ÉAMON Ó CUÍV has said it is Fianna Fáil’s plan to go into government with Fine Gael and the Green Party – something he is “completely against”.
Speaking on RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta today, Ó Cuív said a meeting had been arranged for next week for Fianna Fáil’s Galway West Executive to discuss the matter.
Speaking on the Adhmhaidin programme this morning, Ó Cuív said the parliamentary party had taken the decision not to go into coalition with Sinn Féin at yesterday’s meeting but that he was completely opposed to the only other option.
“Fianna Fáil intends to go into coalition with Fine Gael and the Greens. If you look at the figures, that’s the only option that gives you a majority.
“I’m against that, completely against that, and I made that known at the meeting.
“The public voted for change, we said we weren’t going in with Fine Gael, we said we were for change, and that there was a need for a change of government,” Ó Cuív said.
The Galway West TD made similar remarks when speaking to TheJournal.ie last week.
Ó Cuív’s comments are unlikely to be welcomed by party leader Micheál Martin as government formation talks continue.
Speaking yesterday, Martin said he “can’t rule out another general election” after he again ruled out going into government with Sinn Féin – a stance shared by the party at large.
Martin told RTÉ’s Six One News Fianna Fáil will be speaking to “like-minded parties” but acknowledged that the results of these discussions are unclear.
“I can’t be certain how this is going to work, it will be very difficult. I wouldn’t rule out another general election. This is going to be so difficult,” he said.
Martin said he would also speak to Fine Gael but that it’s not about “who goes in”.
Speaking in Dublin today, Sinn Féin’s leader Mary Lou McDonald said the refusal from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael to govern with Sinn Féin was “a problem of the old guard believing they are entitled to hold power”, and that if there was another election people wouldn’t change their mind and “decide they don’t want change”.
‘Significant people’
In the interview Ó Cuív added that he had some support for his stance against a Fianna Fáil-Fine-Gael-Greens coalition at the meeting yesterday, but wouldn’t be drawn on names.
“Some people supported me. A minority in the parliamentary party were uncomfortable with this arrangement … significant people.”
He said there would be a meeting of the Fianna Fáil Galway West Executive in Moycullen next week to discuss the matter, before it is presented to the wider party.
“There’ll be a meeting of the party’s Galway West Executive next Monday in Moycullen and we’ll be discussing this matter.
“A motion was passed that any coalition agreement would have to be put before the Ard Fheis, so this will come before the Ard Fheis soon, if there’s an agreement with Fine Gael and the Greens.”
Ó Cuív also clarified that what is proposed is a coalition, not a confidence and supply agreement.
“A coalition is what is proposed, Fine Gael is not going into a confidence and supply agreement with Fianna Fáil, and Fianna Fáil won’t be going into confidence and supply with Fine Gael, have no doubt about that.”
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