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FINE GAEL HAS held further talks with independent TDs today, but party leader Enda Kenny is being urged to make contact with Fianna Fáil as there is still no immediate prospect of a government being formed.
The Taoiseach and a Fine Gael negotiating team met with a group of five rural TDs in Government Buildings this morning after the so-called ‘Rural 5′ said yesterday they wanted to progress talks with the largest party in the Dáil.
The group consists of TDs Mattie McGrath (Tipperary), Denis Naughten (Roscommon-East Galway), Michael Collins (Cork South-West), Noel Grealish (Galway West) and Michael Harty (Clare).
After this morning’s meeting, Naughten told TheJournal.ie that “nothing substantial was agreed”, with no discussions around cabinet posts, but that the group laid out its policy priorities.
“The objective is to move this whole process on. We’ve had a month since the election, we’ve had face-to-face meetings going on for the last two weeks and we listened to what everyone had to say,” he said.
We quizzed them on logistics of all of this. Then we decided that we’re going to intensify our discussions with Fine Gael and develop this partnership approach to a programme for government and see where it goes from there.
But Naughten said that “the elephant in the room” is the need for Fine Gael to hold talks with Fianna Fáil, whose support will likely be needed in any minority government situation.
The two big parties need to come together, they need to engage and we reiterated that again today, but there needed to be some new impetus to move this along.
“We decided to grab the bull by the horns and we have now put the baton in the hands of Fine Gael. It is now up to them to carry that baton,” he said.
Grealish told RTÉ that the group advised Kenny today that there had to be agreement with Fianna Fáil if any minority government is to be formed.
“He [Kenny] acknowledged this, but he is hoping now that he can put a programme for government together,” Grealish said.
For his part, Kenny did not take questions from the media about this morning’s meeting at an event to launch the 2016 Census.
Further discussions are planned tomorrow morning, with Fine Gael hosting a meeting in Government Buildings with the Rural 5, the Independent Alliance, the Greens and other non-aligned independent TDs, including the Healy-Rae brothers, Maureen O’Sullivan and Katherine Zappone.
Talks are expected to last all day with further discussions on Friday if needed.
Naughten said his group is not ruling out further talks with Fianna Fáil. However it’s understood that the group has not yet responded to a document Fianna Fáil submitted to it last week and no immediate talks with Micheál Martin’s party are planned.
Meanwhile, Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams joined the growing calls for Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil to engage in talks, saying it is “unacceptable” the Dáil will not sit again until 6 April.
“The reality is that the Dáil could be meeting today, but Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil don’t want that. They want to jockey for position instead and are working together to ensure that issues facing ordinary people are not being be dealt with in any meaningful way.
It’s time for Enda Kenny and Micheál Martin to sit down and talk. We’ve had gene-pool independents in recent days making overtures to Fine Gael in particular, but it’s all bluster. The reality is that no other combination of parties or TDs has the numbers to form a government, other than Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil.
Speaking on Newstalk earlier, veteran Fianna Fáil TD Willie O’Dea said there had been “no overtures and no contact” from Fine Gael, but said his party remained open to discussions.
“I think the Taoiseach said yesterday that he wouldn’t be prepared to talk to Fianna Fáil until after 6 April. Well, if that be the case then so be it,” he said.
But if Fine Gael want to come and talk to us, then obviously we’ll talk to them.
A senior Fianna Fáil source echoed this today, but said Fine Gael had made clear it would not be approaching the party until after the Dáil sits again on 6 April.
Last night’s meeting of the Fine Gael parliamentary party was told that the negotiators want to pursue all possible options with independents and smaller parties before making any approach to Fianna Fáil.
“We want to be in a position where you can’t say we didn’t try to form a government without Fianna Fáil,” a senior party source said.
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5 years in government looking after big business, big farmers and bold holders and all of a sudden Kenny and Fine Gael develop morals. The man and his party are charlatans pure and simple.
Same as the clows that voted them back in
All those Independents telling us all about what they are going to fight for and BLA BLA BLA and then they try to jump into bed with the last government claiming the age old cop out claim that it’s better that they are in government. This countries politics is like ground hog day
Don’t know about you but am enjoying all the peace and quiet and the longer these monkeys are out in the cold the better. Gives us a break before they make up and bring in new laws that seem designed pis* us off…
Isn’t it amazin’ despite all the uncertainty how the country hasn’t collapsed socially or economically, or drifted off over to near Canada like Fine Gael said it would pre-election?
The country seems to be running smoothly without their interference. Jus goes to show they need us more than we need them.
You do know they are still running the country until a new gov is formed?
We are the host, and they are the parasite that lives off us. If they all dropped dead in the morning the world would keep turning and life would carry on just fine without the fixers for banks, corporations and the EU. The biggest political con of all is the con that makes people think that they need these psychopaths/parasites/wasters to think up new ways to pinch even more money out of their pockets.
