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THOMAS PRINGLE IS one of the few independent TDs who hasn’t engaged in the seemingly endless talks with Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil in recent weeks.
While the independent groupings, the Healy-Rae brothers, Katherine Zappone and Maureen O’Sullivan have held some 70 hours of talks with the two main parties, Pringle has taken a backseat.
There’s plenty of criticism of Sinn Féin, the Social Democrats and others, including Pringle, who havent engaged in talks to form a government. Some believe they have abdicated responsibility and are doing nothing to prevent a second election in the coming weeks.
But Pringle believes that it’s not worth it if he can’t get his priorities dealt with, telling TheJournal.ie today:
If there is a second election, I have to live with that and fight it again and hopefully retain my seat again. But I’m not going to sell my soul to prevent a second election.
The Donegal TD said he’s happy to talk to anybody, but his brief engagements with both parties did not give him any hope that he would get what he wanted for his constituents, including the abolition of Irish Water and water charges.
“If you enter into a negotiations you have to agree that things are up for a negotiation. I felt, after the conversation I had with Simon Coveney, that water wasn’t up for negotiation,” Pringle said of his chat with the Fine Gael minister who has led efforts to form a minority government.
Simon Coveney was adamant that water charges would have to stay and he saw that water charges was the mechanism to fund Irish Water into the future. I am very strongly opposed to water taxes and Irish Water. So on the basis of that I didn’t feel that that was something I could continue with.
He also met with Micheál Martin prior to the first sitting of the 32nd Dáil last month, but has had no further engagement with Fianna Fáil leader since then.
“I haven’t heard anything from him since so that avenue is, I presume, closed off,” he said.
But in any case, Pringle doesn’t believe Fianna Fáil is serious about getting rid of charges, as it’s only proposed suspending them for a number of years.
For the former Sinn Féin councillor, like so many others, the ‘elephant in the room’ remains: the need for Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil to hammer out a deal to govern.
“A lot has been said about the responsibility of independents to ensure that a minority government goes into place,” he said.
But very little has been talked about about the responsibility of the two right-wing parties – there’s absolutely very little difference between in terms of policy – and their responsibility in terms of coming together and forming a government, which is actually the only workable majority and workable government that’s in place in terms of this Dáil.
There’ll be more from Thomas Pringle on why he left Sinn Féin and the “myth” that Donegal is anti-establishment on TheJournal.ie this weekend.
It must be hard being the only fat man in your country.
@Eoin Mulhern: North Korea is Ultra-Nationalism brought to it’s logical conclusion. It’s quite scary the number of similarities between Kim Jong-Un and Donald Trump.
You don’t have to like trump to see that that’s hyperbole openborders.
North Korea isn’t nationalism, sure it doesn’t even include half of its nation. It sounds more like fascism to be hon, but who knows what it’s really like, other than Matt Cooper!
@Eoin Mulhern: I read his grandfather ate 2 dogs a day, rotten git…
1 Sausage dog & 1 Hot dog
Kim Jong-Un’s father is dead?
I didn’t even know he was il.
@john fairclough:
Like
@john fairclough: He suffers dreadfully from wet feet when he sees his doctor… Because his doctors name Is We Too Low…
Thanks RT… LOL.
He must have no other relations or cousins. If he did then chances are he probably doesn’t anymore.
@Tweed Cap: He has a brother
There is a more complete article on the BBC website. He’s aware that his extended family will be in a camp being “re-educated” (at least)
@Tricia Golden: And sisters:
A hard burden for him to carry around for the rest of his days.
@Tricia Golden: For 3 generations. 3 generations are imprisoned – often born, raised and die in a prison camp.
@Tricia Golden: In the video link he clearly states that IF Kim Jong-Un’s position is threatened as a world power, be would use nuclear weapons against the world as we know it. Scary concept that there is he and trump at the controls of nuclear buttons.
Some of the old mates of Howlin and the stickies must be upset were they not frequent visitors to that part of the world #The unfinished revolution
Trump in a modern day Cuban missile crisis, I’d go to see that in the cinema. Your man Baldwin from SNL would be a shoe in for main lead.
You are worthress Arec Barrwin!!
“the regime is in decline, with its people increasingly disillusioned” are they sure it wasn’t an American defector??
@Gavrilo Princip: Or British…..
Or German?
Oh ffs. Is the student bar closed, lads?
@Frank’s Cat: They are all off being taught how to pull real pints…
@Gavrilo Princip: You polititc is based on envy
@Val Martin: how so?
He’s not Wong there.
Lacist!
Plick!
@David Mac Shite: borrox!
Seems to harping on about North Korea’s nuclear development a little to much for the sceptic in me.
I wouldn’t be at all surprised if this was a propaganda stunt arranged by Kim Jong un himself to grab the attention of us westerners to his nuclear programs success.
After all why was this guy out of all the ambassadors allowed to take all his family with him?
He wasn’t.
So how did he
@Shane Murphy: he didn’t take all his family with him. Just two sons and the rest of his family are most likely now in camps, as he says in the BBC interview.
I say fair play to him. Seems genuine and will take a lot more like him to finally put an end to this terrible totalitarian state.
There must not be any threadmills over there . The size of the little fat despot .
There’s a North Korean reads the Journal? Why else would someone give you a thumbs down?
Fat shaming is wrong, mmmkay!
Solidarity with the 88.5 million euro lotto winner.
Wally quick, your homeland is falling apart. Your esteemed leader needs you to stop trying to convert us, go home, get up on the nearest hill and Kim can use you for mortar practice. The “worker” Kim can then share in your wealth to put a roof over his head.
See you got turfed off the journal again Wally!!!
@Alan Cooke: “The elite were “turning their backs” on leader Kim Jong-Un” and we thought it is a “mass movement of ordinary workers” headed by the top worker Kim Jong Un. The left and the Shinners will go ballistic.
Now. how to fix a warhead on a moore Street firework
China should be doing something to help these people, they’re in the best position to do it.
@TehJurolan: Killing cats?
No doubt SF/IRA will regard the defector as a traitor to the cause.
@Paddy Lions: You are more S.F. now than S.F. are?
Where is Dave O’Keefe?, he is a huge commie supporter
Jasus Kim , the cattle broke out again. Did Ya get them in again Kim.
Misleading picture, much? For one wild moment there I thought Kim Lard-Arse had defected from his own regime.
Sum Guy.
One of the most high-profile defectors from North Korea has held his first press conference…after weeks of prepping with his western puppet masters. Hmmm…
@Yenreit: At least you are honest. Readers can see what the left want for the rest of us. They would endure Kim’s rule for them and their children for the trill of seeing us suffer it.
Kim is waving and saying you could be like me, if your weren’t eating weeds in my fields…
have your say