THE SOCIAL DEMOCRATS want to go into government, party leader Holly Cairns said today.

“I don’t know how I can be any clearer. I’m telling you we we want to go into government. Like I said, this feels like this election is the opportunity for the Social Democrats to turn our policies into a reality for communities,” she told reporters in Dublin this afternoon.

Setting out her party’s stall and launching its campaign today, she said the government parties are looking to who might be a future coalition partner. 

There has been speculation of late that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael would find the Labour Party palatable.

“I have heard the talk recently, in the last few days about the current government parties are eyeing up their coalition partners and maybe favouring some over others. But I think that they know we would drive a hard bargain.

“I’m glad that they do know that, they’re absolutely right. We would take a different approach to them. We wouldn’t go into government to make up the numbers. We’d go into government to make a difference, and I’m glad that they need to recognise that. 

“Now we’re asking people out there to give us the strongest possible mandate to drive that hard bargain,” she said. 

Dealbreakers

Cairns has already previously stated that having a standalone Minister for Disability in the next government would be a red line for her and her party. 

Speaking yesterday, Fine Gael leader Simon Harris said continuing and expanding on the Help-to-Buy grant and the First Home Scheme would be a red line for him. 

Simon Harris says they won’t go into government with a party that wants to ‘pull the rug’ from under first-time buyers.

He confirms the Help to Buy and First Home scheme will be expanded if they’re in government again.

Some opposition parties will be interested in that one. pic.twitter.com/agiIGNEU7b

— Christina Finn (@christinafinn8) November 11, 2024

While Cairns said she did not agree that the two schemes are the way to go in the years ahead, she did not categorically state that she could not enter into a government where such schemes would continue. 

The Journal asked the Social Democrats leader if she could concede on keeping those two schemes in place if she could get other manifesto items over the line. 

She replied that the deal breaker for her party, in terms of housing, would be the delivery of 50,000 affordable purchase homes.

“We know that there’s compromises in negotiations… We want people to know that this is the thing that will be the deal breaker for us,” she said. 

The Social Democrats wants the 50,000 affordable purchase homes delivered over the lifetime of the next government, stating that it “is essential” as housing needs a radical reset. 

When pushed on the matter and asked if she received a promise that those 50,000 homes would be included in the next programme for government, would that allow the party to accept the two housing support schemes, Cairns said “we don’t know until we go into talks on specifics”. 

Social Democrat's leader Holly Cairns says the government parties know her party will 'drive a hard bargain'. RollingNews.ie RollingNews.ie

“We know that there might be compromises,” she said, but added her party does believe the schemes should be phased out over time.

“So it really isn’t the approach that we would take,” said Cairns. 

She closed out the press conference by stating that the coalition parties have been “throwing the cash around before an election to try and buy people’s votes”.

“I think people see through that and they’d like a different approach,” she said. 

“We’re asking people to please give us a chance, to please, give us your number one vote, and we will do everything you can to fight hard for you,” Cairns said.