Fianna Fáil arrogant and reckless for snubbing Sinn Féin, says Ó Broin
Sinn Féin has admitted it cannot form a stable government without either Fine Gael or Fianna Fáil, who it accuses of “arrogance” and “recklessness” for refusing to talk to the party about a coalition.
The prospect of a new government being formed in the near future receded towards stalemate last night as Fianna Fáil TDs endorsed party leader Micheál Martin’s refusal to discuss a coalition with Sinn Féin.
Eoin Ó Broin, one of Sinn Féin’s government formation negotiators, said Mr Martin is doing the “most irresponsible thing” by snubbing Sinn Féin’s voters and suggesting a new grand coalition government that was rejected at the ballot box.
Asked how Sinn Féin can form a government without either Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael, he said: “You can’t.”
Mr Ó Broin said: “The most irresponsible thing to do is what Micheál Martin has said — to say he won’t talk to a party that now represents 24 per cent of the electorate.
Coalition Builder
“He’s talking about putting back in power the government that has just been booted out of power and he is threatening another election at a time when the public want politicians to do their job, form a government for change and start fixing the problems that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael created through four years of bad government.”
Mr Ó Broin said political parties refusing to talk to others and who are “threatening” elections “don’t just smack of arrogance but I actually think there is a certain recklessness”.
People “can’t wait” for the housing and health crisis to be resolved, he told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland.
“It is very clear that the only stable government is going to involve two of the larger parties,” he added.
Despite “huge policy differences” between Sinn Féin and Fianna Fáil, the “only responsible thing to do for any party is to sit down with and to talk” with all other parties, Mr Ó Broin said.
The Dublin Mid-West TD said Sinn Féin was still awaiting a “formal response” from Mr Martin ruling out coalition talks, but suggested the Fianna Fáil leader may yet change his mind.
“If last week Micheál Martin was saying he wasn’t going to talk to Fine Gael and this week he saying he is, then very clearly Micheál Martin changes his mind on these matters,” he added.