But yeah, I gave up biscuits because a former PE teacher met me one day on the street.
13:07And I was kind of walking.
13:08And then he says to me, give up biscuits, he said, full of lard.
13:11And I said, okay.
13:12And I gave up biscuits.
13:13That was it.
13:13Nice.
13:14And gave up sugar in the tea.
13:17No sugar in the tea.
13:19Now, I know all the companies and biscuit makers will be giving out to me.
13:22But anyway.
13:24But you can do it.
13:25Like, it's possible.
13:26It is possible.
13:28Oh, hey, don't you?
13:28And here's the phone.
13:30And this is a bit of a, on your personal life.
13:32You married Mary O'Shea since 1990.
13:35Yeah.
13:35Very good record.
13:36Quite good, I have to say.
13:38And you had five, five children all together.
13:40Yes.
13:41But, and of course, when I read up about you, I realized that you lost a son named Rory in
13:472000 and your daughter Liana in 2010.
13:53What, the question of that is, what really motivates you despite this, despite this loss of life, this, them times
14:01of grief.
14:01What really, what really motivates you to just go on?
14:05Well, it's, um, Rory died from a cot death.
14:10Um, uh, five weeks old.
14:13Oh.
14:14And, um, up to that stage of our lives, we had never experienced that kind of trauma.
14:20But that hit me for six at the time.
14:23And Mary.
14:24Yeah.
14:24Uh, the two children, Michele and Ava were four and two respectively.
14:31And you know what, you have to get up the following morning to get them breakfast and to play.
14:37Um, and you, you, something in the human instincts, you, you, you, you, you, you continue on.
14:44Yeah.
14:45You keep going.
14:47Um, and when, when, when Lena died, um, and we, we, we, we didn't expect that at the time.
14:53But, um, you know, that was absolutely devastating.
14:59And that was hard.
15:00And I, there was a lot of soul searching at the time.
15:02You could retreat and, and not do things.
15:06And I was young enough at the time.
15:08But if I had retired at that time or didn't go on, what, you know, I think that would probably
15:13be more,
15:16I've had a worse effect on my life.
15:17And you don't make these decisions as kind of totally rationally.
15:21You, you, you just keep going in some respects.
15:24Yeah.
15:24Work and routine in nature are very, very important to kind of overcome or deal with trauma.
15:31Uh, it doesn't never bring your loved ones back, but enables you to try and live life, um, to the
15:38best of your ability
15:39and to the fullest extent that you possibly can.
15:43Thank you, Louise.
15:44Thank you, Louise.
15:49Thank you, Louise.
15:51Hi, Em.
15:52Hi.
15:53Richard Boyd Barrett brought you my family situation in the Dáil a while ago about us being extremely overcrowded.
16:00We're a family of five in a two bedroom house, one being severely autistic and has a lot of needs.
16:06I'm sure a lot of people are in the same situation.
16:08So I want to ask you, what do you plan to do to help families across Ireland like mine and
16:12all of ours?
16:13Yeah.
16:14Richard has brought a lot of cases to be fair to him.
16:17He has a great heart.
16:18And, uh, sometimes we might disagree on policy matters, but I have great respect for him.
16:22And in my view, a situation like you've just explained, the councils, like we're building
16:27far more social houses now than we would have been four years ago.
16:30We built 8,500 last year, but delivered about 12,000 through leasing and so on.
16:35So in my view, families who are overcrowded, they should be facilitated with a house more quickly.
16:40The minister has got an extra 50 million to focus in on families who are in emergency accommodation,
16:46to give them priority and to get them out of emergency accommodation.
16:50Jamie, thank you so much for that question.
16:52Really, really, really appreciate it.
16:53You're going to pass over to Kristen.
16:55Hi, Kristen.
16:58What games do you play when you were a child?
17:01Do you play outside of your home or play on the computer?
17:05I didn't have computers when I was a child.
17:07We played out in the street.
17:10We played soccer.
17:11I played Gaelic football and hurling with my club, Neymarangers, and my school,
17:16Crease 3.
17:18Played rugby on concrete.
17:20Not a good idea.
17:21I lost my fun toot over that and got a crown in it instead.
17:25But there you are.
17:26But we played a lot out in the street.
