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SINN FÉIN LEADER Mary Lou McDonald has not ruled out the possibility of her party forming a government with Fianna Fáil, if Sinn Féin were in a position to do so after the next election.
In an interview with Sky News this evening, the TD said, while the country has yet to go through with the election, she thinks there is a possibility “for the first time, to have a government without Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael”.
Asked to clarify if her remark means Sinn Féin would cut out the possibility of forming a coalition with the Fianna Fáil party, McDonald said: “My preference is for that government to change, without Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael.
But I also know that to form a government, the numbers have to add up.”
A recent Ireland Thinks poll, published by the Sunday Independent last week, showed that 41% of the country would be in favour of the two parties forming a coalition, if they both earned enough seats in the next general election to do so.
Respondents were also asked for their preference, in a forced choice, of their preferred government after the next election; that showed 41% in favour of the current coalition – of Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party – re-entering government in the next term.
Responding to questions by The Journal in September, about whether his position was softening towards going in with Sinn Féin, Tánaiste and Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin said: “You guys need to stop cheerleading them on … We don’t do coronations in Ireland.”
Martin said there is “huge incompatibility” between his party and Sinn Féin and that the party had been “very slow to bring closure to many victims of Provisional IRA violence”.
“It reminds us of the need for Sinn Féin not to triumphalise the horrible deeds they did.
“They still try to triumphalise it, they still try to justify it. The problem with that is that you’re infecting a new generation of young people,” he said.
The Fianna Fáil leader previously said that Sinn Féin getting into power next time around wasn’t a “slam dunk” or a sure thing.
“As far as we’re concerned, we believe there’s huge incompatibility with Sinn Fein on range of policies, the most important one being, in my view, the enterprise model of our economy which I believe Sinn Fein would undermine,” he told The Journal.
The Ireland Thinks poll reflected that Sinn Féin are leading with 31% support from the Irish public, with Fianna Fáil placing third on 18%.
However, when surveyors asked the public to indicate their approval/disapproval of the party leaders, Martin topped the poll with an approval rating of 45%.
Mary Lou McDonald was a close second, tied with Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns, on 41%.
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what they should of tackled was gangs of teenagers carrying knives and killing each other and shown that around schools something thats true to society instead of work of fiction
@kaidon sharkey: what’s wrong with works of fiction of of a sudden?
@Dermot Blaine: Read his comment again and again, until you understand it, my friend
@Dermot Blaine: nothing….i like fiction esp sci fi….but if everyone is harping on about…oh this should be on in schools….but its only fiction…as my point they should of tackled reality about teenage gangs and the knife culture of stabbing each other would hit home more
@Dermot Blaine: Sure what did Shakespear ever teach us about anything?
@kaidon sharkey: Could, perhaps, one of the reasons for violent knife crime be rooted in some of the online stuff that happens?
@ecrowley ecrowley: like what
@kaidon sharkey: cos adolescents are not equipped to deal with the stuff they see online. They’re not equipped to see through some of the well known charlatans that are prominent.
@ecrowley ecrowley: ive been playing gta since the 90’s ive never went out and ran over somebody…watched horrors since i was a young a young fella and never killed anyone…the mediums may have changed but not everyone is going to go out and do what ever an advertiser says online dont like the term influencer…now there does be one or two that does go out and do all that but thats an amonolly…the majority is gangs and turf wars that there is more killings over that then what some one says online
What fluffy malarkey…… I raised my sons to be the best they could be, respect for everyone, ignore skin colour, sex, sexual orientation, religion, creed, political leanings or soccer team affiliation. I don’t need any netflix hyped fiction to ‘ enlighten ‘ me thanks
@Buster Lawless: well said!
@Buster Lawless: how can you raise your children to have respect for others when you don’t show respect yourself…you were banned on here last year after you were reported several times for horrible things you said…so leave it out with the fake outrage.
@Clare Power: with all due respect ma’am I’ve never been ‘banned’from anything, lest of all an open comments board intended for meaningful discussion, informative debate & very valid/ educational viewpoints
@Buster Lawless: oh please..pull the other one Ken..
