Forming the next Irish Government - policies and personalities

Supporting the govt and being on opposition benches has been done previously. Numerous times. Tony Gregory, Mildred Fox, FF confidence & supply agreement. Jackie Healy Rae. Michael Lowry.

Also Michael Lowry isn't "calling the shots". He was a negotiator for a group of TDs. I can't stand him - I hope the DPP take a criminal prosecution against him. But he's an elected TD, doing what elected TDs do.

So Martin and Harris have agreed to meet the Opposition leaders tomorrow morning at 8.30.

This follows Michael Martin's ridiculous suggestion that the Opposition were trying to subvert the constitution. Now he's going to meet them.

If muddying waters it's absolutely crazy that they would take any opposition for idiots. imo opposition are correct to block this because no precedent should be set for this, even for a minute

There is no one more against SF than I and I can't stand Mary Lou. However, they are right here. You are either government or opposition and something really stinks here. Can't believe the stupidity of Martin & Harris to engage with Lowry. Have they learned nothing

Very embarrassing for Verona Murphy, who isn't fit for the job and completely bizarre why she went for the job (other than for the obvious massive salary and expenses and the status) and for the incoming Taoiseach who shouldn't have accused the Opposition of subverting the constitution.

Caught a bit of primetime where Fionnan Sheahan was saying a Minister hung up a phone call with Sarah McInerney cause they didn't like the line of questioning, any know who the Minister was?

Apparently, it is coming out tonight that a deal was done but that Sinn Fein reneged on it.

Says who? Because RBB said on newstalk this evening that he was in the negotiations today and there was no deal done.

The smart thing for Lowry et al (the ones not getting a job) to do is to abstain on the vote for Taoiseach, FF and FG will have enough votes anyway. Then they can form a technical group, as it is impossible to claim they are in government.

That didn't apply in the past to Lowry, Healy-Raes, FF in confidence and supply, Tony Gregory and many more.

nm

We have people who have signed up to the programme for government and those who will not. There's no reason for government supporting TDs to engage with a technical opposition group since they already should have speaking time on behalf of the government.

Verona Murphy to be thrown under the bus to save Lowry and FF FG blushes may be a short term fix but it doesn't augur well tbh.

Emotive scaremongering now from RTE presenter Mary Wilson.
'There is a storm coming and we don't have a Taoiseach'.

Yeh, we do have a Taoiseach Mary, just as we had for the much longer hiatus in forming a government in 2020.