Green party Minister and Carlow Kilkenny TD Malcolm Noonan says winning the vote of confidence has served to strengthen the Governments resolve to push ahead now.
A Sinn Féin motion of no confidence was defeated last night by 85 votes to 66.
Minister Noonan told KCLR Live this morning he can’t understand the rationale behind it at this time:
“If we look at what’s happening in the UK, there’s no executive function in the North (of Ireland)”.
“We have a war in Europe, a pandemic which is still here with us, and we have an inflation crisis, and the last thing we need in the country now is an election”.
“So I think it was important to copper fasten the government, I think that’s what it did” he added.
TD John McGuinness meanwhile says such debates are worthwhile. but he would have liked more time to let backbenchers contribute:
“I don’t reflect on it and say that it was a bad idea, that’s for Sinn Fein to decide,” said Deputy McGuinness.
“But I certainly did welcome the debate, it’s unfortunate that it wasn’t long enough, I had my name down to speak on that debate, but the fact of the matter is, that that’s the way the Dail works but it needs to set aside more time for backbenchers chosen like me to make a contribution on behalf of the people that we represent” he added.
Local TD Jennifer Murnane O’Connor has also been speaking to KCLR and other media in the wake of the confidence vote.
Speaking on tv this morning she says Sinn Fein failed to attack the government on how it’s handled the biggest challenges that they had to face since being elected:
“Mary Lou (McDonald) never once spoke about covid, she never spoke about Brexit, she ever spoke about climate change and she never spoke about the war in Ukraine,” said Deputy Murnane O’Connor.
“Over the last two years I believe they have been the major issues that we as a government has faced and I don’t think ever before has anyone faced, it has been very hard on people and we spoke about the cost of living, absolutely there is an issue there and we as a government will face them”.
