Tag Archives: Government formation

This afternoon.

Dublin Castle, Dublin 2.

Protestors of different hues demonstrate outside Dublin Castle as,  above from left: leader of the Green Party Eamon Ryan, Tanaiste, and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Leo Varadkar and Taoiseach and Leader of Fianna Fail Micheal Martin attend the new government’s first cabinet meeting inside the gates.

Earlier: First Contact

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Meanwhile…

Good times.

Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, Eoghan Murphy TD, talk to the media while they visit the HSE Dublin Covid 19 response hub last April

This morning.

Should a FF/FG/Green coalition take office…

Minister for Housing Eoghan Murphy is not expected to be a senior or junior minister in a new coalition government between Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party….

…Fine Gael is expected to take the Department of Justice while Fianna Fáil will take the Department of Housing. Fine Gael will also take Finance and Foreign Affairs and it is also expected it will take the Department of Jobs.

The Department of Children will become the Department of Children, Disability and Equality and a new Department of Climate, Energy, Transport and Natural Resources will be created

The latter is expected to go to Green Party leader Eamon Ryan. A junior ministry responsible for roads is expected to be allocated to either Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael….

FIGHT!

Cabinet carve-up: Jobs in new government handed out but no ministry for Varadkar ally Eoghan Murphy (Irish Times)

Photocall Ireland

This morning.

Fine Gael’s counting will begin at around 1pm and the Green Party’s count will start after the poll closes at noon.

Just under 2,000 Green Party members were eligible to vote and the party requires a two thirds majority to approve the programme for government.

Meanwhile….

Top from left: Dr Tony Holohan; Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection, Regina Doherty ; Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar and Minister for Health, Simon Harris,  at a post-Cabinet press briefing in Dublin Castle last night.

Last night, the consistent message across the political spectrum was that the party would solidly endorse the programme.

Indeed the Taoiseach predicted it would get the backing of all three parties in higher than expected numbers.

Fine Gael has just over 700 votes to count given the way its electoral college is structured, while Fianna Fáil’s number of eligible voting members is just shy of 15,000.

If all three parties pass the programme for government, Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin, would be elected Taoiseach at a meeting of the Dáil in the Convention Centre tomorrow.

Counting of Fianna Fáil votes begins on programme for government (RTÉ)

RollingNews/Julien Behal

This afternoon.

Watch live here.

More as we get it

Meanwhile..

Earlier…

The Minister for Education has said that the government’s optimal objective is to have a full return to school in September for all children.

Joe McHugh said he did not want to envisage a situation where we continue to leave children behind.

He said the Government had to weigh the risk associated with a failure to provide children with education against other public health considerations.

He said that the Government was working towards this full return.

Govt wants full return to school for all in September (RTÉ)

Last night/this morning.

Via The Irish Times:

Both Mr Varadkar and Tánaiste Simon Coveney said that any programme for government must reflect Fine Gael values, citing fiscal responsibility and the deficit.

The Taoiseach suggested that if the deficit is not tackled – with Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil favouring plans to reduce the deficit in the latter half of a five-year term – this would send out a signal to the markets that Ireland is not serious, as would the postponement of the increase in the State pension age, another sticking point in the talks.

Mr Varadkar is said to have told his TDs: “It won’t be government at all costs.”

Programme for government must include ‘fiscal responsibility’ – Varadkar (Irish Times)

Rollingnews

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

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Too soon?

How long will this useless government last?

‘sheet political analyst Shane Heneghan writes:

Fianna Fáil have put themselves on a tight rope trying to balance leadership of the opposition and prop up the government on issues of confidence and supply. The incentive for them to pull the plug in the event of them performing well in a few stray polls may prove unbearable.

Fine Gael may not be in too different a position to them and may feel the lure of another election in time if this arrangement starts to feel more and more like a hostage situation.

Unless, of course, Stockholm syndrome takes over and given how close the pair of them are ideologically that idea is not to be ruled out.

Sinn Féin probably stand to benefit the most from the situation as they can easily portray this deal as a cosy elite consensus that offers no real leadership. Only Gerry Adams’ twitter account stands between them and more gains.

Unless, of course Labour make a decent crack at recovery. It was interesting to see them vote against Kenny’s final nomination and it will be fascinating to see if any of their grievances from the last government are exposed or leaked in the coming weeks and months.

One of the issues Labour campaigned on was a referendum to repeal the 8th amendment. If they are wise and if they can, they should table a vote on the matter in the Dáil.

It won’t pass, of course, but it will be interesting for voters to see where certain members stand on the issue- particularly Sinn Féin who have been remarkably ambiguous on the matter.

With the appointment of Katherine Zapponne there are now two openly LGBT senior members of cabinet out of 15 – that’s 13% – a European/International record perhaps?

This is, of course, another small victory in terms of visibility and representation. But perhaps what’s more progressive still is that no one even bats an eye lid at this – it’s simply not an issue any more.

Shane Heneghan is a Brussels-based psepholig sepho  psiv  poltical scientist person.

Related: The 32nd Dáil: A Look Ahead

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Good.

This afternoon.

Mattie McGrath TD (centre) with replenished members of the Independent Rural Alliance outside Government Buildings.

Vote On Taoiseach To Take Place Friday (Irish Times)

Meanwhile…

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Lunchtime.

Frances Fitzgerald outside government buildings with three pre-2008 construction workers about to feast on breakfast rolls.

Oh we’re back.

Sam Boal/Rollingnews

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Fianna Fáil leader Michael Martin (right)and Fine Gael leader, and acting Taoiseach, Enda Kenny

Pat Leahy, in the Irish Times this morning, reports:

Meetings to discuss a possible new government will continue today as Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil intensify their efforts to woo Independent TDs in advance of Wednesday’s vote for taoiseach.

Fianna Fáil will hold an all-day meeting with the group of five rural Independents. Tomorrow it will meet the six members of the Independent Alliance.

Front bench Fianna Fáil TD Jim O’Callaghan dismissed reports that the party’s mood towards coalition with Fine Gael was softening.

And party sources said the Leitrim Fianna Fáil organisation last week voted 50 votes to none against coalition with Fine Gael in an example of grassroots feeling, which is strongly against any such deal.

Meanwhile, earlier…

And yesterday…

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Leo Varadkar tweeted:

My posters cleaned, counted, stored and ready to be deployed.

FF denies mood softening towards FG coalition (Pat Leahy, Irish Times)

Related: Does anyone still take them seriously? (Gene Kerrigan, Sunday Independent)

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