Irish Examiner View: Agreement signifies beginning of the end to the way we do politics in Ireland

The foundation of an agreement between Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil on a joint programme for government represents the biggest polar shift in Irish politics since the Civil War.

Both party leaders face a challenge persuading smaller parties to sign up to the agreement as well as opposition within their own ranks.

The foundation of an agreement between Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil on a joint programme for government may not be the end of the way we do politics in Ireland but it surely signifies the beginning of the end, representing the biggest polar shift since the Civil War.

Yet if either Leo Varadkar or Micheál Martin are to have any hope of persuading smaller parties to come on board they will have put at least some sturdy scaffolding on the foundation structure they have signed up to.