Left in or left out? SF, Labour, the SocDems and Roderic O'Gorman have all been talking today

LAST UPDATE | 5 Dec 2024

Labour are meeting Roderic O'Gorman while the Social Democrats are meeting with Sinn Féin. RollingNews.ie RollingNews.ie

TDS FROM PARTIES on the left have been talking today, as government formation negotiations are underway, but are currently presenting a not-so-united front.

While Sinn Féin and the Green Party’s remaining TD Roderic O’Gorman seem to accept five years in opposition is ahead, Labour and the Social Democrats are leaving the door open for discussion.

Speaking outside Leinster House today, Labour leader Ivana Bacik swatted away questions if her party would join government alone, repeating to journalists that she intends to form a common platform with the Social Democrats and O’Gorman.

The Social Democrats’ deputy leader Cian O’Callaghan said his party are willing to discuss the possibility of entering government, but only if it is able to secure policy commitments from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael before doing so.

Bacik today reasoned that the only way to secure those commitments was to approach those parties with a united voice:

“Anyone on the center left, who’s serious about delivering change, must look at how best to do that. The best way to do that is from a position of collective strength.”

Labour leader Ivana Bacik reiterates her intention to build a common platform for Govt negotiations. She does not rule out going into coalition alone when asked, says speaking to Greens and SocDems is sole focus @thejournal_ie pic.twitter.com/spM4oOxLFB

— Muiris Ó Cearbhaill (@muirisoc) December 5, 2024

Bacik is today going to meet with O’Gorman, who has already indicated that he will not be re-entering government, and the Social Democrats tomorrow to set out the guidelines of that common platform.

Labour has not appointed a negotiation team as of yet, hoping a group can formed after uniting the centre-left parties. While TDs from the party have said that they will not be entering a government by themselves - Bacik fell short of ruling it out completely today.

Asked about the views expressed by a number of party members, Bacik said there was a “spectrum” of views represented in Labour. “All of us have our own personal views, particularly on this very critical question at a critical juncture for the country,” she said.

Meanwhile, the Social Democrats today will meet with Sinn Féin.

Yesterday, Mary Lou McDonald seemingly accepted that her party would be sitting in the opposition benches for another five years and urged the Social Democrats, Labour and independent TDs not to “prop up” Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael.

O’Callaghan told RTÉ Radio One’s Morning Ireland today that his party was willing to go into government - but not just to make up the 88 TDs needed to form a majority. 

He said the Social Democrats would enter government if ”we can get the kind of change direction in these areas that we’re looking for”.

O’Callaghan gave particular mention to housing policy, stressing that reforms were necessary to deal with the rising number of people entering in to emergency and homeless accommodation. 

He added that his party were not entering negotiations with the next election on their mind. The concerns, however, are relevant in the context of the Green Party’s performance at the ballot box over the weekend.

Despite delivering key policy commitments O’Gorman was the only candidate to be re-elected. He told reporters that he believed the losses were due to, what he called, “smaller party in government syndrome”.

“I don’t think thinking about the next election is the right approach to take in terms of government formation,” O’Callaghan said today.

“What we want to do is get our policies that we ran on implemented in the next government. That’s why we’re in politics. That’s why we contest elections.”

Elsewhere, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael – who yesterday made clear that independent TDs are in the frame to form a government – are entering into negotiations with other potential partners.

Kildare North TD James Lawless said discussions could go on for the “next couple of days” and told RTÉ Radio One this morning that he was unsure if a government could be formed before Christmas.

Lawless said if an agreement is found quickly, there is a chance that a government could be formed in the coming weeks.

Fine Gael today said it has had brief discussions with Fianna Fáil, Labour, the Social Democrats and “a number of independent TDs”.