Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
Updated 7pm
FIANNA FÁIL’S MICHAEL McGrath launched a swift response this evening to criticism of his party by Leo Varadkar.
The acting health minister said earlier that Fianna Fáil’s focus on water during government formation talks was “surreal” and ”ridiculous”.
Speaking to RTÉ’s Keelin Shanley, the Fine Gael TD insisted scrapping charges was the wrong decision and not in the national interest.
Micheál Martin’s party could have concentrated on issues like the health service or the USC, he said.
Not at all – all down to water charges that cost €3 a week – it is the wrong thing to do, it is not in the national interest.
He said it would have been “insane” to go back to the people and fight an election on water charges.
‘Deeply unhelpful’
Later, McGrath said Varadkar’s comments were “deeply unhelpful, unnecessary and self-serving”.
He told the media at Leinster House that he could not understand Varadkar’s timing, and observed that the minister appeared to be positioning himself for a leadership battle within Fine Gael.
McGrath said making such comments when the two parties are so close to an overall agreement made him question Varadkar’s motivation.
The timing beggars belief… those claims can only inflame the situation, I simply can’t understand it.
He said it would make one wonder: “What’s going on within the Fine Gael party?”
We all know there is a succession issue ongoing in Fine Gael.
McGrath said the comments are not going to stall the negotiations.
We are not going to throw the toys out of the pram over this.
Varadkar’s broadside didn’t go down well with some other members of Fianna Fáil today either.
Speaking later on RTÉ’s Six One news Varadkar accused McGrath of making a personal attack on him. Asked whether he would serve in a Fine Gael-led government, should one be formed, he said he would – after responding first that it was presumptuous to assume there would be a government.
Talks
Both McGrath and Varadkar could agree on one thing – they both hope a minority government will be in place by the end of next week.
McGrath said papers were being exchanged today between the two parties.
One of the main issues still to be decided once and for all is, of course, the suspension of water charges. A draft agreement between the old civil war rivals was agreed on Tuesday.
Unpaid bills
There has been some division among the parties over whether people who paid their bills should be entitled to a refund if the charges are scrapped.
Any water charge bills were issued on a valid legal basis, McGrath said today, raising the question as to whether it was legally possible to rescind the bills.
Minister for Jobs Richard Bruton said yesterday that paying customers would have to get their money back in the event that the levies are voted down by the Dáil. Fianna Fáil’s position is that the over 900,000 people who have paid their bills should not be refunded.
The proposed Fine Gael-Fianna Fáil agreement is thought to involve a suspension of water charges for between nine to 18 months while a commission of experts examines alternative charging systems.
Once the water commission’s report is drafted and sent to an Oireachtas committee, the findings will be debated and voted on by all TDs. Irish Water as an entity is not expected to be referred to the commission.
Minister for the Environment Alan Kelly yesterday slammed the mooted deal during a Dáil discussion on the public utility. The Labour TD said the scrapping of Irish Water would be “political, economic and environmental sabotage”.
He questioned whether the move would be within EU law and warned Dublin would face water shortages if the charges are abolished.
Scrapping water charges
Foreign Affairs Minister Charlie Flanagan said this morning he continued to support the principle of paying for water, but acknowledged that if it was put to a vote today, water charges would be scrapped.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Flanagan denied that the party had sacrificed its principles to stay in power, stating that he hoped the talks would conclude in the next 48 hours.
Fianna Fáil’s John Curran told the same programme the focus on Irish Water by his party was justified. The administration of the utility is too expensive, he said.
So what happens next?
When a deal is signed off on by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, government formation talks will then revert back to the independents. Fine Gael are still short of seats and need at least six to form a minority government.
So far, Enda Kenny has the support of two independents – Katherine Zappone and Micheal Lowry.
Substantial talks have already taken place with the independents prior to Fine Gael entering talks with FF, so it is expected that discussions will not take long once they resume.
There are a number of independents in the mix – each one with a particular wish list of what they want
Independent TD Michael Collins said non-party deputies would be taking time to look at what is on the table, and that he expected the process to take two to three days.
Independent Alliance TD Michael Fitzmaurice told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland that he was not going to be “bullied into something… sign up to this and away we go”.
I wouldn’t count the chickens before they’re hatched.
Additional reporting by Catherine Healy
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Other than beef producing, what do we do competently?
@Chutes: We have excellent engineering capabilities in this country. We need better ways of encouraging startups and support them. Enterprise Ireland and the likes are outdated and put people off using them.
