Taoiseach is creating instability, say Fianna Fáil

By Daniel McConnell and Elaine Loughlin

The Taoiseach is creating instability at a critical time for Brexit, Fianna Fáil leader Micheal Martin has said.

Mr Martin said Leo Varadkar is “the one person” who is allowing doubt escalate about the future of the Government at a critical time.

“It’s all coming from Fine Gael. It’s not coming from me,” he said.

Speaking on RTE’s This Week programme, Mr Martin said it would be “reckless and irresponsible” to collapse the Government, in light of the Brexit challenge.

Mr Martin said he had asked Mr Varadkar to join him and agree that neither party would collapse the Government, while the Brexit talks were ongoing.

Mr Martin said the review of the three-year confidence-and-supply agreement had begun, but he also said it was important that the Government remain stable, to deal with Brexit.

“Brexit is more serious than the interests of any individual or party,” said Mr Martin.

Mr Martin, a Cork South Central TD, said any deal would have to be ratified by the British parliament, in January, and, if it was rejected, the Republic might find it had to support Article 50.

Mr Martin said both he and the Taoiseach had agreed that there should be no preconditions to the review of the confidence-and-supply agreement between the two parties.

Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald described the confidence-and-supply arrangement as a “political con job”, which has led to uncertainty, instability, and a deepening crisis.

“We are at a defining point in our history, as we face into the challenge of Brexit, attacks on the Good Friday Agreement, and the housing and healthcare crises,” she said.

“The country needs clarity, workable solutions, and stability. The confidence-and-supply agreement, between Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, has led to uncertainty, instability, and a deepening crisis.”

DUP leader Arlene Foster has indicated that her party was “ready for a no-deal scenario, which she now believed was the likeliest one”.

Meanwhile, the European Investment Bank (EIB) is “stepping up” investment into Irish projects to help protect the country from the impact of Brexit.

Loans for businesses and farmers, upgrades to our ports, and a power connector between Ireland and continental Europe are a few of the projects the EIB are hoping will help Brexit-proof this country.

EIB vice-president Andrew McDowell said: “The European Investment Bank, as the EU bank, an EU institution, recognises Ireland’s unique exposure to the potential downsides of Brexit and that’s why it has stepped up its activity in Ireland.”

Referring to low-cost loans being rolled out for SMEs, he said: “It’s about supporting enterprise and making sure that available to enterprise is long-term investment loans to create new products, new markets that will help diversity away from the UK and try and manage that risk.

“On top of that, we are also looking at a number of infrastructure projects, the financing of things like the expansion of Dublin port, the expansion of the port of Cork to create new direct shipping lines into continental Europe.

“The transfer of the port of Cork out to Ringaskiddy is a contract that we have already signed. It’s around a €200m project and we are supporting a considerable portion of that.

“We ultimately are also looking at raising the Celtic interconnector project, in terms of direct power connection between Ireland and continental Europe.”