Updated 12.10pm
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Everyone’s talking about…
As Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras attempts to convince his own Syriza party of the merits of the deal he secured with creditors early yesterday, here in Ireland we’re wondering what sort of response to expect from Sinn Féin.
The party closely aligned itself with Syriza in recent months with finance spokesperson Pearse Doherty in Athens for the referendum result just over a week ago. But with Tsipras having been forced into a deal that appears worse for Greece than what was on the table before the vote, the Irish Anti-Austerity Alliance TDs have already dumped on their now former friends in the Syriza leadership.
But what’s Sinn Féin response?
This afternoon, two of the party’s leading spokespeople, Pearse Doherty and Mary Lou McDonald stood firmly behind the Syriza government.
Doherty told reporters at Leinster House that Syriza had “negotiated with their last breath in the negotiations at Eurogroup”.
Unfortunately the Eurogroup and our own government decided to side with the strong instead of those that needed support and solidarity.
But does Sinn Féin think Tsipras should have taken a greater stand?
Doherty argued that there was an agenda at EU level “to try and destroy Syriza”.
Of course [we stand with Tspiras and the Syriza leadrship]. We stand with anybody who argue on behalf of their people that a better deal is possible, to put front and centre at the European stage that debt relief has to be brought about for the Greek people.
Some analysts have already concluded that Sinn Féin made a strategic mistake in aligning itself so closely to Syriza. But the party is sticking to its guns and argues that in fact it is our own government that’s made a miscalculation here.
McDonald explained:
I think very clearly the damaged party here is the government of Enda Kenny and Joan Burton. We see them again like nodding dogs at the EU table rolling over, failing to stand up for what is required and what is required is the resolution of the debt issue.
Doherty concluded that a better deal would have been possible had our own government stood in solidarity with Greece “instead of allying themselves with the strongest in Europe”.
The agenda
Inside Leinster House
The retirement of Roscommon-South Leitrim TD Frank Feighan will have surprised some but his departure helps Fine Gael’s efforts to ensure a third of its candidates are female. Councillor Maura Hopkins, who ran in the by-election last year, is likely to be the party’s pick in the new Roscommon-Galway constituency. It also probably ends a longstanding rumour that Feighan will become Ceann Comhairle of the current Dáil.
What the others are saying
In case you missed it
On the Twitter machine
Independent senator James Heffernan tweets an emoji reaction to Eircode
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