Micheál Martin rules out Fine Gael or Sinn Féin deal

Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin has again firmly ruled out a potential coalition with Fine Gael or Sinn Féin after the next general election.

In a podcast interview with The Irish Times he denied Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil would make for natural bedfellows, saying that he had "always" seen Fianna Fáil as "left of centre party" and that Fine Gael, "particularly the new crop, are much more to the right."

The Cork South Central TD went on to say that the Government had hit the lowest income groups “the most and the hardest” over the last two budgets and that he had the sense that this was because of a “conscious calculation” within Fine Gael that they had “25 maybe 30 per cent of the electorate that we (FG) can win if we pursue certain policies and the rest we can live with.” This, in his opinion,was “why health was neglected in the last two budgets.”

Regarding Sinn Féin Mr Martin said that there was a general sense that the party "doesn't tell it like it is when it comes to economics." He also criticised their performance in government in Northern Ireland saying they had "not been transparent" and had "essentially been overseen."

He added that Sinn Féin had created the impression that Sinn Féin “goes more for itself and not the people” and that it was “as if their public representatives are interchangeable”. Potential supporters and members, he said, “have to accept their historical narrative and can’t question the leadership.”

Mr Martin said the priorities for Fianna Fáil in a future government would be health, education and, in particular, childcare which he described as a “chronic situation” that people “just cannot afford.”

Mr Martin admitted that it was a “difficult and challenging journey for Fianna Fáil to regain public trust after leading a government that sought an IMF bailout in 2010. The party’s subsequent loss of 57 seats or 75 per cent of their parliamentary representation had been a “traumatic time” for party members.

Since then, he said, they had developed a “complete new generation of candidates” and only “1,2, 3 max” former TDs who would be coming back as councillors.