Grassroots unconvinced by potential FF-FG coalition

NOT MUCH LOCAL SUPPORT FOR POSSIBILITY OF HISTORIC COALITION

There is little or no welcome among public representatives in County Wexford for a coalition between Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and the Greens, as the three parties prepare to enter talks on a possible Programme for Government.

Attitudes range from resigned acceptance at best to downright opposition, with some suggesting a national unity government instead, and many expressing strong fears about the Greens’ insistence on a 7% yearly reduction in carbon emissions, and its effect on rural economies.

The prospect of an end to the historic stand-off between Fianna Fail and Fine Gael, was less of a concern to most local councillors in a survey this week, with one Fianna Failer suggesting the opposition to coalition is not about Civil War politics, but policies and core values.

The General Election of February 8 seems a distant memory now and, as many of our surveyed councillors pointed out, Ireland is a very different country to the one in which the electorate voted and decided to grant 38 seats to Fianna Fail, 37 to Sinn Fein, 25 for Fine Gael and 12 to the Green party.

All has been changed utterly by the unforeseen experience of the Covid-19 global pandemic and the wide-ranging economic and health challenges it has brought not just in the immediate term but well into the future.

That is the reason many local public representatives, however lukewarm their attitude to the ‘marriage of convenience’, accept there is a need to be realistic, to create a stable government to lead the country out of crisis and into recovery.

One Fine Gael councillor said his party and Fianna Fail work together all the time locally for the good of the county and they should be able to do the same in the national interest.

The urgency to form a government has become more acute now that a roadmap for easing Covid-19 restrictions has been published and the country begins the slow process of returning to work.

But there seems to be little appetite among the grassroots for a three-way between Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and the Greens.

On one key issue, some FF and FG councillors appear to agree - resistance to the Green Party’s demand for a 7% carbon reduction at a time of impending economic difficulty.

One Fianna Fail councillor confessed that the idea of a Green Party Environment Minister ‘worries me’ while a colleague said he would be opposed to any government involving the Greens.

Some councillors have suggested the formation of a national unity government (usually formed at a time or war or national emergency), drawn from all parties elected to the Dáil, as the only alternative option, since another General Election is regarded as an impossibility in the current crisis.

One Fianna Fail councillor who is ‘dead against’ a FF/FG wedding, said Sinn Fein deserves a place in Government as all three parties secured approximately the same number of seats. Adopting a ‘wait and see’ approach, few councillors are prepared to bet large on the prospect of the negotiations ending in success, with one saying: ‘I have great doubts that all of the three parties will approve it’.

CLLR JOE SULLIVAN, FIANNA FÁIL

They’re two completely different parties. Fine Gael are more right wing, Fianna Fáil is the party of the working man – the small farmer, business owner and looking after the less fortunate with a good track record on social welfare. Fine Gael have a different view on housing, Fianna Fáil are focused on home ownership not believing the market will solve the problem. I wouldn’t be in favour of coalescing with the Greens because they would decimate rural Ireland. With the best will in the world, starting a climate bill coming out of a pandemic is getting your priorities wrong.

GARRY LAFFAN, FIANNA FÁIL

I don’t think either party wants it. There is no appetite for it within Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael or the Greens. There is a lot of discontent among the three parties at ground level so I think we’re a long way off. The prospect of another election in the short term is impossible because of Covid-19, so realistically, we are between a rock and a hard place. Apart from forming a national representative government, which I don’t think there is an appetite for either, the only other option, would be to go back to the people. I don’t see any other way out. They are going to find it hard to pull it together.

CLLR CATHAL BYRNE, FINE GAEL

The Fine Ga el party has always provided stability in Government during times of national emergency. I am not fully comfortable with the idea of coalition with Fianna Fáil but we also need to be realistic; it is likely that the recession later this year will be the worst that the nation has ever seen. I think that Fine Ga el have a responsibility togo into Government and help in there building of the country after this crisis. The focus must be on both helping people and the economic recovery. It’s not going to be easy but the country needs a stable Government that lasts five years and right now it looks tome that this means the ending of Civil War politics and a Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil coalition.

CLLR DIARMUID DEVEREUX, FINE GAEL

This is the hand that the electorate cast us, and we have the moral and legal responsibility to them to sit down and put the people and the country before our own personal views and get on with it. I think we have to try and make it work. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael work closely together in local politics, we have our differences and strong views and they are respected on both sides but we do work together in the interest of Gorey and Wexford and I don’t see why we can’t do it in the national interest.

CLLR JIM MOORE, FINE GAEL

It would be a marriage of convenience. But there is an overwhelming demand for some sort of stability because of the nature of the challenges we’re facing at the moment; we shouldn’t underestimate the challenges of the financial, economical, situation we’re currently in. The whole landscape; socially, economically, and in health, has completely changed since the election. Stability is going to be the crucial thing. The alternative to this is another general election. However, I have great doubts that all of the three parties will approve it. I’m not convinced.

CLLR MICHAEL SHEEHAN, FIANNA FÁIL

The framework document that was issued was fairly broad so everyone should calm down and see what they include in the Programme for Government. All of the economic predictions are somewhere between Armageddon and all hell breaking loose so we are going to need a strong Government that can deliver. I would have preferred a unity Government for two years. Many businesses are going to have a very difficult time ahead. The Fianna Fáil part have opted to go for a primary colour coalition: red, green and blue. I want to see the devil in the detail as we need a Government that can deliver for New Ross and Co Wexford.

CLLR PIP BREEN, FIANNA FÁIL

In the present climate, I think it’s beholden on everybody to do what they can to get the country back up and running. We’re in strange and very uncharted times. Anyone no matter who they are who has been elected to Dáil Éireann has to put their shoulder to the wheel and get on with the job, because there is a huge job of work to be done. We need a government sooner rather than later and the 7% reduction in greenhouse gases, if it has to be done it has to be done equally across the entire economy.

CLLR JOHN HEGARTY, FINE GAEL

A bad compromise is a deal in which two (or in this situation three) sides get what none of them wanted. I am not in favour of the currently proposed coalition. The country is unrecognisable from the one that voted three long months ago. We have a national emergency to fight and a country to restart afterwards. Now is not the time to be cobbling together a long-term government from very different viewpoints. I would support a National Government for a set period to get us through the current crisis (with key personnel remaining in key roles). After that we can reassess the state of the country and how best to move forward.

CLLR ANTHONY DONOHOE, FINE GAEL

Personally I’d be opposed to a possible coalition between my party Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil. I don’t think Fianna Fáil can be trusted with the economy, as their previous record has been seen. They are reckless with the economy and that’s my personal opinion. Especially in the context of this crisis with Covid-19 and rebuilding the economy back up again afterwards, Fianna Fáil cannot be trusted with the economy going forward.

CLLR LISA MCDONALD, FIANNA FÁIL

We need a government urgently, that democratic deficit has to be filled. We currently have unelected Ministers making decisions, although they have stepped up to the mark and done well. If you look at the last election, the people didn’t give a mandate to any party. Most voted centre-right so we should listen to the people and the way they voted, a centre-right government is what they voted for. It’s time for the traditionalists to put our differences aside for the good of Ireland and its people. It wouldn’t be my preference, but the days of overall majorities are gone.