Fianna Fáil could be junior partner in coalition - McGrath

A senior Fianna Fáil TD said the party should not rule out entering government as a junior coalition partner, raising the prospect of an alliance with Fine Gael after the election.

Michael McGrath, the finance spokesman, said it would be “out of touch and arrogant” for Fianna Fáil to say it would not go into power unless it was the majority party.

While not mentioning Fine Gael by name, Mr McGrath said: “It would be arrogant of us to say under no circumstances would Fianna Fáil be a minority partner of a coalition in future.

“I don’t think we should be setting pre-conditions that we have to be necessarily the largest party or that we will only enter government with a certain number of seats,” he said.

“The numbers are such that there would need to be a spectacular collapse of the Fine Gael vote and a substantial increase in Fianna Fáil support to overturn that.”

His position is in contrast to many of his party colleagues and his leader Michéal Martin, who has ruled out entering into coalition with Fine Gael, describing their policies as too right wing.

Recent polls have shown a sharp drop in support for the coalition parties and increase in support for Independents, pointing to difficulties in forming any government following the election which was not a Fianna Fáil-Fine Gael alliance.

A number of Fianna Fáil TDs privately said a more likely scenario would be supporting a Fine Gael-led minority government on a case by case basis in Dáil votes for a certain period, possibly 18 months.

Minister of State at the Department of Finance Simon Harris accused Fianna Fáil of being open to sharing power with Sinn Féin. Fine Gael also publicised a photograph of Mr Martin and Sinn Féin's Gerry Adams side by side on the plinth outside Leinster House.

However, this was rejected by a number of Fianna Fáil TDs, such as justice spokesman Niall Collins, who described Sinn Féin as a "cult", and transport spokesman Timmy Dooley, who said their policies are not compatible.

Sinn Féin also rejected it.

Fianna Fáil’s participation in any future Coalition will have to be voted on by rank-and-file members at a special ardfheis. A vote at this year’s ardfheis rejected a Fianna Fáil-Fine Gael coalition.

Mr Collins s said that in a scenario where Fine Gael fails to form a government with a working majority, Fianna Fáil could use its influence in the Dáil from the opposition benches.