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MICHEÁL MARTIN HAS said he will be entering into his meeting with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar on Thursday evening “in good faith”.
The two party leaders are due to meet after the special Cabinet meeting being held in Marino in Dublin to discuss the next general election and when it might be.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar is on the record as stating that he wants the election to be held in May 2020.
Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin has said Easter time would be the “natural” end to this government.
However, when the next election might be held is expected to be a lot clearer after the two party leaders meet face-to-face for talks this week.
Before Christmas, Martin wrote to the Taoiseach and requested that the two agree a date, but Varadkar did not reply straight away. Martin even followed up by text message. Varadkar eventually wrote back on 23 December.
Yesterday, the Taoiseach dismissed suggestions that Fine Gael’s demands about priority legislation, property tax reforms, and Fianna Fáil supporting the government rather than abstaining during votes, would be too big an ask for Martin.
“He set out his position in his letter and I set out my position in mine, which I sent just before Christmas,” Varadkar told reporters.
February election?
There’s informed speculation around Leinster House that the Taoiseach knows well he’s asking too much of Martin, and that the fallout could be a snap election.
Speaking to Ivan Yates on Newstalk this afternoon, Martin said Varadkar knows all too well that there is no way that Fianna Fáil will be voting in support of the government come the new term.
“He [Varadkar] knows that Fianna Fáil won’t be changing how we approach confidence and supply,” he said.
He said abstaining from votes rather than supporting government legislation has always been the basis of the confidence and supply arrangement between the two parties and that is not going to change now.
When asked if this week’s meeting is all just a show, which will ultimately result in the Taoiseach calling an election next week, Martin said he takes it that “he [Varadkar] is entering into it in good faith, I certainly am”.
“I can only take the Taoiseach in good faith,” he added.
The Fianna Fáil leader added that personally he still believes that April is a better period for an election, stating that the government should be focusing on the trolley crisis and not knocking on doors.
Martin said when he entered into the confidence and supply deal with Fine Gael, he said he would “behave honourably”. He said he is not going into Thursday’s meeting with Varadkar “to play games – that is not my approach”.
With the Dáil numbers in a delicate state, the Taoiseach will have to shore up support among the independents if this government is to continue, a point Martin also made this evening.
“If the Taoiseach wants to keep Dáil going till April… it is up to the Taoiseach to engage with other parties and independents,” he said, reiterating that Fianna Fáil won’t be backing Fine Gael in any key votes.
“I think if Independent’s saw there was transparent agreement” that was agreed to in the “interest of country… I think others would follow,” said Martin.
Agreement over local property tax
Finance and Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe said today that reforms of the property tax must be agreed between the two parties.
Donohoe said the government will need to go ahead with a process of reform in relation to local property tax because a number of new homes being built are not paying any property tax.
This means that some will see their neighbours paying no property tax while others do.
“So because of that the local property tax base needs to be included,” he said, adding that the local property legislation will have to move through the Dáil like any other piece of legislation.
Given the “very strong feelings” within the Dáil in relation to local property tax, Fianna Fáil will need to give “an enhanced form of cooperation” in relation to making changes to the local property tax system.
Donohoe said he wanted to make clear there can be no “orderly wind down” of the Dáil, something that Martin has called for.
“We need clarity within the Dáil, regarding the ability of the government to be able to do its business, and to continue to deliver very important pieces of legislation that meet the needs of our citizens or the ability to meet needs within the economy. And given the changing majority that we have in the Dáil… it’s vital the Taoiseach and Deputy Martin meet and see can an agreement be reached in this area”.
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Too late for Martin to grow a pair!
‘I’m not trying to play games’,good because the only game you know is snakes and ladders,Leo is no better, he’s been playing blind man’s buff since he got elected.
@Honeybee: recent events have shown how out of touch with the public this FG party is, with an election looming the decision to commemorate the RIC/B&T, just goes to show how little the party actually knows/cares about the public’s consensus on that and a whole host of other issues. The FG PR team must be pulling their hair out at the stupidity/Ignorance of the party and it’s leader. If the opposition parties Election Strategists have even half a brain between them, when the campaigning and the debating start, FG should be hammered for their lack of knowledge on the general public’s views.
@devils avacado: FG have fallen on their own sword in relation to the commemoration of RIC/black and tans but it is their arrogance which persists and tonight they were forced in to a massive climb down in the face of public anger.But FG are never far from controversy and they are scurrying around trying to nail us with property tax before they pull the plug on Martin and his bobble head cronies. Once they have an agreement in place , they will name a date. People are stupid if they think change will happen unless voting patterns change and God knows that’s a hard one with no effective choice but we must all do our best when the elections come, just don’t hand it back to FFG on a plate, we are living with the realities of their mismanagement of policies and finance in every sphere of services as things stand.
@devils avacado: great comment…
Too late now, he’s propped them up for years.
@Brendan Cullen: I agree. I thought he had a plan. Now he’s a puppy
@Brendan Cullen:
The orchestrated ballet of deception goes up a gear.
If people actually believe this tripe they deserve another ten years of FFG.
FF will get more votes and get FG to form a coalition..
They must (actually they do) think we are thick.
@Justice Mickey: FF will be in government with the shinners after the next election. Mary Lou is a former member of FF
His ar#e must be full of splinters!
