Sinn Féin to remain in opposition as it insists no deal possible

Gerry Adams has conceded Sinn Féin have not won enough seats to go into government and the party will return to the opposition benches.

Mr Adams has ruled out doing any deal with Fine Gael or Fianna Fáil, meaning both parties are now left with little or no option other than do a deal with each other.

He accused the two parties of “playacting” and said there was very little between the two of them to prevent such a coalition.

Mr Adams said: “We made it very clear that we would not be junior partners to the conservative parties of Fine Gael or Fianna Fáil, that’s the mandate we have been given, it’s a very significant mandate and it’s also a very legitimate mandate.

“It isn’t served by propping up these bigger parties, the opposite would be the case,” he said.

Speaking as he arrived into the RDS count centre yesterday where the Dublin Bay North count is ongoing the Sinn Féin leader said: “We sought a mandate to be in government and we have a desire to be in government.

“It doesn’t look as if we have the numbers to get into government, although we are going to continue consulting with the other Right2Change candidates as their names emerge and I suppose like other parties, we will be holding our own council on those issues.”

He hit out at Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael for “playing politics” and said that they should be more focused on solving the homelessness and health crises.

“There is a bit of play-acting going on between Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael at this time but the real issues continue, there are over 400 people on trollies as we stand here. Those parties aren’t going to fix that, they aren’t going to fix the crisis and the emergency that there is in homelessness or the other inequalities.

“I think there is a bit of playacting going on between these two conservative parties, clearly there is very little ideologically that divides them but clearly they will puzzle their way through this.”

The Sinn Féin leader admitted the party had been “disappointed” by some of the election outcomes and the party had taken a “a number” of bad decisions.

The party currently have 22 members elected to the 32nd Dáil.

He singled out Pádraig Mac Lochlainn who lost his seat in Donegal adding that his “heart goes out to those who hit the cross-bar”.

“I would like to think that Pádraig would be back again.

“Obviously, there have been some disappointments but essentially what we did in the election to get rid of the Fine Gael-Labour coalition and they have been rejected.

“Whether in opposition or in government, we will stick by our mandate [and] continue to push the process of change which is under way,” Mr Adams said.

However, he denied it was a failed campaign for the party and would not be standing down as leader.

Mr Adams said he stood by his comments that jailed tax evader Thomas ‘Slab’ Murphy is a good Republican but does not plan to visit him in prison: “I have no plans to visit him, you are very concerned about him.”

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