Right prediction: FF to join FG in government

They may not always see eye to eye, but with the 1916 green-tinted adrenaline already gushing, a gut instinct tells me Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil will walk hand in hand after the General Election.

Leader Micheál Martin and a reinvented, invigorated FF will make it to the power line.

Being an outfit with entrepreneurial spirit, FF are uncomfortable trailing and always quicker on delivery. Now, with the economy surfing, they are the party with the foresight and experience to help push ahead with the Government’s new €27bn Capital Investment Plan.

Every reign of FF in government has left positive, sustainable legacies, albeit, some egregious errors, too. Of course, as former Minister for Health, Micheál Martin has been instrumental in saving thousands of lives consequent to the implementation of his smoking ban.

If UK and EU election trends pervade, a truly right-wing coalition of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil, versus an optimistically compatible ‘mixed-grill’ opposition, is a real possibility. Against all the odds, Martin may even be the next taoiseach.

Could anyone imagine a more competent and appropriate combination of government to lead Ireland through the 1916 centenary year and into a new era of peace and prosperity?

James Gleeson

Thurles

Co Tipperary