Sinn Féin need to be ready for government, says Adams

Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams said his party "needs to be ready for government", but will not do "what Labour has done" and enter coalition "merely to give cover to the agenda of conservative parties".

At a speech to his party’s newly elected councillors and MEPs in Dublin at the weekend, Mr Adams said the party needs to decide where it wants to be in the medium to long term, and would begin a process of engagement with its members to reach a “consensus” on that question.

However, on the most likely coalition, he said that Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil “should be in Government together” because they are “conservative soulmates”.