Jim O’Callaghan calls for FF-FG coalition with Independents as Mary Lou McDonald accuses them of ‘looking down their nose’ at Sinn Féin voters
It comes as the Dáil technical group of Independents has expanded its number to 10, adding Aontú TDs Peadar Tóibín and Paul Lawless, the latter newly elected for Mayo.
Fianna Fáil (48) and Fine Gael (38) have 86 seats between them.
The first business of the new Dáil on December 18 is to elect a Ceann Comhairle, which reduces the chamber to 173 TDs. This means that 87 is a majority, not 88 as widely asserted.
Adding the 10-person technical group would give an FF-FG grouping a total of 96 seats, leaving 77 in Opposition and the government in a comfortable majority.
“There is a recognition, and from experience, that there are a number of Independent TDs who are serious about ensuring stability of Government,” Mr O’Callaghan said on This Week on RTÉ Radio One.
He agreed with by Seán Canney, one of the technical group, a TD for Galway East, who said groupings he was associated with had a “proven track record of stability.”
He was referring to the period from 2016 to 2020…
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