Coalition confident it can defeat 'cynical' Sinn Féin motion
Micheál Martin, pictured during his visit to the Axis Community Centre, Ballymun, shrugged off the Sinn Féin no-confidence motion set to take place on Tuesday night. Picture: Niall Carson/PA
The Government will be able to rely on at least 85 votes in the Dáil on Tuesday night, which will see it defeat what Micheál Martin has branded as Sinn Féin’s “cynical” no-confidence motion.
The Taoiseach is “confident” his Government will defeat the motion but insisted no side deals had been done with Independent TDs to achieve it. Along with the 79 TDs formally aligned to Government parties, former Fine Gael minister Joe McHugh and former Fianna Fáil TD Marc MacSharry will vote with the Coalition parties.
Cathal Berry and Peter Fitzpatrick have said they will also vote with the Government.
So too will Independent TDs Michael Lowry and Noel Grealish, with suspended Green Party TDs Neasa Hourigan and Patrick Costello yet to declare their intentions.
However, senior Government sources indicated they expected the pair to abstain or vote against the Sinn Féin motion.
As of Monday night, opposition TDs confirmed to be voting in favour of Sinn Féin’s motion totalled 69, but there is no guarantee all of those TDs will vote on Tuesday night.
Independent TDs Seán Canney, Peter Fitzpatrick, and Matt Shanahan said they would decide on Tuesday how they will vote. Several Independent TDs said they would not be “goaded” into a vote against the Government by Sinn Féin or the party leader, Mary Lou McDonald.
Going on the offensive on Monday, Mr Martin blasted Sinn Féin for wanting an emergency budget last week and a general election this week.
He said the budget, now scheduled for September, would be jeopardised were the country plunged into a snap general election.
The Taoiseach said the move to table the motion of no confidence was nothing more than a “cynical play” by a party intent on “destructive politics”. He said:
“I am confident but I don’t take anything for granted. The motion of confidence at one level is a cynical play by a party I think plays more to destructive politics.”
Mr Martin said he had been engaging with his own TDs as well as Independent TDs who have supported the Government but insisted “there are no side deals”.
Regarding the meeting of his own TDs and senators last week — at which strong criticism was voiced about the party’s performance in Government — Mr Martin rejected opinion polls that have the party on just 15%.
“We’re at about 20%-23% on average,” he told the . “I’m around long enough to know that the quality of the party is strong and the quality of the parliamentary party is very strong.
“I take a more positive perspective than what you presented.”
The Taoiseach, who is due to relinquish his office in December, sought to dismiss weekend reports that he was facing a heave if he did not signal his departure before then.
“It’s not a question of allowing me to do anything as far as I’m concerned,” he said. “I’ve been elected as the leader of the party. There’s nobody coming to me saying otherwise, to be quite frank.”
Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said the confidence motion was just another “show motion”.
“It will achieve nothing,” he said. “Last week’s SF ‘show motion’ called for an early budget to help families with the cost of living. This week’s ‘show motion’ would trigger an election in August and delay the budget.”
Simon Harris, the higher education minister, said Sinn Féin was entitled to table the motion but there was no risk to the Government, which lost its Dáil majority last week.
Ms McDonald has said opposition TDs must decide if they are “willing to allow people to suffer or stand up and be counted”.
Her colleague, Louise O’Reilly, said Ireland “desperately” needed a new government because the current coalition had “run out of ideas and run out of road”.
She said a new government was needed to help people struggling with the cost of living as they head into the winter.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
