Poll surge for FG fuels rumours of an election
But pressure grows on the Greens to join a coalition as €6.5bn rescue package for the economy can’t go ahead unless a Government is formed
SENIOR figures in Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil are increasingly of the belief that Taoiseach Leo Varadkar could call a General Election in the autumn due to stalled government formation talks.
Such speculation was heightened with the publication yesterday of a new poll on voting intentions which showed that 35% of the electorate would give Fine Gael their first preference vote.
In the Business Post/Red C poll, Sinn Féin was on 22%, Fianna Fáil 14%, Independents 8%, Greens 7%, Labour 3%, Social Democrats 3% and Solidarity-PBP 2%.
It demonstrates a surge of support for Fine Gael which gained only 20.9% of first preference votes in the February election, compared with 24.5% for Sinn Féin and 22.2% for Fianna Fáil, which is recording the largest drop in public support.
But some ministers moved last night to dampen growing speculation in political circles by arguing that a new government will be required to introduce the new €6.5bn business support scheme revealed by Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe yesterday.
The Cabinet was told yesterday that the new Covid-19 economic stimulus package will require legislation, which means a new government will have to be formed. The current caretaker government cannot introduce laws.
But other sources suggested legislation might just be required to defer tax collection, and that wouldn’t be needed until the end of the year. A Cabinet source said last night that the timing of the measures would intensify pressure on the Green Party and other smaller parties to join Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil in government. ‘Are the Greens really going to deprive businesses and workers of €6.5bn in funding? In the midst of a crisis? This will concentrate minds,’ said the Minister.
The lack of urgency from the Green Party is worrying the two parties who have agreed to go into coalition with each other.
A spokesman for the Green Party said that the parliamentary party would be meeting again today to deliberate over a letter sent from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. ‘The
Green Party are continuing deliberations on entering negotiations,’ said the spokesman.
‘This will involve contact with the other parties over the weekend to seek further clarity on their responses.’ A number of Fine Gael
Cabinet figures who spoke to the MoS last night said that they have interpreted signals from the Taoiseach as indicating he is considering an attempt to go to the country in September, before the due date of the next Budget. ‘There is still a
‘The Greens are very difficult to deal with’
hope that the Greens will get themselves together and come into government,’ said one Fine Gael minister.
‘But this is getting out of control. The longer this goes on the more intractable it seems.’ There is also a belief at the top of Fine Gael that the party would fare better in a General Election after the Covid19 crisis.
‘Leo and Simon Harris are on our screens almost every day, and talking to us on social media and there is very little strong criticism coming from Fianna Fáil, Sinn Féin or others,’ said one source. ‘We think we would do well.’
However, even if Mr Varadkar was to decide to seek permission from President Michael D Higgins for another General Election there are a number of barriers to it going ahead.
‘First and foremost, Covid would make it difficult,’ said a Fine Gael source.
‘There is a fear of a second wave, and having millions of people moving around in close proximity could be deemed utterly irresponsible.
‘But then again, we may have to figure out quickly how to conduct our democratic duties without gathering in groups. We don’t know when we’ll be back to normal.’
And President Higgins has it within his power to reject a request.
‘Michael D can always tell Leo to go back and talk to Sinn Féin. Or tell Micheál Martin to do the same,’ said the source.
A number of Fianna Fáil frontbenchers now believe that an election is possible too.
‘We think this is getting so out of hand it may be something that will have to happen,’ said one.
‘The Greens are very difficult to deal with, to even get them into negotiations – imagine what they’re going to be like in Government.’
A Fine Gael figure echoed this sentiment.
‘These Green loons can’t respond to a letter, imagine how bad they’ll be with a hard budget decision.’