Get them out. Martin call for election now. We have had enough of this unintouch crowd of maniacs
@The Equalizer: Up to recently I was an non engaged supportive of The no election now please. M Martin needs to pull the plug now
Trying to give a place of honour to the Black and Tans is beyond belief -what’s with the Blueshirts trying to move the Dail to Westminster
@The Equalizer: we need a new boss at FF
@Paul Hoare Mobile: with FF the boss doesn’t natter, it’s still a backwards party
@Paul Hoare Mobile: who needs FF is the real question
This government has operated with no proper opposition to hold it to account, as FF with its numbers nullified effectively opposition, they must not be rewarded for putting their party interests before the publics.
He would ride a Donkey if he thought it could vote !
Sleeven.com
They have no interest in any one but themselves. Like teenagers they jump on whats popular. I’m voting SF, what harm can it do. I listened to this GS on Newstalk he never answers the question only half answers. And the interviewers let them away with it to.
@garry murphy: SF’s past too near the gunman for lots of people
@Gus Sheridan: Not one single vote of support for your comment there. You have one thumb, which every comment gets by default anyway as soon as they’re put up. You’re as bad a judge of consensus as the government are.
No matter what way you cut it vote FF you get FG and vote FG you get FF, Labour are a mess and SF under Mary Lou are no better, so it’s as you were after next election, policy won’t change just name changes.
@Shane O Malley: “SF under Mary Lou are no better” how could you possibly know this, SF have never actually been given a chance here and yet people always spout this mindless nonsense. FFG and RTE have the sheep of this country trained well…
@SJF: sure they had a chance in NI
@SJF: they are doing a great job in NI lol
@Patrick O Connell: Some people are so thick or are just devious. You and Paddy know SF have to try to deal with the dup which as you well know is near to impossible. Yet you’d constantly try to dismiss SF as the ones responsible for lack of progress in the north. At the same time you say they won’t go into govt down south while knowingly FFG wouldn’t go into govt with them in the first place. Leo,s f-ups these last couple of days will open a lot of people’s eyes to what’s going on in this country.
@Derek Poutch: Well said
About time. Down with the Blueshirts
Mehole Martin,You were with FG,on RIC, commemoration, there is nothing you can say FF, are no more national party SELL OUTS,
It would have been in the interests of the country and its citizens not to have ongoing National emergencies in homelessness, housing and health year after year but no sense of urgency whatsoever to adequately tackle these emergencies!That’s not stability,it’s instability having devastating,distressful consequences for the people affected and their families!
I’d like to see genuine change in politics and more respect shown for the voters re pledges given.!
Does Michael Martin really believe people are going to forget all the times FF voted to keep this government in office if he stops voting with them now. Seriously, is there something in the water in Leinster House that makes TD’s lose the ability to feel the anger and pain of their constituents. When they come knocking they’ll all promise the world and be totally empathetic. Then they get to the Dail and suddenly they are transformed into the very same self-serving shower of wasters that were previously there.
FG fell over themselves electing leo the wannabe Justin trudeu. The new Messiah they said. Where are all the a… holes now that were on the journal claming how wonderful he was going to be for the party. That other crawler Flanagan was as bad.
You get what you vote for.
@Charles McCarthy: agreed
You’ve been supporting them the past few years. Too late
TOO LITTLE TOO LATE
Too little too late, should have stood up stronger montha ago…with a stronger more gutsy leadership they could have made a proper go at it for the GE…anything they come out with now just comes across as electioneering!
@Simon Connolly: a jellyfish has more spine than Martin. A weak man not fit to lead.
Ahh so Mehole Martin is going to pretend to lead a opposition party for a few months, to try and differentiate between his party of gobsh*tes and the other party of gosh*tes in the minds of the electorate…
Ha! Ha! He thinks we will forget the turning up for work to do nothing, sorry, I meant confidence and supply agreement, if he does that.
Of course he won’t….. the weasel, there’s an election around the corner!
If ever Ireland needs to oust the Traitors Vradkar , Flannigan , Martin and all the bunch of traitors it’s now!! Vote FG \FF out they are one and the same . Both anti Irish .
What is ff waiting for? Tories will crash outta eu there is no excuse to not call an election now. Clueless them ff
Should have done that a long time ago you lost lots of votes on this unless the Irish are stupid but I don’t think so it’s time for a big change in Irish politics Independents need to come together to form a good party forget differences and make a party that can join Sein Fein and give us a new ireland that the Irish deserves
When needed the most one party listened…… hup Fianna fáiler boy
LOL
Mar
The antecedents of Fine Gael were the pro treaty faction one hundred years ago. What became Fianna Fáil were the anti treaty faction.
This “commemorating” the RIC and DMP in the manner proposed would align with the pro treaty sentiments of one hundred years ago. Notice the number of Fianna Fáil mayors who were to boycott the event. Any Fine Gael mayors boycotting?? This is “soft” civil war in action and shows the difference between Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil.
Far too late for spineless Martin to jump ship and pretend to be a real opposition party. Martin you will soon be kicked out and rightly so.
Is “we need clarity…” just the go to phrase for hack Irish politicians??
Think its time for this accident prone Govt. to seek a new mandate–doubt they will get it
Yea, yea ..yea..same old empty threats from Micheal… looks like he is marching us up to the top of the hill again…
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