I am reminded this morning of my late colleague from SIPTU and former Labour Party Deputy, Frank Prendergast. He used to talk about the tyranny of democracy. I was never quite sure what he meant but I have a better idea this morning given the result in America. I am disappointed. Anyone on the left would be disappointed with the result. I blame the Democratic Party because it chose the wrong candidate. It had a particular good candidate in Bernie Sanders who is genuinely of the left. Hillary Clinton was damaged and, in many ways, what happened to her replicates what happened to the British Labour Party and, indeed, our Labour Party as a result of moving too far to the right for too long. When they stood claiming to represent working people, those people looked at them and said, "We do not believe you." It is a shame because we have ended up with the worst of all possible results.

There will be serious implications for this country. As part of his campaign, Donald Trump said he would slash tax rates for corporations in America. That may have implications for future investment in this country. No doubt we will hear the usual siren voices from the right demanding ever lower corporation tax rates here in response. Those calls have already begun to be made in light of Brexit. I predict that our two conservative parties will align their cause to embrace the race to the bottom in taxation, wages and public services in the year to come. We should do the opposite. We should embrace a call for fair taxation, good public services and decent wages. We should build a broad political front for progress and a fair society. If we do not, we will see the rise of the far right - now established with a new American President-elect - across Europe and Asia. As matters stand, next March there will be a far-right government in the Netherlands and another in France a couple of months after that.

What we are seeing is a repetition of what happened in the 1930s. It behoves all of us who believe in progressive politics - I do not claim a monopoly on that because there are progressives in all parties - to try to work together to offer a real alternative based on a fair society. There will be implications for the peace process because, for all her faults, Mrs. Clinton was committed to being a positive force for engagement in the North. We cannot expect that level of help from Donald Trump. As my colleague, Senator Ardagh, said, there will be implications for the tens of thousands of undocumented Irish in America. Prospects to regularise these people have had a severe setback with this election. I will be calling for the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to come in and have that debate on foreign affairs. Perhaps there is merit in a task force because there is an awful lot of work ahead of us now to try - despite all of our reservations - to establish the best relations we can with this new regime and progress all the matters that are important to us in terms of our economy and our people.

I want to highlight SIPTU's Big Start campaign, which relates to child care and which is being launched this morning. There is a huge problem with child care in this country. While there is some merit in the proposals from the Government, unfortunately they do not at all address the issues of pay and conditions for child care workers. This needs to be addressed. Clearly, we cannot be in two places at one time but I urge people to have a look at the SIPTU Big Start campaign. I call upon the Leader to invite the Minister, Deputy Zappone, to come before the House to explain why she has excluded trade unions from her committee on child care.

I remind people that Friday is 11 November - Armistice Day - the date on which the millions of men who fell in the Great War and many other wars are remembered. I wear my Irish shamrock poppy pin today to remember the 50,000 Irishmen - Nationalist and Unionist from north and south - who fought in the armies of the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. For some reason, we forget about the Nationalist end of things and those 25,000 or 30,000 men.

Hear, hear.

I ask members to support these men who were forgotten.

When I recall what happened in the 1930s, I think of what has happened in the past few weeks and months with our near neighbours on the other island exiting the EU and now the United States has elected Donald Trump. They effectively want to retreat within their borders and build a wall. That wall should not be about a wall of minds. These were and are great countries. Ireland is now in a unique situation among the nations of the world. It can be a conduit between the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union, of which Ireland is a very strong and active member. We can take that place. Dublin is an international city and Ireland is a member of the international community. I would like to think the Government will allocate an awful lot more resources to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and IDA Ireland in order that we might take the place to which I refer. Ireland has proven itself as a member of the United Nations. Various countries have been very good to us and now we must step up to the plate and try to work with our great friends in the United States, the United Kingdom and Europe. Our country has a great future as the diplomat of Europe and the world.

I share in the congratulations to Donald Trump on his success in becoming President-elect of the United States of America and to the Vice President-elect, Mike Pence, Governor of Indiana, who has connections with counties Sligo and Clare. We also commiserate with Hillary Clinton. It was a very close call. I recognise the contribution she and her husband made to the peace process in Ireland. We now have a new situation. I welcome very much the speech this morning by Donald Trump. It was an embracing speech and one that would give hope. Franklin D. Roosevelt said, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." Donald Trump's ambition now is to rebuild America and its roads and bridges. Who better to help than the Irish? Mr. Trump has proposed a corporation tax of 15%. Ours is 12.5%, so we are competitive. The reason multinational companies are here is because it provides a foothold in a Europe of over 500 million people. Mr. Trump's election does not change that. Irish American companies employ over 100,000 people in the United States of America. We are very strong. There are also 25,000 undocumented Irish. With Republican control of the Senate and House of Representatives and the Office of the President, it is now time for decisions to be made. There must be an amnesty for those who are there. There must be a properly regulated approach to emigration into the United States of America. I believe this will come about. CRH employs 24,000 people in the United States of America. That workforce is placed in 47 states and the company is the largest producers of asphalt, aggregate and ready-mix concrete. We are there and ready to help to rebuild America's bridges and roads. We have to look out and forward and be progressive and realistic.

I send my congratulations. I propose that we send congratulations from this House to the President-elect of the United States of America and his Vice President-elect on their success in the election. I hope the Taoiseach will present shamrock from the Trump golf club in Clare to President-elect Trump on 17 March 2017.