All political parties in Ireland are planning for a November general election, Mary Lou McDonald has said.
Despite Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil’s repeated insistence that the election will not be called until next year, the Sinn Féin president said everyone’s expectation was for a November poll.
After a bruising set of local election results in June, Ms McDonald said her party had listened to the message delivered by the electorate and was now “ready” for a general election.
In terms of candidate selection, Ms McDonald said she hoped it would be “third time lucky” for her party, after it admitted running too few candidates in the 2020 general election and arguably too many in the summer local elections. She said the party was likely to field around 70 candidates.
“All of the political parties are preparing now for an election, for an autumn election, we would prefer that it happens sooner rather than later,” she said.
“I think the time is right now to go to the people. We will set forward our plans, the plan for an alternative. We will come forward with plans and not simply soundbites, it’s a time for change now. So, bring it on.”
Ms McDonald was talking to reporters ahead of the Sinn Féin think-in event in Dublin.
Asked if she anticipated a poll in November, she said: “Our expectation remains November, yeah, we’ve been working to that and I think, in fairness, so is everybody else in truth.”
Ms McDonald said her party would be prioritising housing, childcare, the cost of living and the creation of safe and sustainable communities on the campaign trail.
She was asked about stalling poll numbers following the local elections, including the latest snapshot in the Irish Examiner on Monday morning that suggested the party was losing support among the rural electorate.
“The (local) election gave us a message loud and clear,” she said.
“They said – do better, be more present, set out for us that there really is another option, and we have heard that loud and clear.
“We’ve worked very hard this summer, as I’ve said, putting all of that together, presenting all of that.
“We’re going to keep doing that for urban dwellers, for rural dwellers as well. We’re very well aware that we’ve a big job of work to do, but we also know that we’re fit for it.
“We’re ready for it, and we’re coming back into the Dail with, I would say, more determination than ever to actually deliver that.
“So, of course, we will always want to be more connected, not just with rural voters, but with voters more generally.”
Ms McDonald was also asked would she ever countenance a coalition with Fianna Fáil. She declined to definitively rule that prospect out but did urge voters to do the “smart thing” and ensure that neither Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael were part of the next government.
Asked to respond to criticism of her party’s economic policies by Fianna Fáil Finance Minister Jack Chambers, she said: “Jack would do well to remember that Fianna Fáil crashed this economy, shattered this economy, wrecked businesses, wrecked people’s lives.
“There’s people now living at the far side of the globe who may never get the opportunity to come back home and live here, and they are there because of Jack Chambers’ government.
“I think he ought to be reminded of that, the actual damage that they did, rather than speculating in his mind what Sinn Féin might do.
“We will be strong in advancing a productive, enterprising economy and also an equal society. How’s that? Maybe that doesn’t add up for Fianna Fáil, but I’ll tell you, for most people, most Irish people, across communities, that adds up – good jobs, decent work, proper terms and conditions, enterprises that can survive and flourish, and a society in which we have equality and everybody gets a fair shake at the stick and a fair chance. And our housing policy is a plan that can work.”
Pressed whether she would rule out a coalition with Fianna Fáil, she responded: “Our objective is for a left government. Our job now is to present Sinn Féin and all of our plans, and we’re going to go out and we’re going to say to people, please do the right thing, do the smart thing, put Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael out of government, and give another party a chance to show you how really good government is done.”
