Independents cagey over their future support
NINE independent TDs voted for Micheál Martin to be the new Taoiseach yesterday.
However, it is unclear how many of these will support the new three-party Government, with one TD telling the Irish Mail on Sunday that he was just ‘lending’ his vote.
Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Greens give Martin’s administration a majority of 84. But the outgoing taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, has previously said he would like 90 TDs backing the government.
Three independents – Denis Naughten, Mattie McGrath and Carol Nolan – abstained from the key vote on Martin.
But veteran TD and former Fine Gael minister Michael Lowry indicated that he would support the Programme for Government well beyond the motion to elect the Taoiseach.
Independent TD Matt Shanahan told the MoS he was ‘lending’ his vote to the new Government and that he ‘would see how things go’ before making a decision on supporting the new administration fully.
Green Party deputy leader Catherine Martin had expressed concerns about going into a government with some of the independents.
Naughten, convener of the eight-strong Regional Independent grouping, posted on Twitter that he couldn’t support the deal because of concerns about ‘vague aspects’ of the programme.
The Regional Independents had been tipped as favourites to join Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Greens during government formation talks.
Meanwhile prominent member of the Rural Independents, Mattie McGrath, doesn’t have ‘faith’ in the new Government and criticised its programme for ‘attacking’ rural Ireland. But added that he would support what is ‘good’.
And after 33 years serving as a TD, Michael Lowry thought ‘he had seen it all’ until Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael announced they would join forces.
He said: ‘Party supporters on both sides will worry that they have married into the wrong family. I believe that time will prove that they are an ideal match with common policies.
‘Since election day I have consistently highlighted the need for a stable, strong government at a time of great peril for our economy and our country.
‘In line with that sentiment and my conversations with Micheál Martin, I have decided to make my contribution to stability by supporting the nomination of Micheál Martin for Taoiseach and also supporting the appointment of ministers to a new Government.’
Independent TDs Cathal Berry, Peter Fitzpatrick, Noel Grealish, Marian Harkin, Michael Lowry, Michael McNamara, Verona Murphy, Richard O’Donoghue and Matt Shanahan all voted in favour of the motion to elect Martin the first Taoiseach of the 33rd Dáil.
‘They’re an ideal match with common policies’