This afternoon.

Leinster House, Dublin 2.

Scenes from today’s talks on the formation of a new coalition.

TD Paul Murphy said the two sides discussed how to form a left-leaning government. Solidarity-PBP want Sinn Féin to lead one-but without Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael.

They want the two big parties to abstain for a Dáil vote on Taoiseach and “get out of the way”.

TD Richard Boyd Barrett said the minority left wing government, involving them, would then implement change, including reversing the pension age to 65 and freezing rents and increasing the minimum wage.

The TDs said they and the left-wing administration involving Sinn Féin would then “defy” either of the two big parties to bring that coalition down and trigger a fresh general election.

From top: Social Democrats co-leaders Roisin Shortall and Catherine Murphy; Solidarity/People Before Profit/Rise’s Paul Murphy, Richard Boyd Barrett and Mick Barry; Sinn Féin’s Eoin O Broin, Pearse Doherty and Louise O’Reilly.

Healy-Raes Ask How Sinn Fein’s Promises Will Be Funded (irish Examiner)

Earlier: Room For Small Ones

Rollingnews

Sponsored Link

26 thoughts on “Taking Shape

  1. some old queen

    Take us down and we’ll romp home next time- ballsy stuff.

    By the looks of those pictures, if Pearse Doherty was any longer he would be late- is he really that tall?

    1. 01101101 01100011

      Hi some old,

      I reckon that is one of only two shows in town:

      1) ballsy stuff….and barring natural/external disaster I think it would be a romp if another General Election came along too shortly as you’ve indicated.

      2) FFG stop with the childsplay and get on with admitting they are in effect the Irish Tory central whatever party + convince some suckers (probably sadly G) to join in their trough team.

      I reckon there are consequences for FFG here, no matter what, for them this is like ripping off a bandage. That nonsense out of Mr. Varadker’s mouth for instance….people like him aren’t built for anything except being the Apex animal, LOL it’s like suggesting a Crocodile is now happy to be a Goat or something. Utter pants and for sure part of some sneaky calculated propaganda strategy, any child could suss that.

      If we dawdle along in some sort of government-less vacuum FFG + associated invested cheerleading pals (industrial, media etc.) could of course continue to fiddle and operate along the lines of picking at or slagging off SF and the likes of RBB there trying to sew seeds of doubt BUT I think only for so long and at their peril. I don’t think the population buys the lightweight bs who twittered this or that nonsense. I predict this anger isn’t going away and that to continue in such a manner they will make it worse for themselves, yet again they’ll have gauged the mood of the country badly but that’s understandable – FFG are tone deaf after all.

      let’s see

      I’ll certainly vote again if asked & reinforce my strategic vote with relish!

      1. Tringo

        And pray with a debt of 200 bill business taxed to the hilt as in small a minimum wage of 12.50 an hour costs to do business so high plus brexit and pensions 65 I suppose those already 65 will get a Cheque for the past year health public serves pay and extra staff l suppose we will have problems or as socialist believe business will just suck it up
        Mind you maybe a crash will endure cheap housing

    1. V

      I can see the funny side alright Bisto

      but Mary Lou would want to think very carefully about letting those two blocks of party whipped votes plus their gene pool indos settle into opposition with their popcorn
      Along with their meeja cronies
      and a new Labour leader looking to make a name for them self

      They’ll give her all the time and space she needs while they do nothing but watch her trying to maintain a Government of unknowns
      Unknown as Ministers and Government Backbenchers – save for Roisin Shortall, and Eamonn Ryan I mean,

      Between a good portion of her own Parliamentary Party being virtually unknown even to Sinn Fein HQ
      And a collection of different agendas, and policies, and lets be honest, Cranks
      If Mary Lou makes a hames of this
      It’ll be a long long time before she gets another lash at it

      Pearse in Finance
      Roisin in Health with Louise
      Matt in Ag and rural Affairs
      Donnchadh in Justice
      They’ll hardly give Environment to Eamonn Ryan
      Or Social Welfare to Joan Collins
      So who’s your Minister for Ed
      Enterprise?
      Foreign Affairs?
      I suppose Dessie could be Government Whip – but somehow I reckon himself and Paul Murphy wouldn’t be long falling out

      Seriously, imo any attempt without one of the FF or FG blocks will do more damage to the real potential of a Progressive Change led Government

      I seriously do hope Mary Lou looks at all this beyond the opportunity to be Taoiseach

      1. bisted

        …tomorrow will be a very revealing day and I do believe MaryLou may emerge as the only nominee for Taoiseach…sadly, the republican alliance that both of us envisaged has faded…you have left out another figure who is hostile to the shinners but who may single-handedly force a FFG government and chase MaryLou from the gate of the Aras…

  2. Dr.Fart

    if i was them and the likes of the Healy-Raes and Varadkar scoffing at how we propose to pay for things. I’d simply say we will collect the 12.5% Corporate tax rate. Still the lowest in the EU and they’re well settled in here, they’ll posture and pretend they’ll up sticks and leave. But they won’t. Then with that money we’d pay for everything, easily. And if some of them did leave. So what? They hire fupp all Irish anyway, so most of the staff could go relocate too, then I’d turn their old offices into gaffs.

    Vote Fart #1.

    1. Cian

      Corporation Tax was €10.9 bn last year. Half of that came from 10 companies.

      The highest pre-crash value was €6.7bn back in 2006.

      We are getting a lot more Corporation Tax now than ever before.

      1. postmanpat

        Call that rabble rousing? Go away there with your real facts. Don’t listen to him comrades!!. UP the Ra!!! “Our love was on the wing…”

  3. Salmon Eile

    Don’t do it lads.

    Let FF/FG and their RTE/IrishTimes/Daily Mail dinner party friends at it and watch them crash and burn as they fall out with each other.

    1. millie vanilly strikes again

      Much and all as I hate to prolong the agony of having the same inept bunch of cretins in government, I think strategically it might be the best way to go. If the ‘left’ could really get their act together and form a cohesive and credible alternative, then in four years time they could be looking at a real result.

      Right now, it feels very disjointed and I get the sense that there are many people who want to see the left leaning parties fail in the wake of this election.

        1. bertie blenkinsop

          You’re wasting your time Scottser, I sent her that very same text on Valentine’s Day to no avail….

  4. MaryLou's ArmaLite

    Where is the article covering Ms Cronin’s comments about Jews and vaccines.

    Could ye not think if a smart headline or is it the political bias that is keeping you from covering the anti-Semitism?

    1. A Person

      I agree. But you cannot criticise the shinners on this website. If you do, you will be attacked and denigrated. Come on Bodger, you are supposed to be independent none MMS. Where is this coverage, and the laughable Mary Lou response that she didn’t get a chance to look at them?

    1. susan

      ordinarily I’d agree with you but I think we find ourselves in a unique situation, with the surge of first preferences . am.thinking the same people would definitely vote for them again- and then some. question is do they have enough candidates to run, and would there be the results for ff/fg? were banjoed either way…

  5. Truth in the News

    The 2 parties with 73 odd seats are Fine Gael and Fianna Fail and they command the
    numbers to form an administration and any attempts by Sinn Fein to form a Government
    are futile, by sitting back it would force the 2 “Dinosaurs” into Government where given
    enough rope they would hang themselves

    1. MaryLou's ArmaLite

      That is what the Dinosaurs have been doing to SF for the last nearly 2 weeks, do try to keep up

  6. Christopher

    Having Richard Boyd Barrett anywhere near getting into government is bloody scary but I think we should let them try it their way and disprove once and for all their empty ideology.

Comments are closed.

Sponsored Link
Broadsheet.ie