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FINE GAEL HAS said the party is seen by voters as “the porridge on the cereal shelf” as it seeks to turn around its fortunes in the final week of the general election campaign.
Director of elections Paschal Donohoe said the party will be appealing to voters not to vote for change “for change’s sake”.
Sinn Féin has overtaken Fine Gael to become the second most popular party, according to an opinion poll carried out by the Times Ireland, published on Sunday.
It had Fianna Fáil in the lead on 23%, followed by Sinn Féin in second on 21% and Fine Gael on 19%. The Irish Times is to publish another opinion poll this evening.
Donohoe said Fine Gael will fight back this week and will spend the final week of the campaign emphasising that “not all change can be risk-free and not all change can be positive”.
“This week we are going to try and drag the election back to where we believe it should be, a discussion about who has the realistic and deliverable policies to deliver a change in approach and a new direction for our country,” he said.
“Our hope is debate will move beyond the relentless negativity of Fianna Fáil’s Project Fear and the fantasy policies of Sinn Féin.”
Richard Bruton said Fine Gael is thought of by voters “as the porridge on the cereal shelf” as it seeks to do serious work in Government.
Donohoe said while he understands the public appetite for change, he urged them to stick with Fine Gael.
“What we are going to be doing as we head into the final week of the campaign is emphasising in our manifesto and in the plans that we have published… that we have recognised the progress that has been made in our country due to the sacrifices of the Irish people.
“We will be making the claim to the Irish people that change is happening and we are ambitious for more change to happen.
“We will be building on what we have already done, acknowledging what needs to be done, and we will be unapologetic in challenging other parties that are putting forward mantras of change.”
Launching a plan for climate action, Fine Gael said two billion euro of the carbon tax fund would be ring-fenced for retrofitting homes and insulation.
It also committed an additional €244 million of carbon tax revenue towards the transition away from peat burning in the midlands.
Bruton said: “This will not only reduce the country’s emissions by one third by 2030 but also upgrade 500,000 homes.
“Fine Gael’s new plan will replace the current ad-hoc retrofitting model and instead group homes together, develop easy pay-back models and put smart finance in place.
“Our plan will have a very regional spread, with the initial focus obviously being on the midlands. This will mean that we will be able to build up an expertise in this in the midlands, providing employment opportunities there for the years ahead.”
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And wee Jeffrey still says NO! Whatever happens, the DUP will never take second billing.
@Richard Starling: anything that annoys the shinner vermin is fine with me. Surely it’s time for a hunger strike lol
Still a No so Jeffrey, there’s a surprise
What a charade! We rail about the lack of democracy in tin-pot dictator countries, while there is none on a part of this island!
The DUP are the infants that need to grow up and start doing their jobs.
@Todd Hebert: The DUP are not being petulant or immature imo. As I see it, they’re fastidiously implementing a strategy of stalling and ultimately destroying the GFA. Since it negotiations and through the entire life of the GFA, the DUP have never lived up to the GFA and they have no intention of ever living up to it. Their vote increased by .8 in the last election so they have a mandate and they’re looked after by British establishment. What is Ireland’s role? We should push for border polls imo
They are good at talking, I’ll give them that!
Cut their wages and they’ll be back in 24hrs
Can’t believe this is still going on. Bunch of big children.
So there’s still work to be done. By whom? I’d say the DUP!
Anything that upsets the shinners is fine with me
@Murray peter: Explains why your lot bow down to the Orange Order.
@Rob Cahill: what’s wrong with the wonderful orange order?
@Murray peter: What a sad wasted life you must lead.
@Murray peter: being a bigoted sectarian throw back to bygone era is enough.
@M Bowe: that perfectly describes you shinner subhumans lol
Please walk away from this mess instead of Dancing to the DUPs Tune, because they will ultimately want new Elections before they go back to Stormont.
If SF really want to pish them off, take up their seats in Westminster!
@Temp Stuff: that would mean s kum fein would have to do some work, no chance of that happening lol
@Temp Stuff: Do you really expect SG MPs to take an oath of allegiance to the Crown?
Do you really think their electorate would want them to do that?
@ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere: SF, not SG.
My typing is getting worse.
@ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere: yes, state the path either fingers crossed. It would just be a tactical decision for a suited period of time.
I’d have the DUP over the disgusting shinners any day
@Boris Blank: how about neither.Those two will never agree anyway.Maybe a few moderates from each of them and a combination of the Alliance SDLP UUP and anybody else that wants to see a future.
@Boris Blank: literally anyone is more desirable than the shinner vermin
@Murray peter: largest party on the island
@Comzi Walsh: only decent thing a shinner ever did was starve themselves. 10-nil to the Iron Lady lol
Israel/Palestine and Russia/Ukraine peace talks would be easier than trying to get the DUP to accept that there’s going to be a Nationalist First Minister. That’s been the issue all along. The Protocol was and is only a handy cover for their bigotry. The DUP only like democracy when it suits them. They don’t like when democracy gives them the answers they don’t like. They will never change, most of them don’t even believe in evolution, they’re stuck in the 1690’s and the modern thinkers of theirs still think it’s the 1920’s. They’ll never be pleased.
Peter Murray! Yeah your right,you a blue shirt!pretty much the same as the DUP!you remember the blue shirts Peter?
@Blaney Richard: thank you for the compliment :)
Sinn Gael
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