GE2024 ge24WHILE THERE HAD been talk that tonight’s televised leaders’ debate could be the make-or-break moment in this election, it’s difficult to see how it could move the dial for any voter.
Post-debate, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald was asked if she won. “But of course,” she said, with a smile.
McDonald, who was standing between Micheál Martin and Simon Harris during the live debate, first sought to remind voters of the past, stating:
“You brought the crash and you brought austerity.”
She also spoke about the two men wanting to “jive their way back into Government Buildings”.
However, this debate didn’t bring the same level of success as the 2020 version, a time when the wind was in her party’s sails.
Truth be told, there was no clear “winner” last night.
Did the gloves come off between any of the party leaders as the clock runs down on this election? Not really.
There were accusations of “sniggering” at health issues, while Harris was told he had a “brass neck” by the Sinn Féin leader at one point.
But with such the flat replies and lack of in-depth debate, it’s difficult to see how voters going to bed will remember any clear, breakout moment.
The final debate before the general election got off to an awkward start for Fine Gael in particular with Harris questioned about what interaction his team had with the national broadcaster about that video from Kanturk.
The first question posed to Harris was whether there was a request to take the clip down, but the Taoiseach insists that the party’s communication was to offer a statement about its position on care and disabilities.
He said he had “no knowledge” of any request being made not to air the clip.
Simon Harris responds to questions about his interaction with care sector worker, Charlotte Fallon, in Kanturk, and whether his staff contacted RTÉ about coverage of it.#rtept | @RTENews pic.twitter.com/pRpAoKboNe
— RTÉ Prime Time (@RTE_PrimeTime) November 26, 2024
The viral clip has dominated the election campaign debate for the last week and pushed the debate around pay disparity between HSE and section 39 workers into the spotlight, something which was raised this evening.
Who will go into government with who? This line of questioning was held to the end of the debate.
‘Coalitionalogy’, as Martin put it, has been far to frequently discussed throughout the campaign, he said.
On coalition possibilities and ruling out Sinn Féin, Micheál Martin "it's extraordinary that you put a question that manner..."
— RTÉ Prime Time (@RTE_PrimeTime) November 26, 2024
Asked about previous coalition claims, he says FF and SF's housing policies are "diametrically opposed."#rtept | @RTENews pic.twitter.com/rHFPJnVXEf
Martin was asked about his decision to rule out speaking with Sinn Féin about government formation after the votes are counted. He turned on presenter Miriam O’Callaghan, saying her question was “extraordinary.”
“You told me five years ago that you wouldn’t go in with Fine Gael, just saying,” she responded.
“Just because you get 20% of the vote doesn’t mean that you get to go into power,” said Martin.
Explaining why he went back on his word in 2020, he said Fine Gael was “the only option” but added that Sinn Féin’s housing policies are diametrically opposed to Fianna Fáil’s.
McDonald then wheeled out the old reliable about “tweddledum and tweedldee” – to which Harris shot back by saying: “You’re rolling out the five year old line, you can do better than that.” .”
Housing is one of the main talking points of this election, so of course it featured.
Where is the “radical reset” in the Fianna Fáil housing policy, something the Housing Commission report has stated is needed, presenter Sarah McInerney asked Martin this evening.
He struggled, stating that he wants to get to 60,000 houses per annum, but added:
“We do not need to go back to the drawing board, as some would say.”
He said doing this would only cause more delay.
McDonald was also quizzed about Sinn Féin’s new housing delivery plans, such as the plan to build homes on state-owned land, but land that the state would continue to own.
She said the Banking Federation of Ireland has never said banks would not lend to buyers in this scenario.
It was put to Harris that the “horse’s mouth” – former housing minister Eoghan Murphy – said in his new book that housing was not Fine Gael’s number one priority when he was in government.
He was also asked about promises from another Fine Gael housing minister, Simon Coveney, to end children having to live in hotels.
It was put to Harris that that pledge was made seven years ago and it is now worse than ever.
Asked if Fine Gael had failed to make housing a top priority, Harris said:
“Housing is the number one priority.”
Pressed on whether Fine Gael had put the party in front of the country on reforming housing policy, Harris said: “My party never put party before country.”
He added: “My party’s never crashed the economy.” A subtle dig there at his former coalition partner just a few feet away.
In terms of when there was disagreement between Harris and Martin, it was only evident when the debate moved to the manifesto spending by parties.
Martin poked holes in Fine Gael’s figures, with Harris politely responding that he was sure that the Fianna Fáil leader was making a genuine error and not trying to mislead the public intentionally.
McDonald said she agreed with Harris on one thing, that the scars of the financial crash are still being felt.
Martin said: “You don’t have to tell me that, I have learned from that, I will always put the country before party.”
Harris responded robustly to McDonald’s criticism of Fine Gael’s handling of the Dublin riots.
“I think there will be many Garda families at home finding it quite sickening that Mary Lou McDonald is now the champion of An Garda Siochana,” he said.
“That’s the first thing. I’m not ready to take a lecture from you on law and order. My party has never had a TD who has collected a Garda killer from the gates of prison. First point.
“Second point is this – your position was to immediately blame the head of the guards rather than the rioters, and you carried out a press conference at a crime scene. That was your approach. How do I use this to my political advantage? That was your approach. And the public saw right through it.”
She defended her response.
“The state lost control of the streets of our capital city on that occasion, that’s unacceptable and that, by any measurement, is a measure of failure. I don’t know what else it is,” she said.
“I, at the time, was very critical of Minister Helen McEntee. I stand by that position. I see some of your (Micheal Martin’s) colleagues now in Fianna Fail belatedly agree with me. How anybody could imagine that it is a badge of success to have that level of violence, and law and order breakdown, and the fear that it brought and the criminal damage that it meant,” she said.
Climate change, something that has fallen off the radar somewhat of this election campaign trail, was raised this evening.
Martin said he does not agree with an “unfair” report from Friends of the Earth which put Fianna Fail as the third worst party on climate policy.
Fianna Fail scored 30, Sinn Fein scored 33 and Fine Gael scored 38 in the report, out of a maximum of 100.
Martin said: “I don’t accept it and I would robustly defend Fianna Fáil’s commitment to what is the existential crisis of our time.”
Elsewhere, the Fine Gael leader said his party had scored better than Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin.
McDonald, defending her party’s position on scrapping carbon taxes, called them a “lazy” and “punitive” form of taxation.
Micheál Martin post-debate: pic.twitter.com/FWyWX8yV0x
— Christina Finn (@christinafinn8) November 26, 2024
Leaving Montrose this evening, Martin urged voters to read the manifestos before they make up their mind.
It’s good advice, as not much could be gleaned from tonight’s debate that would radically change someone’s mindset heading into the polling booth on Friday.
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