Motion of no confidence in Coveney 'goes to the heart' of Irish politics, says McDonald

Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said the party believes the Zappone affair spoke to the way the Government does business. Picture: Damien Storan

The Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has denied that a motion of no confidence in Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney is a political stunt, saying that the issue "goes to the heart" of politics in Ireland.

Sinn Féin will move the motion when the Dáil returns tomorrow after the summer break, aiming to remove Mr Coveney from office over his handling of the appointment of Katherine Zappone as the UN special envoy on Freedom of Expression.

Speaking in Dublin as Sinn Féin met for its think-in, Ms McDonald said the party believes the Zappone affair spoke to the way the Government does business.

"I think, increasingly, the public's patience with crony politics has been evident. People know that you can't have effective policies, you can't have delivery for people, when you have a political culture that is all about insiders and who you know and who you rub shoulders with.

"This isn't a minor issue: in fact, it goes to the heart of how we're governed and of what our expectations are of people in leadership and people in public office.

"So my experience is, of course, the bread and butter issues as health and housing animate people most. If you don't have a roof over your head that's obviously your priority, but people understand the connection between insider crony politics and the fact that for generations, housing policy has been to the benefit of developers or landlords or big financiers, and people on the ground, the ordinary outsider, have paid the price for that.

“The issue is around the entire culture of Irish politics for over a century. As exemplified by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. They’ve run this place for 100 years. 

"They believe that that is their right and entitlement and they believe that they are entitled to create a post, a position for one of their friends, their former colleagues [and] they got caught. They sought to cover their tracks. 

"Are we prepared to look the other way and tolerate that kind of crony politics, 'no' is the short answer,” she said.

Ms McDonald said that Sinn Féin was tabling the motion because "the Taoiseach did not do his job" in failing to censure Mr Coveney.

"The Taoiseach and the Government were not prepared to do anything on this issue. In fact, they made a virtue of doing nothing. Astonishingly, Fianna Fáil as a party tried to advance the narrative that the Taoiseach had no authority to act. Absolute nonsense."

Later in her keynote address to the parliamentary party, Ms McDonald accused Mr Coveney of "being caught red-handed" and of "covering his tracks". 

She said that Tánaiste Leo Varadkar and Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe "can't get their stories straight on who knew what and when".

Ms McDonald did not expressly rule out the prospect of going into government with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael but said that the best result from the next election would be a government without either party and of the left.

“The best government that can emerge from the next election is one without Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael. The worst outcome, as I predicted the last time, is a government with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael together.

“Even I could not have envisaged how chaotic and how poor this administration would now be,” she said.

Asked about Cork's bid for the America's Cup, Ms McDonald said that she "hadn't reflected deeply" on it, but said that she was broadly in favour of large events when the pandemic ends. She said the party would reflect on the "cost-benefit analysis" of the bid.

Ms McDonald also said that the party's internal review of its organisation in Derry will not be publicly published.

“The work of rebuilding in Derry and giving the best possible representation that we can to the people of Foyle is now underway," she said.