@Clare Power: yesterday I was kevvy, generally you go for brendan……. I like this one ..ken……I’ll take that cheers
@Buster Lawless: every single comment made on this platform is kept…please show me where I called you brendan or kev…I’ll wait…oh no you can’t because I didn’t but you are the lovely Mary also…
@Buster Lawless: “I don’t need any netflix hyped fiction to ‘ enlighten ‘ me thanks” woah that’s some ultra triggered s41t. It’s not all about you buddy.
@Buster Lawless: more lies from the troll Buster!! You should watch this program as it helps showcase the masculine toxicity taking over society.
@Lance Taylor: Buster is a very precious ego centric. He couldn’t handle it. Conspiracy theories are more soothing.
@Buster Lawless: Ignoring isn’t helpful. Unfortunately, the “I don’t see color” comment often times just shuts down conversation. It’s a subtle message to the group that “seeing race” is a bad thing; therefore, there shouldn’t be discussion about it. “I don’t see color is the get out of talking or doing anything about racism card that ‘good white people’ carry in their wallet. The same goes for sexual orientation.
@Louis Jacob: he has cloned my profile before and spouts unbelievable lies. Reported many times.
@Jack Burton: Perhaps the most obvious way to interpret the “I don’t see color” comment is one of self-congratulation. Indeed, they’re making it known that they’re not a “racist” white person. They are in fact a “good” white person and as a “good” white person, they are so non-racist that they don’t even have the ability to notice race. It’s incredibly insulting to be informed that an aspect of people’s identity will be treated as ‘unseen’ and ‘erasable.’
@Buster Lawless:You guys are so out there man. You support Musk who’s been using his 2 year old as a prop and a defence, in full view of the world, as he turns himself into a super villain, or Putin who conscripts 15 year old Cossack boys and sends them off to hell, never to be seen again… but this guy does a perfectly normal thing with his son where they address a few basic principals before the boy becomes a man and you have the pearls clutched like old bats. So f%*king weird man.
@Jack Burton: “I don’t even notice/see colour” can be like you say and serve as a virtue signal but I believe if one connects to all as kindred then another meaning for this declaration develops where the innate humanity is what is always noticed first. Without question most people could identify white/non white after just a cursory glance but before that glance there is a connection. Some people who say “I don’t see colour” really mean “I don’t see colour until after I’ve connected with a human like myself”
@Buster Lawless: it’s an opinion piece! And after reading your reply I think that you’re the very 1 who needs to watch it!
Unfortunately lots of kids who are now 4, 7 or 10 years age in some Dublin hoods inherit their fathers behaviour with toxic silly macho masculinity, silly and shinny shoes or clothing, hate for people who look different than ones in their small world etc.
@Chris: my goodness what a complete and utter snob….your prejudice shining through and yet you probably think for some reason you’re morally superior….what an utter shameful and horrible post!
@Chris: toxic macho four year olds? We really do need that digital ID asap. Hopefully that’ll put a stop to those haters
@Darth O’Leary: do you think that there are no toxic macho 4 year old in the city?
@Darth O’Leary: you, as far as I can see, you are the only hater on here, and you always get ridiculed
An interesting, honest article. Fair play.
Adolescence is a load of toss.
We have always had psychos in our midst.
@Fergus O’Donnell: it similar to the fuss caused when the film thirteen came out in 2003.
UK based drama, we are not the UK. Disrespect in the school told me everything I needed to know
I try to keep my son safe from this toxic series. Life is full of vicious and vile people, why do I need to force this upon him and get him to question himself at a young age. The soy latte generation want to break childhood and teenage boys with their reasons and sow doubht and fear into them, to effectively then control then with Their extreme leftist view of the world. Today, my son and I happily travelled across Northern Ireland to play chess with other players his age. All perfectly balanced from all segments of society and races. Sitting down to play chess, challenge themselves and grow in mind and spirut and for the love of the game. It’s pure. Not sitting him down in front of violence on the TV. Wake up people, let them have innocence.
Nobody understands the hardships of being on dialysis
Watch the anti Catholic comments shoot up now
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