17:31Hi, me all. How are you?
17:32How are you?
17:33You probably know about my accent from Cork.
17:35It's a great Cork accent.
17:36I appreciate that.
17:37Northside.
17:38Do you believe the moon landing in 1969 was a hoax?
17:42No.
17:42No.
17:43I can't believe that.
17:46My young lads came up with that.
17:47I said, come on, come on.
17:48I remember as a child watching it like it was magic.
17:51Don't tell me it didn't happen.
17:52You know what I mean?
17:53I believe that was true though.
17:55It was true.
17:56I believe that.
17:57Connor, you're up next.
17:59Hi, my name is Connor.
18:00I'm from Bettys Town, County Mead.
18:03What instrument do you play?
18:05I don't play an instrument.
18:06I apologize, yeah.
18:08Okay.
18:08You know what happened to me?
18:09When I was young in school, the teacher did a kind of, you know these fork things and
18:12they just go bang, say do-re-me, and he said, get to the back of the class.
18:16He said, you can't sing or play music.
18:18Yeah, that was it.
18:19That's how things were done then.
18:20Very harsh, but to the back of the class I went from a music perspective.
18:24I love music, but don't play an instrument.
18:26Okay.
18:30Saif, please come up and ask your question.
18:33Hello.
18:34It's very nice to meet you.
18:36Hello, Saif.
18:36My first question.
18:38I was homeschooled for 15 years and it really helped me find out who I am and who I want
18:42to be.
18:43I've heard that you don't think very highly of people being homeschooled.
18:47First of all, I think it's your entitlement to be homeschooled.
18:49I accept that and I made remarks some years ago in America and I know that they hurt people
18:53and that wasn't my intention.
18:55That said, as a teacher, I'm still very passionately of the belief of children coming to school
19:03to create a socialization context.
19:06But that's my own view and it's a personal view that education and learning in a social context
19:13is something I would prefer.
19:15And then I have a gift for you.
19:25That's brilliant.
19:28Thank you very much, Saif.
19:30You gave me a bit more hair than I deserve, yeah.
19:33Thought I'd be generous.
19:38Hello.
19:38My name is Sean.
19:39Hello, Sean.
19:40How do you travel now and what do you prefer, the dart or the bus?
19:44The bus.
19:44The bus?
19:45Even though I have a car, I'll be honest with you, I have security lads who monitor me,
19:51but my father was a bus driver.
19:52Oh, was he?
19:53What bus did he drive?
19:54Number three bus.
19:55The number three?
19:56In Ballyfey Hand, Tornos Cross and Cork.
19:58The E1, the one bus has gone 24 hours now.
20:0024 hours now, yeah.
20:01And the E2 to Harristown as well.
20:03Yes, yes.
20:04Yeah.
20:06Hi.
20:07It's nice to meet you.
20:09Good to see you.
20:10So, elephants are known for being very intelligent creatures with strong social bonds.
20:17They are also known for possessing excellent memories.
20:20I understand that you have said that if you were an animal, you would probably be an elephant.
20:24Which of an elephant's characteristics do you think resonates most strongly with your personality?
20:31Did I say I'd like to be an elephant?
20:32Well, that was one of the facts.
20:33It says when you were a kid that if you could be an animal, that you would be an elephant.
20:40So, I was just curious.
20:42The social bond and the memory.
20:43Ah, okay.
20:45What's my name?
20:46That?
20:47Oh.
20:50Sorry.
20:50Sorry.
20:52You shouldn't have done that.
20:53Sorry.
20:54Oh dear.
20:55The last one.
20:56I understand that you are a big fan of 40 Towers.
20:59Your research is incredible.
21:01Yeah.
21:03I did a bit of digging.
21:05But I absolutely love it too.
21:08So, if I find out the money on that horse was yours, you know what I'll do, Basil.
21:17You think I'm joking, don't you?
21:19No, I don't.
21:19Oh, sorry.
21:22You think I'm joking, don't you?
21:24That's what Basil would do, wouldn't he?
21:27Basil!
21:29So, it's fairly obvious that I love Sybil, because I just did an impression of Sybil.
21:33So, I was just wondering, who is your favourite character and why?
21:38Oh, Basil.
21:39Has to be.
21:39Yeah.
