Hi °C | Lo °C FORMER Fianna Fail deputy leader Eamon O Cuiv says his party shouldn't go into coalition with any other party.
Mr O Cuiv said that they should wait until they got an overall majority or could form a minority government.
The grandson of party founder Eamon de Valera says coalition governments don't work well, and said single-party administrations, possibly propped up by some Independents, were preferable.
However, if Fianna Fail did go into coalition, Mr O Cuiv has already said his personal preference would be with Sinn Fein – something his leader Micheal Martin has ruled out.
When asked if Fianna Fail would be in a position soon to head up a government, Mr O Cuiv said: "That's for the people to choose what they want."
Mr O Cuiv said of coalition governments: "They haven't been good," specifically mentioning the Fianna Fail-Green Party coalition.
"My personal preference would be to reject going into coalition," he said.
He said there was "no need for the Greens" in the government pieced together by Bertie Ahern after the 2007 general election.
"You don't have to have an overall majority to go into government, there have been minority governments."
Choice
While he said it was "Hobson's choice", he said his preference would be Sinn Fein.
"Labour and Fine Gael are the same party," the Galway West TD said. "They're joined at the hip."
Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams also released a statement yesterday in which he strongly criticised Fianna Fail policy, but did not once say he would not go into government with them.
Former FF Wexford TD and current councillor Tony Dempsey also yesterday told South East Radio Mr Martin was premature to rule out an alliance with Sinn Fein.
Mr O Cuiv's comments will spark alarm in some quarters of Fianna Fail, as the party hierarchy tries to dampen speculation about re-entering government. And Fianna Fail Seanad leader Darragh O'Brien said : "It is far too premature to talk about this."
Other TDs and senators advocate staying out of government entirely until the election after next to allow the party to fully rebuild.
Irish Independent
