Taoiseach plays down prospect of voting pact with Fine Gael

Varadkar makes suggestion to 'continue with the current partners that we have in Government'

Taoiseach Micheál Martin said the public 'does not like being told what to do' in regard to where vote transfers go. Picture: PA

The Taoiseach has played down the idea of entering into an election transfer pact with Fine Gael.

Tánaiste Leo Varadkar, who most likely will lead the Government into the next general election, opened the door to the idea in a podcast interview.

“Even without there being an increase in first preferences, just the two centre parties transferring to each other can bring about gains," he said.

“If this Government continues, if it gets its work done and if it doesn’t break up for some reason, and ends well, then I think that’s an option we’d be putting before the Irish people, that we would seek to continue with the current partners that we have in Government.” 

However, speaking in Blackpool, England, today, Micheál Martin said that the public "does not like being told what to do" in regard to where their transfers go.

He said that the next election is two years or more away.

As I said in the last general election, transfer pacts in themselves are not the most effective way sometimes to go because the public doesn't like being told what to do.

"And very often, my experience has been when people and candidates are on the doorstep they are looking for votes for themselves. And if the punter is agreeable, they don't want to kind of push it too far after that.

"I'm being a bit flippant, but I mean, there is an issue there, the public is going to make their own minds up."

The Taoiseach said he did not foresee the Government as a whole offering itself for re-election and Fianna Fáil would have its own manifesto. He said that policy alignment was key and that he disagreed with much of Sinn Féin's policies, for example.

"But I think the more important point is policy alignment. I would agree with Leo in terms of Sinn Féin policy, which has been consistently anti-European, has been anti-enterprise.

"And they have issues there on a more macro level policy-wise that they really have to deal with," he said.