Only one of Carlow Kilkenny’s five TDs is confident in the new programme for government.
The Parliamentary Parties of Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Greens endorsed the programme last night.
Local Green TD Malcolm Noonan believes that the parties involved can make the new deal work; “The reality is that if it gets passed by the members over the next few days, there will be an onus on the majority government to try and implement the policies that it set out to do” He told KCLR Live. “But in terms of it lasting, I think that’s up to all the parties that sign up to this.”
However, John McGuinness argues that not enough parties were consulted in the negotiation process; “Unfortunately I think they’ve started off undermining the possibility of longevity of this government, because the truth and transparency that’s required around a document like this simply does not exist here. And it’s true to say that Fine Gael and Fianna Fail did not consult with all the parties in the Dail.”
Sinn Fein’s Kathleen Funchion expressed scepticism about the future; “I don’t think it’s going to work due to the track record of Fianna Fail and Fine Gael. Whether it will last is a different story because the last arrangement wasn’t working but it lasted for four years. We might see it lasting because various people will want their opportunity to be Taoiseach for the maximum amount of time.”
Meanwhile, John Paul Phelan is firm that it won’t last, as he says there are too many issues; “I’m not positive that it will last because there are three very different competing interests within the government now. The chances of it lasting are difficult, and I think that’s why [the document] is so long, because it’s trying to foresee all the issue that might arise.”
Jennifer Murnane O’Connor, however, says it’s impossible to predict just yet. “No one knows what’s going to happen long term. But I think at this stage it’s not about parties. We’re facing a huge crisis. We need to be able to legislate and deliver. This is the first time I’ve ever been part of a government where this has happened. I will be positive, because we need to be positive for the people that we can deliver for them and show that we are accountable.”
Listen back to their interview in full here
