No betrayal of our voters – Adams

Posted by Jim on February 29, 2016

With the final result in the 26 County general election not expected
until Monday at the earliest, Sinn Fein leader has Gerry Adams dismissed
any idea that his party would support one of the traditionally dominant
right-wing parties in Irish politics, Fine Gael or Fianna Fail.

“We aren’t going to go in there (to government) and betray our
electorate and betray the other people who need a progressive
government,” Mr Adams said.

“We are not going to go in and prop up a regressive and negative old
conservative government, whatever the particular party political
complexion.”

The fracturing of traditional centre-right politics in the general
election has a parallel in the widespread disaffection with the once
dominant regimes in Spain, Portugal and Greece.

A total of 148 TDs have been returned to the Dublin parliament, with 10
seats remaining to be filled. Fine Gael have 47 seats, with 43 for
Fianna Fail and 22 for Sinn Fein. Labour has six seats, the
Anti-Austerity Alliance/People Before Profit group have five while the
Independent Alliance have four. Sixteen Independent deputies have been
elected, the Social Democrats have three seats, and the Green Party have
two.

Rechecks and recounts will resume tomorrow morning in Dublin South
Central and Dublin South West. Full recounts are to take place in Dublin
Bay North and in Wexford. Counting will also resume in
Longford-Westmeath.

There were further advances for for Sinn Fein in Dublin Fingal, where
trade union activist Louise O’Reilly was elected as a TD for the first
time, and in Cork South-Central, where the youthful Donnchadh O
Laoghaire took a breakthrough seat. There were also victories in
electing a second seat in Mr Adams’s constituency of Louth/East Meath,
as well as the retention of an embattled seat in Kerry for veteran
republican Martin Ferris.

However, there was disappointment for Padraig MacLochlainn in l who lost
out in the new five-seat constituency of Donegal, although party
colleague Pearse Doherty and republican independent Thomas Pringle were both
re-elected.

With support for establishment parties at a record low, prospects for a
new coalition government are in deep disarray, and weeks of protracted
negotiations are on the cards.

Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny has so far ruled out resigning or re-running
the poll. His party suffered devastating losses of about 30 seats, while
its Labour Party partner was humiliated by the prospect of retaining no
more than 6 seats.

Labour deputy leader Alan Kelly bluntly told Fianna Fail and Fine Gael
to “cop themselves on now” and form a government.

The outgoing environment minister appeared visibly high after rescuing
his deeply troubled political career by holding onto his seat in
Tipperary, one of only six sitting Labour TDs to survive out of an
original coterie of 37.

Kelly, who is chiefly identified with the housing and homelessness
crisis in the 26 County state, said it was rubbish for the country’s two
biggest parties to suggest there are massive issues between them.

“It’s 2016 lads, it is 100 years since the Rising. Civil war politics
are over,” he said. “Fianna Fail and Fine Gael need to ‘cop themselves
on’ now and form a new government for the next five years.

“All of this pretending that there are massive issues between them is
rubbish. They need to come together, work together and put a government
in place for the good of the people.”

He was at odds with his party leader, Joan Burton who insisted the
Labour Party would vote for Enda Kenny as Taoiseach. This means he is
assured of the votes of at least 59 TDs when parliament meets for the
first time, still at least 20 seats short of a majority.

Outgoing Fine Gael health minister Leo Varadkar ruled out the ‘grand
coalition’. He said: “It is up to the Opposition to see if they can form a
government. We’ve been rebuffed.”

His cabinet colleague Richard Bruton signalled less reluctance, and
referred to the importance of the “national interest”, which often
indicates a willingness to make a compromise. “We need a stable
government,” he said. “One that can implement a coherent economic plan.”

Significantly, Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin also promised to “work in the national
interest”. He said Fianna Fail had in the past taken “electorally and
politically costly” decisions in the interests of the country. “That has
happened in the past and that is what is going to happen again,” he
added. “The country comes first in all our deliberations in this
regard.”

But Fianna Fail veteran and former defence minister Willie O’Dea was
defiantly opposed to a grand coalition, as was deputy leader Eamon O
Cuiv. The Fianna Fail frontbencher said they fought the election on the
basis they would not do a deal, adding: “I believe your word is your
bond.”

Sinn Fein fought the election alongside those standing on the
Right2Change platform, which saw candidates elected right across the
state, although well short of the numbers needed to form a government.

Gerry Adams said Sinn Fein met its own expectations in the election. His
party will return to the Dail with 22 or 23 seats, more than 50% greater
than it had after the last general election. Mr Adams said the poll had
demonstrated a sea change in politics in the 26 Counties.

He said: “You can always do better, I would love that we were going into
government with a majority – that takes time. These other parties have
more depth, have more structures, have more organisation, have more
resources…

“The message out there – and this is an ongoing process, this is very
much a work in progress – is that people want change. The big
conservative parties that ran this place for a very long time can’t
summon between them any more than 50 per cent of the vote. The left
parties, the progressive parties, the independents, the Sinn Fein party,
all have garnered the rest of all of that.”

Parties will have until March 10 – when the Dail is scheduled to resume
– to forge a power-sharing deal or ask the President to hold a new
election.