Kenny tells Independent TDs to ‘act responsibly’ and decide

Acting Taoiseach Enda Kenny urged Independent TDs at a meeting yesterday to act responsibly and declare for either Fine Gael or Fianna Fáil.

Mr Kenny met the 15 Independents at Government Buildings ahead of the Dáil vote for taoiseach. The Fine Gael leader told the TDs they needed to stand up to the task and take their decision seriously.

The comments are said to have angered the Independents who labelled them “arrogant” and “ignorant” of the time they had spent in discussions.

Independent Alliance TD Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran told Mr Kenny the alliance would not support any party until negotiations between Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil had concluded.

Responsible

He insisted the Independents were being responsible by participating in the discussions but warned the process was at risk of being derailed.

Mr Moran, who was supported by Galway East TD Seán Canney, said the Independents were concerned they were being used as leverage between the two parties.

Speaking after the meeting, the Longford-Westmeath TD said: “I just stressed that we needed to all stand up and be counted. The Independents are there to govern and to form a government and cannot be accused of not taking the process seriously. But we cannot do anything until we know what those two parties are doing.”

Mr Kenny was also told by the Independents they would not agree to supporting or propping up a government. He was told it would have to be an equal partnership.

It is also understood the Independent TDs have made 102 requests for additional spending in negotiations with Fine Gael.

Party sources said the 15 Independents made 43 specific suggestions for tax incentives across a number of sectors, particularly housing and small and medium enterprises.

Tipperary TD Mattie McGrath told the meeting he would not vote for a government that proposed changes in abortion legislation. Mr McGrath said he was opposed to the establishment of a citizens’ convention to examine the Eighth Amendment.

Abortion legislation

Galway West TD

Noel Grealish

and Cork South-West TD

Michael Collins

also raised concerns about any changes to abortion legislation.

None of the 15 voted for either Mr Kenny or the Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin in the Dáil yesterday.

It is understood the five rural TDs (Mr McGrath, Denis Naughten, Mr Collins, Dr Michael Harty and Mr Grealish) will make a decision within the next two weeks about how to vote.

The Independent Alliance, members of which include Shane Ross and Michael Fitzmaurice, is said to be leaning towards voting for Fine Gael but will not confirm until after negotiations have concluded between the two main parties.

However, Waterford TD John Halligan, who is part of the alliance, said the draft document presented by Fine Gael was not representative of the Independent Alliance.

He said they had 12 hours to read the proposals and were being asked to sign up to a document by Fine Gael.