21:40Because he's such, he just so annoyingly.
21:44Yeah.
21:44Gets everything wrong.
21:45Oh, no.
21:46Oh, it's ridiculous.
21:47Consistently.
21:48Oh.
21:48All of the time.
21:50It is funny though.
21:52And I loved one.
21:53I know apparently it's not politically correct anymore.
21:55Funny for its time.
21:56Funny, obviously.
21:57And by the way, sorry, I just think that's very important.
22:00Yeah.
22:00We all get judgmental, we change our minds about things 20 years on or whatever.
22:06But if you try and change programs now that are of their time, you're being false.
22:12Yeah.
22:13Like, you have to try and understand a program like that in the context of its time.
22:18Yeah.
22:18You know, sorry for going on a bit, but I just think that's why I hate people sort of saying,
22:22you know, look, it is what it is.
22:24Oh, no, it is.
22:25It is.
22:26No, it's brilliant.
22:27It still makes me laugh.
22:28Great comedy.
22:28You're pretty good at impersonating.
22:30Oh, I know.
22:33How are you going to help people like me not only get the job opportunities we want
22:37to have, but have the lives we want?
22:44Virgin Mobile, proud sponsor of this show.
22:50Virgin Mobile, proud sponsor of this show.
23:01This is Liam.
23:03Hi.
23:04I got a speech before my questions.
23:08I have been diagnosed with autism at the age of four.
23:12It has been a defining aspect of my life, for better or worse.
23:16I wouldn't lie when I said that there are genuine benefits to my autism, and it has made
23:21me the person I am today.
23:22It has made me knowledgeable about topics that I'm passionate about, like films and technology,
23:27and it has made me hypersensitive.
23:29There are aspects that I'm proud of.
23:31On the other hand, there has been a lifelong subtle discrimination towards people like us.
23:36Some of us have not only struggled with social cues and sensory issues, but we have struggled
23:41to adapt the systems that do not work for us.
23:43Some of us struggle to find a job.
23:45Some of us have struggled to find independent housing, and I know for a fact that I am not
23:50alone in this.
23:52How are you going to help people like me not only get the job opportunities we want to
23:56have, but have the lives we want?
23:58Wow.
23:59Well, first of all, thank you for that presentation.
24:05What we have to do is create those opportunities for you.
24:08As I said earlier, I think a lot of the focus has been in education and in health services,
24:12but actually what I'm hearing today a lot is how we encourage society to change, how we
24:17provide resources for independent living, for example, which we can do.
24:20Yeah.
24:20And we need to work better at that and give you a more secure future prospect.
24:25Also, your point about you have lots of talents and strengths.
24:28I mean, I do know from my engagement with people with autism, your knowledge breadth is
24:33much wider.
24:34As you said, I'd say your knowledge of freedom and so on is probably far superior than most.
24:38And the issue is how does society generally then harvest that or use that for you in a positive
24:45way in terms of employment and in terms of getting a good work experience.
24:54How are you feeling whenever there is an election?
24:58Sometimes you're pumped up a bit.
24:59You know what I mean?
25:00You're kind of, you're anxious.
25:02Excited?
25:03Anxious?
25:03I don't know.
25:04Anxious.
25:04Anxious.
25:05You're thinking, can I get everything done right?
25:06It's like a football match.
25:08The game is on like, you know, and you'll just go for it.
25:11You're a bit of a bandit.
25:12There's a lot of excitement in those kind of things.
25:17And are you enjoying your time as Taoiseach?
25:20Yes.
25:21Yeah.
25:21Yeah.
25:22Notwithstanding all the problems.
25:24Yeah.
25:24Because like, for many people it's a once in a lifetime experience.
25:30You just, you just gotta enjoy it.
25:32I think that's a very, that's how I look at it.
25:35I will not be Taoiseach forever.
25:37But I have a job to do and just give it your best, devote yourself to it.
25:41Yeah.
25:42And enjoy the experience.
25:43But also make sure you leave an impact and do, do, do the right things.
25:46It's not just about being in office for the sake of it.
25:49Yeah.
25:50Thanks.
25:50Dean?
25:53Hello, Michal.
25:54Hello, Dean.
25:56I have two questions.
25:58Yeah.
