Ó Cuív: no possibility of FG/FF coalition

Fianna Fail’s standard bearer in Galway West again unequivocally ruled out any Coalition with Fine Gael in the immediate aftermath of his poll topping performance tonight.

Eamon O Cuiv said that the current Government had effectively been sacked – and to keep them in office would be to go against the will of the people.

The former Minister pointed to the experience of the Labour party which he said ‘fought the last election on one premise and went into Government on another’.

“We’ve just fought this election on the very simple premise that we’re not going into Government with Fine Gael  and we cannot turn around and say that promises given at elections don’t matter.

“We gave our promise and it’s very disrespectful to be so dogmatic and then to say, oh, it doesn’t matter – that’s why the public are disillusioned with politics and politicians.

“I believe in sticking to our word,” he said.

But he did see room for negotiation with those independents he described as coming from the Fianna Fáil ‘gene pool’

“The two Healy Raes, Noel Grealish, Sean Canney was a very active member of our Comhairle Ceantair; Maattie Mc Grath in Tipperary – that’s your first port of call because we have no philosophical differences with them,” he said.

“We haven’t ruled out Labour either,” he added – “not that unfortunately at this stage there’s much left.”