FIANNA FÁIL’S MICHEÁL Martin has said some people on the doorsteps are calling for him to pull the plug on this government. 

Speaking at the party’s local election manifesto launch, the party leader acknowledged that his party is constantly accused of propping up the current Fine Gael-led government. 

When asked how he explains the rationale for keeping the show on the road, in light of their criticisms levelled towards Fine Gael in relation to the National Broadband Plan and the National Children’s Hospital, Martin said the majority of people understand why Fianna Fáil chose to extend the confidence and supply arrangement with Fine Gael. 

“People do say to me in some areas – go for it, a lot of other people say don’t,” Martin told TheJournal.ie.

He said majority of people “are in support of the position I took in terms of the national interest”.

Martin announced last year that he was extending the confidence and supply deal with Leo Varadkar in light of the threat of Brexit. 

The party leader said people understand the “severe threat” a no-deal Brexit poses to Ireland. 

Actually an awful lot of people when you talk about the Brexit threat hanging over the country, they und fully the decision I took at the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party [meeting] before Christmas, that it is actually the majority view on the doorstep, and that people feel it was not the time to go into a general election with such volatility which could have such dire consequences for the agri-food business, for jobs and for livelihoods.

Martin added: “They get where we are right now and they understand it.”