25:59The first one is, what brand of tea do you like?
26:04I love green tea.
26:05Oh, very nice.
26:07Nice.
26:07And when you say brand, then I like Barry's tea as well.
26:10Nice.
26:11So, but my favorite tea is jasmine green tea.
26:15Oh, very posh.
26:16Also, I have a little bit of a joke about tea.
26:19Okay.
26:20Uh oh.
26:21What do you call it when you get electrified by chamomile?
26:25I don't know.
26:27Tea shock.
26:32It's Neib's turn.
26:34It's Neib's turn.
26:34Hello, Neib's.
26:35It's Neib's turn.
26:36Good evening.
26:37What do you call it?
26:37I don't know.
26:38Time is going to go.
26:39So, my first question to you is if you were to describe yourself as a character from The Crown Series.
26:46or the crown yeah who would you be and why oh my god I don't know do I fit into
26:51the crown series
26:54I'm a Republican you know so moving on then my second question to you is have you any plans
27:02for what you'd like to do when you retire from government office yeah I mean not necessarily
27:08plans but I've lots of interest so I'm not worried about that aspect of things after it
27:14and part of me is even thinking of going back to college oh really what course would you be
27:18studying I'd finish my English degree so before I finish up as an autistic adult and I have two
27:27brothers who are also autistic and they're also adults we actually are love our parents very much
27:36and we currently live with my mom and my main concern is is about what the future will be for
27:45me if if my parents were no longer to be around because I would be very worried that would we
27:51be
27:51able to stay living in the same house that we are in or would we have to find in in
27:56somewhere else to
27:56live I'm only eligible for social housing and I don't know if my social welfare payment would
28:03actually be enough to find my own place because I would like to be able to you find my own
28:08place
28:09to live and and have a family of my own one day but I don't know if that's something that
28:14we will
28:14be able to achieve given the current housing crisis first of all I don't know your person's
28:19and hopefully you would be able to stay in your existing home and that can be possible by different
28:24means I do think we have to create alternative housing independent type situations maybe with some
28:32supports that would enable you to have longer term security now we have mechanisms to do that too
28:38okay and okay well you might call it social housing but it could be through approved housing bodies
28:43and it is important to be on the social housing list by the way because that allows you then to
28:47have
28:48options if you're not on it you narrow the options you have you know thanks very much Taoiseach
28:55and up next we have got Max and Max is with his communication regulation partner Anna
29:05H I M I C H A E L hello mijo hello Max
29:26A L L L L M Y L I F E U N T I L all my
29:52my life until I W A S N I N E T E E N I was 19 I had
30:11no way to communicate people thought
30:16about I W A S people thought I was intellectually disabled
30:26disabled H O W A R E how are we G and O how are we going to ensure that
30:42doesn't happen to others
30:45Thank you very much, Max.
30:48We have to make people far more open, less judgmental.
30:55And also we have to, professionals, teachers, doctors, pediatricians, they have to learn
31:03not to jump to conclusions too early.
31:05They have to listen more to you, to parents, to young people, and throughout lives what
31:15tends to happen is many professionals do jump to conclusions and make diagnoses that are
31:23not accurate or are not correct.
31:26I say to professionals, listen to the mother, listen to the father more than anybody else
31:32because they're living with people for 24 hours a day.
31:37They know more than you can decide from a consultation that might last just an hour.
31:43People who thought that you were intellectually disabled made a mistake and they were wrong.
31:48And that should not happen to other people.
31:50We should be far more open before jumping to conclusions or before making conclusions.
31:55That's what I think.
31:59A, S, S, E, S, S, M, E, N, T, S, assessments need to change.
32:17Yes.
32:18Yes.
32:19Max might not have been able to communicate for 19 years, but that didn't stop his creative
32:25spirit.
32:26He has actually written the lyrics to a song.
32:29The song is called Always Been In Here and we've Kevin and David who are going to perform
32:34it.
32:35So this is Max's song everyone.
32:37Ready?
32:43Always been in here.
32:47Always been waiting for my time to shine.
32:51Illuminated by the light of S2C.
32:56Finally revealing the truth of me.
33:00Don't worry.
33:01Don't worry my song you will be smart for it is written from my heart.
33:08You can illuminate me too when you listen to my tune.
