Trinity Treaty dictates limits of minority rule by Fine Gael

The so-called ‘Trinity Treaty’ and its eight pages, which will be the glue that keeps this minority Fine Gael government from falling apart at the seams, was debated at party meetings last night.

This is essentially a blueprint for the next few years and the ‘rules of play’, as agreed between Fine Gael, who will run the country, and Fianna Fáil, who will watch owl-eyed from the opposition benches.

Any dereliction from this deal between the rival parties would likely collapse a government and cause fresh elections. So, here’s a quick digest of the rules of engagement between Enda Kenny’s team and Micheál Martin’s for the next three years, plus an idea about what is planned for water charges. Expect the rules to be referred to religiously by both leaders during the lifetime of this Dáil.