Taoiseach blasts DUP withdrawal as 'damaging to politics' 

Pointing the blame at Downing Street, Micheál Martin said the EU has shown what he called “good faith” in its dealings with the Northern Ireland leaders

"No one party should have a veto over whether it exists or continues on and likewise with the assembly. And I believe that decision will be damaging to politics itself and to people's trust in politics,” the Taoiseach said.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said the decision of the DUP to not serve in the Stormont executive is “damaging to politics”.

He said no one party has the right to veto whether the assembly or the executive continues. Speaking at Dublin Castle, he said: “People want their public representatives to represent them in the assembly, in the executive, they want politics to work for them.

"No one party should have a veto over whether it exists or continues on and likewise with the assembly. And I believe that decision will be damaging to politics itself and to people's trust in politics,” the Taoiseach said.

“Because people when they elect public representatives, I think there's a fair expectation from the public, that those political representatives would serve in the assembly and the executive and do what they can to do,” he said.

Pointing the blame at Downing Street, Mr Martin said the EU has shown what he called “good faith” in its dealings with the Northern Ireland leaders. “It's not the EU's fault that this has gone on so long in respect of the talks,” he said. 

He said the conclusion of those talks should have been awaited by the DUP. Of the DUP statement today, Mr Martin said no one party should use language like "unless we're fully satisfied, we will not be participating."

The foundation of the peace process was give and take, people engaging in developing a consensus approach, he added. Mr Martin said he “is not so sure” the May elections in the North will become a de facto referendum on the contentious Northern Irish protocol.

He said other issues such as health and housing and Sinn Féin’s ongoing policy of abstentionism from Westminster are important to voters. He added there is an emerging centre ground in Northern Ireland politics in which people want a focus on what he called “bread and butter issues”.