Martin says he is not ruling out a coalition with Sinn Féin

Taoiseach Micheál Martin said Sinn Féin was guilty of 'poisoning' a new generation 'in the notion that violence can be worth it or violence is justified'

Taoiseach Micheál Martin said he had two fundamental differences with Sinn Féin — on policy and on the North.

The Taoiseach has said he is not ruling out a coalition with Sinn Féin at the next election, but said he does not anticipate Mary Lou McDonald becoming Taoiseach.

Micheál Martin said while he is not rejecting a coalition with the main opposition party, Sinn Féin is guilty of "poisoning" younger generations with its attitude towards the Troubles.

Sinn Féin has been riding high in the polls in the last 18 months, making the prospect of it being the lead party in the next government a distinct possibility. 

The latest Business Post/Red C poll sees the party led by Mary Lou McDonald on 36%, with both Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil dropping a point to 19% and 14%, respectively.

Asked how he would feel if Ms McDonald was to take up the office he holds until December, Mr Martin responded:

“I don’t anticipate that. I don’t anticipate that at all. Of course, there is an election to be fought in two years' time, in about two and a half years.

“We are in a democracy — elections are there to be competed in so I don’t anticipate that. It’s not a certainty by any means. Election campaigns take on their own dynamic. The issues around the next general election will firm up closer to the election."

When pressed on whether he would serve as Ms McDonald's tánaiste, he said he did not "anticipate" that either. Mr Martin went on to say he had two fundamental differences with Sinn Féin — on policy and on the North.

One element is policy. I mean I am very policy focused. I see Sinn Féin as fundamentally anti-European, as anti-enterprise.

“The anti-enterprise piece — I don't think Sinn Fein gets that at all, the enterprise economy, the type of stuff we do with Enterprise Ireland, the export-oriented nature of our economy.

“And I think there are real issues in terms of Sinn Féin’s position there on enterprise, on the economy, on Europe."

Mr Martin said the difference on the North was "deeper" for him and said  Sinn Féin should "face up to the fact that violence [in the North] was wrong". 

However, the Taoiseach said he was not saying that if the two parties were in a position to form a government that it would necessarily be a deal-breaker for him.

"I'm not saying I'm ruling it out. I’m not saying it’s an issue that becomes a breaking point in the future," he said.

"But I would have thought it's a legitimate political issue of the day because in many ways this idea of the gun being the answer to everything poisoned previous generations of Irish people that led to what happened.

We shouldn't poison a new generation, again, in the notion that violence can be worth it or violence is justified. That's all I'm saying. 

"It doesn't become a barrier potentially, but it's something that they need to deal with, in my view. There is a tendency that this is being glorified somehow. I think we owe it to the younger generations that this wasn’t a good war and it wasn’t a just war and it damaged a lot of people, it killed a lot of people.”