Mary Lou McDonald has accused Fine Gael of telling “bare-faced lies” about Sinn Féin’s proposals for government.
The Sinn Féin leader asked whether it was a “mark of desperation” that Fine Gael was trying to accuse the party of being irresponsible with public funds.
The Dublin Central candidate made the comments at Dublin City University, while speaking to young people, while Taoiseach Simon Harris canvassed in Malahide and Skerries.
Mr Harris said that Sinn Féin will “commit to whatever anyone wants them to commit to, to try and get a few votes”, before polling day on November 29th.
Speaking in Skerries, he said that the main opposition party opposed carbon tax hikes but would not abolish them either, and that his party would help people with the cost of living in other ways.
Aontú launched its manifesto in Dublin and Labour launched its disability policy in Maynooth, while Tánaiste Micheál Martin canvassed in Carlow-Kilkenny.
Asked about an advert by Fine Gael on Wednesday, in which a mobile video screen broadcasts a party campaign video depicting Sinn Féin smashing a piggy bank, Ms McDonald called it a “bare-faced lie”.
“Either that or they didn’t actually bother to read our proposals,” she said.
“What is absolutely clear is that we have provided for very substantial and very necessary investment in the here and now in infrastructure and in services, but then we will also run surpluses over the five years of government term and in fact we will be putting money into the piggy bank.
“We will be setting money aside, so they were entirely wrong and they were being deliberately disingenuous.
“I don’t know what’s going on in their campaign, maybe it’s a mark of desperation that they are resorting to openly and brazenly telling lies.”
While canvassing in Dublin, voters raised issues with Mr Harris including school places for people with special educational needs, housing, student financing and infrastructure.
Mr Harris denied that he was keeping the Green Party at arm’s length while campaigning.
Speaking on Newstalk Breakfast earlier on Thursday, Mr Harris said there has been “an undertone” of sexism in relation to criticism of Helen McEntee.
The Fine Gael leader defended his party’s deputy leader after criticism of her tenure in the Justice Department, where she pushed forward legislation on crimes aggravated by hate and established an agency to tackle domestic violence.
“I think some of the comments have been, you know, a bit inappropriate, quite frankly,” he told Newstalk Breakfast.
When asked whether this included comments from Fianna Fáil, Mr Harris said: “I’m not getting into this reopening tit-for-tat stuff, but I do think people need to check some of the language they had used in recent days in relation to some of the criticisms.”
Asked whether he thought they were sexist, he said: “I think there’s an undertone there at times and I think it’s not just confined to Minister McEntee, but also to many women in politics, and I think we need to be aware of that and I think we need to call that out.
“If you look at things like the issues that she’s highlighted, domestic, sexual, gender-based violence, name me a justice minister ever in the history of the state that has placed a greater focus on that issue.
“When you look at things like migration and the changes in policies that we’ve brought about in relation to faster processing times, deportations, making sure we have a fair, firm system, her record speaks for itself, and I’m very proud of the work she does.”
He said comment pieces in the Irish Times and the Irish Independent about Fianna Fáil’s criticism of Ms McEntee “made very fair points”.
The pieces referenced criticism of Ms McEntee for focusing on “airy-fairy” and “woke” issues in the Justice Department.
Fianna Fáil figures have also said publicly in recent days that after 14 years of four Fine Gael justice ministers, it is time for a “new energy” in the department.
The Taoiseach also defended a reported dinner that Fine Gael’s Paschal Donohoe had with Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary in 2022.
Ms McDonald said of the incident: “I am struck in recent days that Fine Gael have taken to brazenly telling lies or mistruths, not least about our policy platform.
“I think a bit of transparency and a bit of straightforwardness from them now wouldn’t go astray.”
He also said he was overly “pedantic” about comments he made in the 10-way leaders’ debate on RTÉ that he did not sign the National Children’s Hospital contract.
“I think I was unnecessarily pedantic and semantic,” Mr Harris said. “I mean, the buck stops with me in relation to the National Children’s Hospital.
“The point I was trying to make is this, there’s sometimes comments that are a little flippant, like one person signed off on the contract. The point I’m making is these things go through a very deliberate process.”
Candidates across 43 constituencies continue to canvass as they approach the third and final week of the election campaign.
Housing and the cost of living appear to be dominant issues for voters, as parties criticise each other’s policies and spending plans.