@David Corrigan: Totally agree! I’m sure we’ll export the talent instead though as per the usual FFG playbook.
@David Corrigan: Shame there’s nothing to build.
@thesaltyurchin: Yeah, you right! It’s not like we have a housing crisis or a (insert crisis here) now is it.
May I ask why the comments on the article about refugees have been turned off?
@Paul Furey: No not hate, a concern by many that others are been preferentially treated over Irish people.
@Paul Furey: There was no hate in any comments on that report Paul. People were just discussing the report in a mannerly way.
@Dave Huston: Uhmmm, sure, let’s go with that! LOL!
@Dave Huston: Some people are preferentially treated over others, such is life.
@Clark Hetherington: Probably an indication to those posting ignorant comments that enough is enough, idk tho!
@thesaltyurchin: “the poor will always be with us”
Not only are we avoiding regulating these big tech companies, we allow them set up data centres that offer no tangible benefits to the state. We give them cheap electricity and tell the ordinary plebs to conserve their power.
@James Groden: hmm I wouldn’t always be first to defend our approach to big tech – but I’m not sure it’s quite as bad as you claim – the data centres aren’t just given free lower and offer Jo direct benefits for the country – these are the engines for our largest Foreign Direct Investments into Ireland – there are literally hundreds of thousands of jobs created in the past 20 by tech , not to mention the billions in tax take for Ireland from these digital services for Europe/Mid East /African markets / its grands ya want to rant away but a bit of perspective on the actual benefits please / in the 80s there was chronic unemployment and need to emigrate / if building data farms and attracting billions investments into Ireland is the solution they far far far outweigh the challenges
@James Groden: You wont find a ‘private-sector peg’ big enough to fill the endemic incompetence of successive Irish politicians.
Back door censorship
@Dave Huston: You don’t like the back door Dave?
We have elevated the establishment of toothless, incompetent regulators to a high art in Ireland. GSOC, the DPC, An Bord Pleanala, The CPCC, the CRU, and so on and so on. If I were a cynic, I’d say that it’s almost as if the state is captive to so many powerful lobbying interests that it doesn’t want to intervene at all. Given how shamelessly the country has pimped itself out to big American tech companies in exchange for corporation tax and a few jobs here and there, could it be that these companies have set up their European headquarters in Ireland precisely because of how accessible our politicans are, and how weak our regulatory institutions seem to be?
@Eric: big tech are one some of the biggest amount of lobbying for all governments in a massive scale – probably even surpassing pharma in the states and mainland Europe – we are small beer by any measure in the lobbying stakes / even the most recent A.I. Inititatives are watered down at eu level by excessive amounts of lobbying
Oh no, Leo and his cronies are going to upset one of their two daddies. If I was a betting man I’d say they’ll upset birth daddy EU by doing absolutely nothing but uttering a few hollow words in this particular situation, leaving step daddy Tech pleased, but then they’ll appease EU daddy by promising them that they’ll take a load more migrants in to help further their plan to prop up the European economy and use their subservient media to crank up the finger point and accusations of racism at any natives that don’t just play along with it all.
@Zim Zimma: Daddy issues Zim?
All big companies, are untouchable in Ireland and only the small guys get screwed in all industries. Ask Joe and Mary citizen, they get screwed daily and no justice for them either!
Not aligned to any party but something has to change. That been said sf may bankrupt us given power and a lot of people are reluctant to give them a go given their origins. But we need to get elected officials that really care about the people. I’m only 30′s but I have never seen so much of a divide in this country criticise immigrants and your branded far right defend and ur total establishment. We go on about how divided the US is but we are well on our way to that. The vast majority of Irish people have no probelm helping genuine people in need of help. It’s the unknowns that is rightfully striking fear amongst people that combined with the fact we have our own citizens living homeless or in emergency accommodation. This boom of non Ukrainian refugees is due to UK not having it anymore so they come here. We need to start to find solutions soon otherwise the country will be so divided there may be no way back to been a united population never mind getting a full united Ireland.
We are trying not to rock the boat with the big tech companies that are here in Ireland providing jobs for the masses!
Which side are the ICCL on anyway? They appear to support the agenda of foreign governments, who covet our success with FDI, rather than our own. Then some scaremongering about chatbots taking over the world. Eimear! Are you ChatGPT?
@chutes: My father is dead, so no can’t say I have. Anything else?
@Zim Zimma: Yeah, there’s always the chance of such a reply. Not right now Zim but I’ll keep ya posted if stuff rocks up ya’know!
have your say