Taoiseach Leo Varadkar is under pressure today for claiming that Sinn Fein wasn’t a “normal political party”.
Varadkar has said that Fine Gael will definitely not go into government with Sinn Fein regardless of the election result, but it’s tonight’s Virgin Media debate that’s being talked about most.
It’ll see Varadkar take on Micheal Martin in a head-to-head leaders’ debate with no other party represented.
According to the Irish Times, Varadkar said about Sinn Fiein that he did not believe it was “a normal political party”.
“We are not ruling out Sinn Féin as a potential government partner because of where they stand in the polls. That is not what it is about at all. It is a principled position that we are taking,” he told reporters in Fermoy, Co Cork.
“It is our view Sinn Féin is not a normal party. Their decision making process involves consulting with an ard chomhairle and we have seen that in Northern Ireland where key decisions are not necessarily made by elected politicians.”
The Irish Times reports that he said: “Secondly, and at a time of serious concerns about crime, Sinn Féin is a party that has consistently opposed the Special Criminal Court, a court that we use to lock up some really bad guys, dissident Republicans and people who are involved in organised crime.”
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