Fine Gael's European candidates should pledge to not enter alliance with  far-right bloc, says Cuffe

Green Party TD Ciaran Cuffe claimed Fine Gael, which has often voted against the EPP, might be more at home in the Renew Europe group, the home of Fianna Fáil in Europe.

Fine Gael's European candidates should pledge that they will not enter an alliance with the parliament's far-right bloc, a Green MEP has said.

Ciaran Cuffe, the Green MEP for Dublin told the Irish Examiner that he is "worried" about the potential for Fine Gael's European grouping  — the European People's Party (EPP) — to agree a deal to effectively run the parliament with the right-wing European Conservatives (ECR) or Identity and Democracy (ID) groupings.

Mr Cuffe said that candidates from Fine Gael should indicate whether they would find such an agreement palatable. 

He claimed Fine Gael, which has often voted against the EPP, might be more at home in the Renew Europe group, the home of Fianna Fáil in Europe.

"I'd like to see that. I was disheartened at the refusal of the EPP to sign a letter that was across different political parties ruling out these far-right alliances. I think the voting record of the Fine Gael MEPs has often been removed from the EPP. Maybe they should consider joining Renew Europe. We already have Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael in government in Ireland, so why not in Europe? I think there are questions for MEPs from Fine Gael."

Mr Cuffe said that the EPP at a European level has indicated a desire to "pause" legislation, some of which he believes should be progressed.

"Over the last year, we saw that Germany's EPP had a "kill list" of laws that they wanted to stop, including the greener buildings initiative that I successfully got across the line as rapporteur which we signed into law just three weeks ago. 

"The main narrative of EPP at the moment is a regulatory pause. But what do you pause? Do you pause minimum wage legislation or pause paid parental leave or leave for victims of domestic violence? Do we pause ending modern-day slavery in Bangladesh or Pakistan?"

Mr Cuffe's comments come as the first opinion polls for the European election were published over the weekend.

An Irish Times/Ipsos poll in Dublin shows that Fianna Fáil's Barry Andrews is on 18% of support, with Sinn Féin's Lynn Boylan on 15%, Fine Gael's Regina Doherty on 12%, Labour TD Aodhán Ó Ríordáin on 10%, and Mr Cuffe on 8%. 

A second poll from the Sunday Independent and Ireland Thinks shows the same front five for the four seats, but with Mr Cuffe ahead of his Labour rival. In that poll, radio host Niall Boylan, the Independent Ireland candidate is joint fifth on 7% of support.

The Irish Times poll shows that the five-seat Midlands North-West constituency will be tight, with leader Luke Ming Flanagan on 11% of support, followed by Maria Walsh of Fine Gael and Barry Cowen of Fianna Fáil on 10%. In the South constituency, Fine Gael's Sean Kelly holds a commanding 23% of support, with Fianna Fáil's Billy Kelleher on 18% and Sinn Féin's Kathleen Funchion on 11%.