Advertisement

We need your help now

Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.

You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.

If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.

Mark Stedman/Photocall Ireland
Politics

"This issue simply doesn't arise" - Gerry Adams rules out coalition with FF

The Sinn Féin leader made the comments after Micheál Martin said he was against any possible coalition with the party.

SINN FÉIN LEADER Gerry Adams has dismissed comments by Micheál Martin ruling out a coalition with Sinn Féin as ‘presumptuous’.

Adams distanced his party from coalition with any conservative party, including Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil. He made the comments after Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin said he was against the party ever going into coalition with Sinn Féin.

Backbench FF TD Éamon Ó Cuív had suggested that SF would be “natural coalition partners” for FF given their shared republican ideology. However Martin said he disagreed with his party colleague and that he didn’t see SF as a republican party “in the true meaning of the term”.

“It would be presumptuous of anyone to think that Sinn Féin is interested in a coalition involving any of the conservative parties who are at one in their failed approach to the problems that currently face the Irish people,” said Adams.

The issue simply doesn’t arise. We are several years away from a general election and what Sinn Féin is focused on now is building support for an alternative approach to addressing the economic crisis and as part of that securing a No vote to the Austerity Treaty.

Adams said Fianna Fáil was ‘speaking with two voices’ on the issue given the contradictory statements from Ó Cuív and Martin.

Poll: Is Micheál Martin right to rule out coalition with Sinn Féin? >

And they’re off: Campaigning for referendum to get underway >

Your Voice
Readers Comments
51
    Submit a report
    Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
    Thank you for the feedback
    Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.