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Mary Lou McDonald has warned the Green Party that facilitating a Fianna F\u00e1il\/Fine Gael government would create considerable public anger in Ireland.<\/p>\nMary Lou McDonald has warned the Green Party that facilitating a Fianna F\u00e1il\/Fine Gael government would create considerable public anger in Ireland.<\/p>\n
The Sinn F\u00e9in president cautioned Greens leader Eamon Ryan that doing business with those parties would be a \u201cmistake\u201d.<\/p>\n
Ms McDonald\u2019s comments come amid ongoing efforts to form a government three weeks after the inconclusive general election result.<\/p>\n
She also declined to be drawn on whether a coalition deal between Sinn F\u00e9in and Fianna F\u00e1il would be more likely if Miche\u00e1l Martin was not leader \u2013 insisting questions about her rival party\u2019s leadership were \u201centirely a matter for themselves\u201d.<\/p>\n
One thing is very clear – people did vote for change and whatever way you might interpret that it certainly was not a vote to return a Fianna F\u00e1il\/Fine Gael government<\/p>\n
Sinn F\u00e9in is still trying to form a left-leaning government with like-minded parties and independent TDs in the D\u00e1il, but will struggle to reach the 80 seats required for a majority.<\/p>\n
Fianna F\u00e1il, which like Sinn F\u00e9in currently has 37 parliamentary seats, is also trying to form an administration, and has held tentative discussions with Fine Gael, which has 35 seats.<\/p>\n
Fianna F\u00e1il and Fine Gael have repeatedly ruled out going into government with Sinn F\u00e9in.<\/p>\n
The Green Party, which has 12 seats, has held talks with both Sinn F\u00e9in and Fianna F\u00e1il over the potential of entering government as a junior coalition partner.<\/p>\n
Ahead of a meeting of her party\u2019s ruling council in Dublin on Saturday, Ms McDonald said: \u201cOne thing is very clear \u2013 people did vote for change and whatever way you might interpret that it certainly was not a vote to return a Fianna F\u00e1il\/Fine Gael government.\u201d<\/p>\n
The republican leader said her party had \u201cconstructive\u201d talks with the Green Party during the week.<\/p>\n
Asked about the Greens\u2019 discussions with Fianna F\u00e1il, she added: \u201cI have said publicly and privately to the Greens I think that any move to put Fianna F\u00e1il and Fine Gael back together in government is a mistake.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it would cause considerable disappointment and indeed considerable anger amongst the public, certainly for that more than 50% of people who voted for Sinn F\u00e9in, and others, with an eye to a new government and to what we would describe as a government of change.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ms McDonald was asked about a comment made from the floor at one of her party\u2019s post-election rallies during the week when someone described the Greens as \u201cFine Gael on bikes\u201d.<\/p>\n
The party president acknowledged that the comment might not have gone down well with Green Party members, but she insisted it was meant as a joke.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think for those who were at the meeting it was said in a way that certainly I took as light-hearted,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was certainly not meant to be an insult to them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ms McDonald added: \u201cI think the person who made that comment was making it in mirth. Much as Fine Gaelers take offence at being described as \u2018blue shirts\u2019 but nine times out of 10 that is said as a light-hearted almost throwaway remark. But I accept that also might cause offence to some of them.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are called lots of things too and we have to take that on the chin equally.\u201d<\/p>\n