Sinn Fein policies ‘incompatible’ with Fianna Fail – Martin

The Fianna Fail leader said his party will go into the next election with it’s own manifesto and policies.

Tanaiste and Foreign Affairs File picture of Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin (left) and Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald (right) (Brian Lawless/PA) (PA Wire)

Sinn Fein’s policies are “incompatible” with those of Fianna Fail, Micheal Martin has said.

As speculation mounts of what the next Irish government will look like, Mr Martin appeared to distance himself from potentially allying with Sinn Fein.

Sinn Fein has been performing strongly in opinion polls, with a survey, carried out by Ireland Thinks for the Sunday Independent, indicating that support for the party is at 34%.

This is well ahead of Fine Gael on 19% and Fianna Fail on 18% in the same poll last month.

Mr Martin was asked whether Fianna Fail would consider going into government with Sinn Fein if that possibility arose following the next general election.

“In terms of the next general election I’m clearly saying that Fianna Fail is going forward in its own right, as a political party, with its manifesto, with its ideas and priorities,” he told RTE.

Sinn Fein categorically ruled out Fianna Fail in 2016 and 2020.

Micheal Martin

He said there is a “wide range of options” in terms of the formation of the next government, adding he rejects commentary that the results are a “slam dunk in one direction”.

“Sinn Fein categorically ruled out Fianna Fail in 2016 and 2020,” he said.

“I believe we will go into government with like-minded parties that have similar policies to us, particularly in the enterprise area, in a pro-European way and also in terms of a party that is committed to the reality of climate change.

“Sinn Fein on enterprise, on Europe, and in terms of climate change, their policies are incompatible with ours.”

Meanwhile, asked how Fianna Fail differentiates itself from its current coalition partners, Fine Gael and the Green Party, Mr Martin said he would argue his party has “always been a left-of-centre party”.

“Fine Gael has been more to the right, that would be our assessment of it,” he said.

“I think that has always been reflected historically, in terms of our commitment to social housing, in terms of our commitment to education.

“Each party has distinct policies coming into this budget as we’ve had in the past, and the Green Party will have its policies.

“It’s not unusual in European democracies to have parties at the centre, and I think that’s a model actually over the last 50 years that has in the overall context of Ireland’s enterprise development and economic development, that has served the country reasonably well.”