33:17All my emotions are muddled all over the place.
33:22And I can't wait to get them out of this space.
33:26Always been in here.
33:28Always alive.
33:30Always been ready to accomplish and strive.
33:33Always been in here.
33:36Always been in here.
33:36Always been in here.
33:39Always been in here.
33:40I'm so new to this all.
33:43I can't believe that I am free.
33:47All of my dreams are making sense to me.
33:55Always learning something new.
33:59And maybe so are you.
34:02And maybe so are you.
34:02All we have to do is work together.
34:07And change this world for the better.
34:10All we have to do is be loving to us and you.
34:14Always making the world a kind place to be.
34:18Always been in here.
34:20Always alive.
34:21Always been ready to accomplish and strive.
34:25Always been in here.
34:28Always been in here.
34:32Always been in here.
34:33Always been in here.
34:35Always been in here.
34:36Well done.
34:40Well done, lads.
34:41Thank you so much.
34:45What's the feeling of falling out between Roy Keane and Mick McCarvey over the World Cup in 2002?
34:56Virgin Mobile.
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35:03Proud sponsor of this show.
35:06Are you all feeling more relaxed around the Taoiseach now?
35:13so it is Kevin the man Kevin there you go hello hello what was your experience like working in
35:21the chemist as a teenager because I work in the chemist myself so I was just wondering yeah I
35:25worked every afternoon and I was the messenger boy and I would bring medicines to other chemists
35:33and then I would have to put the rubbish out every evening and sometimes they allowed me to
35:37counter tablets to put into into boxes and then every Saturday I had to go and get the bosses
35:45lunch and it was up in a delicatessen in Washington Street I'll always remember it he had a lovely
35:50kind of chicken salad sandwich and then I'd have to get him a custard slice and then I'd get my
35:55wages
35:56and I'd go home and I'd buy a Chester cake on the way home I loved it I enjoyed it
36:01and the last one
36:04what do you think of falling out between Roy Keane and Mick McCarthy over the World Cup in 2002
36:09do you think Ireland would have won if Roy stayed on the team I think we would I was on
36:13Roy's side
36:14if I'm honest although it was very sad and I always remember the Tommy Gorman interview I thought that
36:20Tommy Gorman was interviewing Roy and that Roy would announce in that interview and that he'd come back
36:28and join the Irish team but Roy Keane and Mick McCarthy are two very good people and I suppose it
36:33tells
36:33us that the best of people can fall out at times oh yeah you know but we must always work
36:39to try and
36:39make things better
36:43Hello Míol
36:44Hello Emily
36:45It's a pleasure to meet you
36:46What is one thing that you have never said about yourself publicly
36:49In politics you say a lot you know
36:54and you do a lot of interviews and you're saying is there anything left to say you know
37:00and people are surprised like people say oh he wanted to be a politician all his life and all
37:06of that I didn't okay like when I was a child I never thought I'd be a politician when I
37:11was a
37:11teenager I never thought I'd be a politician I actually wanted to be a writer
37:15Oh yeah
37:16Oh yeah
37:16Right
37:17And um
37:20You mean are you saying it's a fiction that I thought I'd be a writer
37:25I'm only joking
37:28Yeah you're correct to be a fiction writer yeah yeah because when I was a child I used to write
37:33short stories and things like that and um that's where I thought I'd
37:38that was kind of a notion I had
37:53I don't think I ever got the worst Christmas present ever
37:56I was always very happy every Christmas morning best when I got a soccer gear when I was about 11
38:03or 12
38:04years of age and I just loved that and at the time I support Chelsea now I support Manchester United
38:08but
38:09I got a Chelsea outfit and my brother got a Leeds United outfit and he's my twin brother and so
38:15then
38:15we are sent to for um I wanted a Chelsea and he wanted the Leeds United outfit
38:19There we are
38:20Oh that's so nice
38:22Oh that's so nice
38:22The last one which conversation was the most influential in your life what did you learn and who was it
38:29with
38:31I think a series a series of conversations with my father
38:37Like I've had conversations with world leaders and they've been impressive but if you're saying who influenced
38:43me the most true conversation it was my late father
38:49Philip is up next
38:51Hello Philip
38:53So what action would you take tomorrow if you could to deal with the problem that Irish society faces
38:59I think one of the biggest challenges we have in Irish society is the new debate about othering people
39:04giving the sense that people because of their ethnicity or colour or creed are not wanted
39:12and that's basically that's one of the biggest societal challenges coming our way
39:16so what I'm doing is developing more discussion around it
39:20Yeah, I think it's a very very big issue for I'm very worried about it
39:23I met young people last week who said their younger sisters being chased home with attacked
39:28name-calling people afraid to go into town
39:31and they're Irish citizens born in Ireland
39:34doesn't have to be born in Ireland by the way
39:36many people come all over Europe into Ireland to work
39:38it's a growing ugly trend I think in society this idea that because
39:43you're being othered and so on like that so
39:45I think that's one of my big concerns right now and I think the way to deal with is to
39:49have it
39:50discussion and open debate about it
39:51Absolutely, I agree with you. Thanks for your time
39:53Una, you ready to go? There you go
39:56Taoiseach, this is Una
39:58When did you start sea swimming?
