Jim O’Callaghan needs to shut the door on Sinn Féin – Ward

Fianna Fáil’s Jim O’Callaghan needs to rule out a potential coalition with Sinn Féin having said he was open to it.

Senator Barry Ward, Fine Gael General Election candidate in Dún Laoghaire, said: “Jim O’Callaghan was one of almost 20 Fianna Fáil TDs who told the Irish Times that they would be open to a coalition with Sinn Féin after this election.

“Jim O’Callaghan and other prominent Fianna Fáil members have yet to rule it out.

“With Mary Lou McDonald saying on this evening’s (Monday) Six One that she’ll talk to everybody, it’s even more critical that voters know where Fianna Fáil candidates stand before they go to the polls.

“Is Jim still willing to facilitate a Sinn Féin government?

“I am calling on him to firmly shut the door on propping up a Sinn Féin government and come clean on what his view on the party is.

“How can we take Michéal Martin’s word for it, if we do not know where the rest of his party stands on this?

“With potential global trade shocks set to hit Ireland, we need to ensure we have a stable economy and stability in government in the years ahead.

“A Sinn Féin government presents the opposite of this, yet the public is unclear if Jim O’Callaghan and many of his Fianna Fáil colleagues would be happy to facilitate this instability for the country.

“My fellow Fine Gael candidates and I have been crystal clear on this: we will not do business with Sinn Féin.

“Cormac Devlin needs to provide clarity to voters here in Dún Laoghaire about whether he will follow Jim O’Callaghan’s approach and allow a Sinn Féin government to wreck the Irish economy.

“It’s time for Cormac, Jim, and their colleagues to state whether they are still open to coalition with Sinn Féin, and if not to firmly shut the door on them.”