Election threat to pay rises and pension hikes
Party leaders meet for last-ditch talks ahead of no-confidence debate
LAST-MINUTE talks to avert a Christmas general election will take place between Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin in Cork today.
But if these efforts fail, an election could be called as early as tomorrow, with a polling day likely on December 20 or 21.
The two parties have described weekend crisis talks as “professional”.
However, Mr Martin is still insisting that Tánaiste Frances Fitzgerald must either resign or be voted out of office, taking the Government with her.
A snap election would pose a threat to pay rises due to public sector workers and increases in social welfare by delaying the passage of legislation.
Unions have warned that their members will not tolerate any threat to the 1pc pay rise due on January 1 and to the easing of the pension levy.
Public servants are due a second 1pc next October.
Impact said it was entirely “inconceivable” that politicians would knock on doors seeking votes while increases due to 1.5 million welfare beneficiaries and 300,000 public servants were on hold.
The general secretary of the Public Service Executive Union, Tom Geraghty, said his reaction would be “unprintable” if the Government failed to pass legislation enabling the wage hikes.
TAOISEACH Leo Varadkar remains determined that Fianna Fáil must shoulder the bulk of the blame if a snap election is triggered in the coming days.
After a weekend of talks and contacts aimed at averting the threatened collapse of the minority Fine Gael-led Coalition, which is underpinned by Fianna Fáil, much now hinges on a meeting between both party leaders in Cork today.
If these last-ditch efforts fail an election could be called as early as tomorrow or Wednesday. With a 21-day campaign that would have polling day on December 20 or 21.
Both parties have said the atmosphere around the crisis talks has been “professional”. But both leaders are sticking to their positions with Micheál Martin insisting that Tánaiste Frances Fitzgerald must resign or be voted out of office, taking the Government with her.
Mr Varadkar has strongly defended his deputy Government leader, insisting she has done nothing wrong and must not resign. In an emotive move, the Taoiseach also contacted Ms Fitzgerald on Saturday night and insisted he was not sending “subtle messages” that she should quit.
The Taoiseach also added a dramatic warning that any person purporting to be an emissary from him seeking her resignation should be rebuffed by Ms Fitzgerald. At the same time, the Tánaiste yesterday contacted several Fine Gael TDs to explain her case and seek their continued support.
Politicians in all parties and groups spent the weekend on election preparations.
But it became clear that the Taoiseach has ruled out any early move to call that election by going to Áras an Uachtaráin before a Dáil no-confidence debate scheduled for tomorrow.
Mr Varadkar is keen to push his party’s view that the election is being forced by Fianna Fáil, which has been goaded into this action by Sinn Féin.
The crisis erupted over alleged inaction by the Tánaiste and then justice minister Ms Fitzgerald, in May 2015, when Garda whistleblower Sergeant Maurice McCabe was being challenged by lawyers for then-Garda commissioner Nóirín O’Sullivan at a judicial inquiry led by Judge Kevin O’Higgins.
It emerged last Monday that Ms Fitzgerald was aware of this action a full year before the time she had earlier stated to have known about it.
But both the Taoiseach and Tánaiste have insisted she could not have acted in the matter as her advice was she could not intervene in the judicial inquiry proceedings or reveal the content of its private hearings.
For this reason they insist Ms Fitzgerald has done nothing wrong.
Fianna Fáil and the other Opposition parties argue the then-justice minister could have spoken to the Garda commissioner about the matter. They argue that she “stood idly by” and her private action contrasted with her public utterances of support for Sgt McCabe.
Matters took a turn last week when the text of a May 2015 email was released by the Justice Department.
As part of ongoing efforts to defuse the crisis, Mr Varadkar has also ordered a “trawl” of all further department documents on the issue.
In a separate move, Mr Justice Peter Charleton, who is heading a full tribunal of inquiry into the McCabe case, has said he will examine the controversy in early January.
The trawl and the action by Judge Charleton are advanced by the Government as offering Fianna Fáil a way out of any action which would force an election.
It is unclear how helpful more Department of Justice documentation might be. Yesterday, RTÉ radio reported that Ms O’Sullivan had spoken of her lawyers’ action with a senior Department of Justice official in 2015.
Labour TD Alan Kelly, who has pursued the issue for several weeks, said this was “hugely important”. He said it showed continuing contact between senior Garda officers and the Department of Justice on the issue.
The Taoiseach will attend the funeral of former Fine Gael politician Donal Creed in Macroom, Co Cork, today and also meet Mr Martin in Cork. There were suggestions Mr Martin might accept Ms Fitzgerald standing down as Tánaiste but remaining in Cabinet.