Taoiseach tells leaders' debate he 'would consider' Govt arrangement with Fianna Fáil as 'last resort'

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar launched a blistering attack on Sinn Féin for being “soft on crime” after Mary Lou McDonald failed to state whether she supports the Special Criminal Court in tonight's RTÉ leaders' debate.

Mr Varadkar also reiterated that he would not go into a coalition government with Sinn Féin and accused his rivals of being soft on crime.

Mr Varadkar and Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin criticised the Sinn Féin President's failure to give a clear and concise answer as to whether she supports the court, which hears cases of serious criminals and terrorists in the absence of a jury.

Ms McDonald was asked four times whether she supports the court and said that she and her party wants a review of its operations.

“I support the judicial system, the gardaí and all the law and order apparatus of the State,” she said.

“I am for the courts,” when she was pressed by presenter David McCullough.

“I accept we need special powers. What we have been calling for is a review of such courts,” she said.

The abolition of the Special Criminal Court is not in our manifesto.

Ms McDonald said: “We have 21st century criminals, we need 21st century powers.”

Mr Varadkar accused her of not giving a straight answer.

Mr Martin criticised Sinn Féin's record of voting against the continuation of the Special Criminal Court every year in Dáil Eireann.

In the opening exchanges, Mr Varadkar said that despite being behind in the polls, Fine Gael will emerge as the largest party and will lead the next Government.

“I believe we will emerge as the largest party after the election,” he said.

When pressed, he said he would, as a “last resort”, contemplate a government arrangement with Fianna Fáil if it spared the country another election.

“If after a few weeks time, as a last resort, rather than having no government or another election, I would consider an arrangement with Fianna Fáil,” he said.

He accepted that the people want change and that he as Taoiseach has delivered substantial change.

“I am someone who has been driving change, through referendums, through economic change from recession to economic growth, reform in the Gardaí.

"All change is not change for the better, we want change for the better,” he said in reference to Sinn Féin.

He said voting for Sinn Féin means “change that risks your job and pension”.

In response, Ms McDonald said the attacks from the two other leaders was “the clarion call for desperation.”

She said: “It is right to say theme of the election is a thirst for change. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are virtually identical parties and people increasing want Sinn Féin as the alternative.

“We are the party that unambiguously stands up for the people not captured by vested interests. These two men have been in government for the past four years,” she said.

What I am saying the best outcome is a government without Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil.

Mr Martin said his party are the only real alternative to be the lead party in the next Government, saying Sinn Féin cannot do so as they are not running enough candidates.

“We have 84 candidates, Sinn Féin have 42, they cannot lead a government. We have.

"We have not been in power for the past four years, that is the big lie of the campaign,” he said.

Mr Martin insisted his party had credible plans to transform public service delivery.

“Throughout my career I have managed to bring about great change in the various departments I have worked in,” he said.

“Transformative change in education and health and so forth. And what we want to do now in terms of health, for example, is bring about real immediate urgent change in terms of getting patients off waiting lists, in terms of hiring more health professionals, in terms of renewal of equipment in hospitals and, above all, in terms of home care hours – about five million extra.

The Fianna Fáil leader also promised improvement in housing.

“The people want change, why? Very little impact on homelessness over the last number of years by Fine Gael-led governments, very little impact in terms of affordable housing for young people who cannot currently afford to buy houses.”

Mary Lou McDonald said there was a chance to break Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil’s century-old grip on power.

“It is right to say that the theme of this election has emerged as a thirst for change,” she said.

“I am very clear what that change means. Everywhere that I have gone people have said to me that they recognise that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael – essentially identical parties – have had it all their own way now for almost a century.

“People want a different vehicle, a different type of government, and people increasingly recognise Sinn Féin as an alternative.

“And the alternative has to be a party in government that unambiguously stands up for the citizens, for the collective good. That isn’t captured by power brokers in the state, by vested interests, by golden circles, which has been the case with Micheal Martin and Leo Varadkar.”

Debate verdict at half time:
Debate on housing broke little new ground but most decisive moment was @MaryLouMcDonald failure to back the Special Criminal Court@LeoVaradkar most assertive outing to date but yet to land a knockout blow...@MichealMartinTD yet to score #iestaff

— Daniel McConnell (@McConnellDaniel) February 4, 2020

Ms McDonald said the housing situation was a “social and economic catastrophe”.

Mr Martin said he had an “imaginative and innovative” platform on revitalising the construction industry.

He added: “We are in an emergency, we are in a crisis and we need to react.”

Mr Varadkar challenged Sinn Féin on its record in tackling homelessness in Northern Ireland, where it recently returned to political powersharing after a three-year hiatus.

Ms McDonald said Northern Ireland had endured a decade of Tory austerity, and claimed the Taoiseach’s figures on homelessness were wrong.

Mr Varadkar said he would focus on health if re-elected, and was putting more hospital beds in while investing more on primary care.

The Sinn Féin leader said there should be more investment in public medicine.

She added: “It is confused, it is two-tier.”

Mr Martin said rural GP care should be better resourced.

@LeoVaradkar says allowing @MichealMartinTD back to the Government would be like "asking John Delaney back to run the FAI again"

— Daniel McConnell (@McConnellDaniel) February 4, 2020

Mr Varadkar said: “Putting Micheal Martin back in office would be like putting John Delaney back in change of the FAI in nine years.”

- Additional reporting by the Press Association.