40:00Oh, as a young child
40:03Yeah, down in West Cork
40:04I've been swimming in the sea all my life
40:06Don't get as much opportunity now but I find it very relaxing and therapeutic
40:12and when I go under the water and just love it
40:14Una loves sea swimming
40:15Una loves sea swimming
40:17Where do you swim?
40:18Bray
40:18Umbrella lovely
40:21Audie
40:26What's your favourite food?
40:28Egg and tomato
40:31Why?
40:33Because when I was a child
40:35my mother
40:36my father worked Sundays
40:38my mother would
40:39take us on the train down to a place called Yall
40:43and my mother would spend Saturday evening and Sunday morning doing all of the getting sandwiches ready
40:49and I used to watch her boil the tomato
40:52and take the skin off the tomato and mash it into the eggs, the hard-boiled eggs
40:57and the favourite sandwich we had on the beach was egg and tomato sandwich and the taste has never left
41:03me
41:05And so I love egg and a happy guy if you just if I'm starving or just give me an
41:11egg and a tomato
41:13Bob's your uncle
41:13Thank you for your time
41:18question of the day
41:20So it's very nice to meet you
41:21Good to see you Daniel
41:22Looking back over your career from teacher to TD to minister to Fianna Fáil party leader to Taoiseach
41:30What really motivates and drives you in life deep down and what legacy do you want to be remembered by?
41:36I think what motivates me and always has in a way like I have a concern about the world
41:41I have a concern about things around me just as all of you have so I've always
41:47Sometimes be angry with the world
41:49Question marks about the world and always wanting to solve things or get issues resolved
41:54The biggest thing that people talk to me about is the smoking ban in the workplace
41:58And the impact has been huge and countries all over the world followed it
42:02We were the first country in the world to do it
42:04Oh, yeah, and now it's done in most countries around the world
42:06But overall I have a constant urge to try and improve things and make things a bit better
42:12It's a very basic thing. You know you can criticize you can complain
42:17But there comes a time when you have to get up and do something about it. Yeah Dean if you
42:21could come up
42:23Dean is going to see us out today. Then we've got a little surprise at the end
42:30We're finally at the end
42:35Thank you very much for your time today
42:39How'd that go for you? Hope we didn't
42:43Well be too tough on you
42:47I've enjoyed it. I've also learned a bit and I will reflect a bit on some of the things that
42:52you have said
42:52And so that I can move differently and change things a bit and change my approach
42:57It's been a fantastic experience for me and thank you. Thank you very much
43:08David is back and he is going to play something. I wonder where it could be from
43:13David, how are you doing?
43:23After all I really love you
43:30After all that we've been through
43:48I did expect him to be more kind of like formal and very on the tea show this is what
43:52I'm going to say and it's going to be that but he was way more conversational than I thought he'd
43:55be
44:02He pretty much runs the country so it's very important for us to get answers from him
44:11It was nice to know him on a more personal level and the fact that he would want to do
44:16writing just amazes me
44:24I
44:26C
44:28A
44:30N
44:32T
44:35A
44:41M
44:43I can't tell you how thrilled I am
44:52R
44:52S
44:53I look forward to a brighter future for non-speakers
44:57Amazing
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