New party 'not here to make up numbers'
ONE of the leaders of the country's newest political party has insisted she and her colleagues will not help "make up the numbers" for a Fine Gael-led coalition if the numbers fall short after the general election.
The Social Democrats have also pledged to run budgets where spending outweighs taxation measures by two to one.
But while championing a so-called Nordic model of public services, the Dail's newest party has argued that this does not necessarily mean higher taxes.
mudguard
Kildare North TD Catherine Murphy, one of the three co-leaders of the Social Democrats, insisted that no coalition option will be "ruled in or out" at this stage.
"But we are not interested in being a 'mudguard'," Ms Murphy said when asked about supporting Taoiseach Enda Kenny if he does not have an overall majority.
Ms Murphy has joined with former Labour TD Roisin Shortall and Wicklow East TD Stephen Donnelly to launch the new party, which is in the process of registration.
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