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LAST UPDATE | 14 Feb 2020
SINN FÉIN’S HOUSING spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin has said that his party cannot form a stable government without the support of either Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael.
Ó Broin told RTÉ Radio One’s Morning Ireland that even if all of the left-leaning parties came together, they’d fall short of a majority in the Dáil.
He added that political parties who say they won’t discuss government formation with another party – as both Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have done about Sinn Féin – “smacks of arrogance” and “recklessness”.
Yesterday, Micheál Martin rejected speaking to Sinn Féin about forming a government after a meeting of the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party.
Martin had been under pressure from some quarters to engage with Sinn Féin on coalition talks but he said that his party is united behind the opinion that it will not discuss a programme for government with Sinn Féin.
Martin said he came to this view after speaking with party members who felt that “the economic platform that Sinn Féin put forward in the election was irreconcilable with Fianna Fáil.
The Fianna Fáil leader added that he couldn’t rule out another election given the uncertainty around numbers in the next Dáil.
Fianna Fáil have 38 seats in the 33rd Dáil, Sinn Féin has 37 and Fine Gael has 35. Even if two of these were to come together and agree to form a government, they’d also need the support of another party or independents to exceed 80 seats and have a majority in the Dáil.
Fine Gael has also ruled out speaking to Sinn Féin, and it’s becoming more likely that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael could enter into discussions about forming a government.
On the possibility of it taking quite some time for a government to be formed, Ó Broin said this morning: “I don’t think the public will tolerate this dragging on for weeks and weeks.”
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald wrote to Martin yesterday, prior to his public statement ruling out Fianna Fáil working with the party.
McDonald’s party has been holding talks with smaller parties but even if they all got behind Sinn Féin, they’d be likely to fall short of a majority.
Ó Broin said: “He’s a man during the general election saying he wouldn’t go into government with Leo Varadkar either,” adding that Micheál Martin was someone who could “change his mind on these matters”.
He added that the best way to deliver on the “change” that people voted for was for “all parties to be responsible and talk to each other” instead of “threatening” another election.
Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael reaction
Also speaking to Morning Ireland, Fianna Fáil’s Dara Calleary said he was explicitly ruling out going into government with Sinn Féin.
However, he said that Micheál Martin would be replying to the letter sent by Mary Lou McDonald.
Calleary said: “He indicated yesterday he would be replying to it. He’d be available to talk through that letter with her. He indicated that he would meet with Mary Lou but be very clear that we would not be entering into government. The policy issues are too incompatible.”
There will be an approach to Fine Gael at some stage. We’ll be reaching out to other like-minded parties.
He said there’d have to be a “different policy agenda” to the last government if Fianna Fáil were to go into government with Fine Gael which would necessitate tough negotiations.
“It’s not a question of exchanging valentine’s cards and hoping they send one back,” Calleary added.
Speaking to the same programme, Fine Gael’s Heather Humphreys said that her party wouldn’t be going into government with Sinn Féin but failed to deliver a definitive answer on if they’d go into government with Fianna Fáil.
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Trading conditions for the company in Britain is also challenging. The prices they charge in Ireland is 20-30% more than in Britain. Maybe if they reduce the rip off charges in Ireland, people will return.
Yeah bobby dinner for two with a bottle of wine and dessert €14.50. What a rip off !!
We are not known as Treasure Ireland for nothing.
Their meal deal has always been good value but they are considerably more expensive than other stores of equal quality.
@David when you see that it’s only £10 for the same offer in UK/NI, then yes it is.
Sad to say I buy from M&S.co.uk and use parcel motel. I get the exact same stuff for as much as half the price as buying it on M&S.ie
Nothing sad about it! A very clever thing to do, moneymaid.
I don’t buy ready made meals David, if that’s what you like then good for you. But at €14.50 you still pay more than those in Britain, like I said!!
I have to laugh…. Be thankful that it just has to come across the Irish Sea that 20-30% markup is just them passing on higher costs.
By the time they ship it out to the M&S in Hong Kong. eggs are €4.2 a half dozen and still have £1 price tag, bacon goes for €8 for something with a £1.99 price tag and a 60p yogurt sells for €2.20
And affluent Asian and western consumers are happy to snap it up with none of the complaints.
People don’t really have the cash to be paying over the odds in M&S,reflected in the massive trade that penneys & aldi/lidl are seeing
M&S fruit and veg is second to none. I don’t mind paying a little more for actual taste. Plus I don’t have to throw it out the next day cos it’s gone mouldy unlike some other grocery retailers I could mention.
Maybe you should pay more attention to the fruit you pick?
I do as it happens
Linda, I agree…in some of the other stores the fruit is like a brick, then overnight it’s shite and not edible and has to be binned, M&S fruit is worth the extra…if I were rich, if I even had a job, I’d do all my shopping in M&S, the food is top quality.
They buy very little Irish sourced products and majority of Irish products are from NI. Need to follow Aldi and SuperValu in promoting fresh Irish food instead of shipping most of food from Britain.
Kevin
The only GB to-night worth commenting about is
Germany v Brazil.
Losers Germany, Brazil Triumphs?
Well said Bobby.
A sound comment Bobby.
I think a lot of companies are in the sh**s here. I’m looking at a British company that I work for, they’re cutting hours left right and centre and they pay us next to nothing and before you ask, as a manager I’m on about 22k/year before tax. I’m not bitching and moaning a job is a job I know, but here they are cutting hours expecting us to do the same amount of work and in the same time frame week to week. Yet they still tell the robots in suits as we call them to tell us profits are growing year on year yet individual who store sales are in deficit most weeks and months. I think there is a lot of companies that are going to cut their losses and get outta here quite soon and I personally feel that the government has a lot to answer for regarding this.
Gareth Brooks!
Ah please don’t Kevin.
Crying at home with my cowboy hat and bible as we speak
Any wonder with the clowns in DCC
Get settled in Limerick first M&S and see what happens !
If they stocked some more Irish food it would do them some good – for example no Bord Bia approved Irish sourced meat helping support Irish jobs in M&S – they should take a leaf out of aldi’s book and see how they win business here by supporting high quality local producers.
have your say