I’d say their both waiting on the german’s to send the memo
this waiting around stuff is pure rubbish but, am I looking forward to roasting both ff and fg as one party
Does anybody give a flying fcuk?
They’re all the same and then some!
Kenny – pick up the phone to Higgins, and resign!
No way I can see Fianna Fail going in with Fine Gael but a worse alternateive if FG propped up by loads of independent s who all just want money for there constituencies ends up bankruptcing the country again
Fully agree Dean looking at these few sado s on the news today wouldn’t instill much confidence in anyone.
Politics is a huge big act the screenwriters are the senior civil servants and the coaches are the advisors. The whole FG FF thing is a total farce. Everything has been decided a long time ago. They play on the drama because this gives a false sense of democracy. Everything is done behind closed doors.
In politics, nothing happens by accident. If it happens, you can bet it was planned that way. Franklin D. Roosevelt
No offence to the independents but a minority government propped up by them won’t last the year. It’s time to lock FF and FG in a room together and don’t let them out until they reach a compromise.
The only thing they have to compromise on is cabinet posts, there is absolutely no difference between the two except for old civil war anomosities.
@ Mr Phil Officer: It’s time to lock them in a room together and throw away the key!
FF members canvased for the GE in the basis of getting FG out of Gov.
They’ve stated that they won’t go into Gov with FG.
Only the members can authorise a coalition at an AF.
What part of all of this do people not understand.
It will be the members that decide, and no members I know will vote for a coalition with FG.
The irony of Gerry Adams saying they should talk while he sits as a hurler on the ditch and won’t enter talks himself totally sums the man up.
No one voted for a FF and FG government, It wont be tolerated by the people.
Unfortunately, the facts suggest otherwise
By that logic John ppl voted for a Fg sf and info government.
The smile on our babysitter while our country struggles on. You should be ashamed Enda. What underhand deals are you doing to hang onto power.
Same sides of the coin anyway.. No difference.. Time for the 2 biggest parties to man up and run government together.. They been running it for decades anyway .. Let’s see them join… Let’s see new dail eireann , new opposition without them for once.. Then we will get to see how all sides of the house perform..
Without the rural 5 what has fg got. Healy raes, Lowry and greens.. He will have to pick up the phone or it will be another election real soon
Indeed it might bring a little more honesty and debate to the Dail chamber unlike the pantomine we have had since haugheys days.
There is no way Martin will support FG with Kenny as Taoiseach, rightly so. If FG elect a new boss talks might start.
It could be a tough 5 yrs if they could go into government. ..but looking at the bigger picture. ..they could end up being totally wiped out. Paving the way for honest politics for our kids to savior.
No one wants Enda , Phone the President, retired back to Mayo
Can’t control opposition and government at same time as 1.. That’s the big problem for both FG and Ff…
Same party guys it’s about time they merged
Be great if FF were a junior coalition partner. Just like Labour this time and the Greens last election, they would be decimated next time and Sinn Fein will then be left to fill the vacuum!!
we still have Irish water (who are sending out their “bills” with more vigour since the election), even though the politicians were elected to get rid of it. i appreciate the interregnum, but there are a while load of policies that they all promised that are still in place and interfering with our lives.. they need to go into a room and sort it out, no taoiseach necessary.
I was completely against a FF and FG lead government after the election with the thought that so many people had voted so polar oppositely in 3 major different directions. But after listening to the currently voted TD’s from both sides being interviewed over different topics on different media’s it’s like the election has turned their core beliefs up to 90. FG are economic grow this and austerity that and FF are tax cut this spend money that. I’m now thinking the only way to keep both in check is a coalition with both party’s and ind. and left. (And SF) otherwise the knee jerk reaction of both party’s to each other’s politics will have bad consiquences for us in the future.
Hugh hates writing against his beloved blue shirts
Bellenda’s arse is being urged to make contact with my boot?
I’ve no idea where the question mark came from; I’m very positive about my last remark!
Yes Mary Murphy the guy should just stop trying to form a goverment and ignore the people who voted for him bloody idiot of the week!
Drop the whips and get talking, you are what we let you be.
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And in my dreams I’ve kissed your lips
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Pass outside my door
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Sometimes I feel my heart will overflow
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’cause I wonder where you are
And I wonder what you do
Are you somewhere feeling lonely?
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Tell me how to win your heart
For I haven’t got a clue
But let me start by saying I love you
Hello!
Is it me you’re looking for?
’cause I wonder where you are
And I wonder what you do
Are you somewhere feeling lonely?
Or is someone loving you?
Tell me how to win your heart
For I haven’t got a clue
But let me start by saying I love you
It is bad when people have to tell Enda how to use a telephone then? lol.
have your say