Martin rejects Ó Cuív’s SF coalition overture

Fianna Fáil leader Micheal Martin has rejected claims by Éamon Ó Cuív that Sinn Féin would be their preferred choice as coalition partners in any future government.

Mr Martin said there were divergent opinions between the two parties on Europe, and hit out at Sinn Féin’s links with IRA “barbarity”.

Mr Martin said a lot of support among voters had gone from FF to Fine Gael and Labour during the last general election, rather than to Sinn Féin.

Mr Ó Cuív said during the week he would put Sinn Féin in front of Labour as allies of FF in Government.

But speaking yesterday at the party’s annual 1916 commemoration services at Arbour Hill, Dublin, Mr Martin said: “I wouldn’t share the analysis that Éamon put forward in terms of them [Sinn Féin] being a republican party. I would challenge that point.”

He said a lot of his party’s support in last year’s general election went to Fine Gael, Independents and Labour.

He said the party lost 25 percentage points, two to three of which went to Sinn Féin while the other 22 went elsewhere. He added: “I think the economic platform that Sinn Féin have put forward, and indeed their platform in relation to Europe, is not one that would commend it to me, or to the Fianna Fáil party.

Mr Ó Cuív recently resigned from the party’s frontbench and as deputy leader after openly opposing the upcoming EU treaty.

Meanwhile, former FF minister Ned O’Keeffe was released from Garda custody over the weekend after being quizzed about using “bogus” invoices to claim Dáil expenses.

The former Cork East TD was released without charge after being questioned for several hours at Cobh Garda Station. He was held after gardaí called at his home in Mitchelstown, Co Cork, on Friday morning.

Mr O’Keeffe did not respond to questions when he left the station on Friday.

His solicitor son Ciaran made a brief statement on behalf of his father, insisting the arrest had come as a surprise and that his father was co-operating fully with the gardaí.

Mr O’Keeffe, who retired at the last general election, had been questioned under section 26 of the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act.

He was held on suspicion of using a false instrument, namely an invoice to claim mobile phone expenses.

Mr Martin refused to comment on Mr O’Keeffe yesterday.