Fine Gael’s leader, Simon Harris, has cautioned that no one should assume his party will automatically be part of the next government, reports RTE.
The outgoing Taoiseach made this statement after attending a British-Irish Council meeting near Edinburgh, from which he had to depart early due to warnings about Storm Darragh’s effects.
As speculation mounts regarding a potential rotational taoiseach arrangement, he responded coolly to claims that negotiations are merely a formality leading to Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil’s return to government together, reports RTE.
“There’s too much assumption regarding the outcome of government discussions before those discussions even begin,” he remarked.
“I wouldn’t take my party for granted, and I believe that less public speculation and more tangible engagement is the path forward,” reports RTE.
Although Simon Harris was initially scheduled to sit at the top table for the press conference post-summit, his name and seat were removed when he chose to leave for the airport earlier than originally planned.
Micheál Martin had already exited the conference site, also citing the bad weather.
Earlier, Michelle O’Neill, Northern Ireland’s First Minister and deputy leader of Sinn Féin, criticized the Fianna Fáil leader for promoting cooperation among political opponents in Northern Ireland while refusing to engage in discussions regarding government formation with her party, reports RTE.
“The irony of Micheál Martin’s stance isn’t lost on me. This is a man who frequently visits Belfast to speak about collaboration, inclusivity, and respect, yet that does not extend to our party, so I believe voters will find that irony hard to ignore,” she noted, reports RTE.
Today, after a meeting between the two parties, the Social Democrats dismissed Labour’s proposal to create a left-wing negotiating bloc.
Cian O’Callaghan, the deputy leader of the Social Democrats, stated that his party plans to “go it alone” and will engage with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael for preliminary talks next week.
Labour will hold an internal meeting tomorrow to determine its next course of action, reports RTE.
Party leader Ivana Bacik reiterated her commitment to establishing a shared platform with other left-leaning parties.
This evening, the Regional Group of eight independents expressed their readiness to participate in discussions about government formation if invited but emphasized the need for Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael to first reach an agreement on the rotational taoiseach.
“In the event of an invitation the group will meet to discuss strategy and appoint our negotiators. We would enter talks on the basis that we would be part of government,” and any “programme for government would have to reflect” the group’s “concerns and initiatives”, a statement read, reports RTE.
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