Sinn Féin accuses Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil of orchestrating ‘sham row’

By Gráinne Ní Aodha, PA

Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil are orchestrating a “sham row” for the cameras when they agree on “pretty much everything”, a Sinn Féin candidate has said.

The two main coalition parties have been publicly criticising each other’s policies since the Dáil was dissolved on Friday.

Fine Gael minister Paschal Donohoe released a statement on Tuesday criticising Fianna Fáil’s manifesto as “a lot to be desired”.

On Virgin Media’s Tonight Show, Fianna Fáil minister Jack Chambers and Fine Gael’s Hildegarde Naughton both called each other “disingenuous” in a debate on policy proposals.

The two parties, forged from opposing sides of the Civil War, entered government together for the first time in 2020.

They have stated regularly that the last government worked well, with the parties taking turns in the roles of Taoiseach and finance minister over the four-year tenure.

Asked about the griping by Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil, Sinn Féin’s Louise O’Reilly called the disagreements a display contrived for the cameras.

“It’s a bit of a sham row, to be honest, to see people who are so comfy and cosy together up until days ago, and all of a sudden now they’ve manufactured a little bit of pretend antagonism and a little bit of pretend difference,” she said.

She accused the two parties of being so similar “you couldn’t fit the width of a credit card” between them, and said they have “backed” and “supported” each other.

Referencing the Virgin Media debate, she said: “I laughed out loud at the Fine Gael representative last night on the television who was roaring at the Fianna Fáil representative, who she voted for to be finance minister a couple of weeks ago.

“I don’t think they’re fooling anybody, I’m assuming they’re not fooling any of you guys, and I don’t think they’re fooling any of the public either.

“These people agree on pretty much everything. They agreed a programme for government, they fulfilled it, and they’re very cosy together. The theatrics that we see are just for the cameras.”

Ms O’Reilly was speaking at the launch of her party’s position to protect and support workers, which includes a proposal to give workers the right to unionise.

Fine Gael has launched a proposal pledging that parents will pay no more than €600 a month for childcare costs, while Fianna Fáil proposed an Above the Shop Grant of €100,000 to encourage the refurbishment of city buildings into homes.