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File photo. Shane Ross. Sam Boal/Rollingnews.ie

Shane Ross is going to write a book on the 'behind the scenes' of the last government

Speaking to Pat Kenny, Ross said he expects a government of Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Greens.

FORMER DUBLIN RATHDOWN TD Shane Ross has said he’s going to write a book about the last government and what happened behind the scenes from his vantage point as Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport.

Speaking to Pat Kenny on Newstalk this morning, Ross said what he writes will be “very outspoken”. 

The former Independent Alliance TD lost his seat in this month’s general election after nine years in the Dáil.

Since 2016, he had served as minister as part of the Independent Alliance’s support of Fine Gael in power. 

Ross told Kenny he expects Fianna Fáil to be in with Fine Gael when the next government is formed and “they’ll both say they’re doing it incredibly reluctantly”. 

He referenced how Fine Gael has been saying it’ll only go into government as a “last resort”, and said: “People don’t say what they mean in these situations.”

“Leo Varadkar has said as a last resort,” he said. “It’s looking to me the only real option at the moment.”

Ross said that he expects those two parties to be in government with the Green Party and potentially some independents when the dust settles. 

“They might think it sensible to bring in a few independents to make it more comfortable,” he said.

Ross was also asked about the government’s intervention into the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) and his role in it as minister.

The bailout for the FAI involved €7.5 million in interest-free loans, and the restoration and doubling of State funding for the troubled organisation.

“The FAI was a hornet’s nest and it came up to bite us very quickly,” he said, adding that he was happy with the new board in place and that he believes Irish football will prosper as a result.

On regrets he had from his time in office, Ross said he was sorry he had called Enda Kenny a “political corpse” prior to the formation of the government in 2016.

“I like Enda, [although] we had lots of disagreements, he said. “I never wanted to hurt him personally.”

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    Mute Doubtchya Boy!
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    May 13th 2019, 2:31 PM

    Drove through there yesterday evening, lots of teens gathered around in broad daylight drinking cans in groups. Some outside houses. Apprently it was a man living in a house who went out to ask them to move on and it got heated!
    Millions spent regenerating the area and building new houses but still the same problem persist there. As per earlier article. Parents should be made pay for their childrens behaviour or lack of!

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    Mute Michael Reilly
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    May 13th 2019, 4:18 PM

    @Doubtchya Boy!: And our lefty politicians and the high paid advocates of the homeless industry want to build more of these future slums.

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    Mute Donal Desmond
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    May 13th 2019, 8:08 PM

    @Michael Reilly: Right Wing government certainly won’t build public housing. Especially when it interfears with the profits of landlords and developers.

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    Mute Jasun Ó Cearnaigh
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    May 14th 2019, 8:07 AM

    @Doubtchya Boy!: not at all what happened

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    Mute Madra
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    May 13th 2019, 1:20 PM

    Anyone caught with a knife on them should be locked up for murder or intent to murder. It’s shocking how common these headlines are.

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    Mute John Deed
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    May 13th 2019, 1:44 PM

    @Madra: Try telling that to the Judges. No way.

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    Mute Jim Buckley Barrett
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    May 13th 2019, 2:01 PM

    @Madra: Yep, it’s not like they are covering the knife for no reason. They are planning on using it at some stage.

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