Micheál Martin has again ruled out a post-election coalition with Sinn Féin as he suggested many voters would like to see the current Government parties return to power.
The Fianna Fáil leader also dismissed any idea he might be considering retirement as he insisted he retained the “hunger” to “keep going”.
The Tánaiste accused Sinn Féin, and other parties on the left such as People Before Profit, of falsely portraying Ireland as a failed state.
“I accept we have an awful lot more to do in certain areas, but I do not accept the narrative of a failed state,” he told RTÉ Radio One.
Mr Martin said opposition to any alliance with Sinn Féin was not just his personal stance, but was a viewpoint held by the party more generally.
“We will not be governing with Sinn Féin,” he said.
Asked if that was only the position for as long as he remained leader, he added: “With me as leader. It’s not me, it’s the party and the policy alignment, the policies simply do not align with Sinn Féin.
“We’ve seen that recently in terms of the housing question, and also there is that question of legacy.
“I do think Sinn Féin need to address what the Provisional IRA did and not triumphalise it because we have a great opportunity for the young people of this generation to really have a broader perspective in terms of violence, the use of violence for political ends, and I think we should grasp that opportunity.”
Asked if he would ever retire, Mr Martin said: “I’m feeling good at the moment, and I’m interested in and engaged in political issues and political life.
“As long as that remains and as long as the hunger and the anger and the frustration is still there about the failure to achieve certain things, well I’ll keep going.”
Asked if his preference was for another coalition with Fine Gael and the Greens, or also potentially the Social Democrats and Labour, Mr Martin said: “There are no certainties in life or in politics.
“We get a sense, and I’ve been knocking many doors since the local elections in particular, a lot of people seem relatively OK with the policy thrust of this government, and there’s a significant cohort of the electorate (in favour) for a continuation of that. But there could be variations of that.”
On the election date, the Tánaiste again sought to dampen speculation about a November poll.
He said: “There’s not much between November and February if you stand back from it. And to me, the fundamental issues we want to get the Finance Bill done after the budget. There are logistical issues in terms of November, but a Finance Bill has to be done. A Social Protection Bill has to be done.
"We’ve published a Mental Health Bill, which is a long-awaited amendment of the 2001 Mental Health Bill, which we’d like to see through. We’d like to see the Defamation Bill through. So all of that takes a bit of time.”
Mr Martin said the cost of living would be a focus of next month’s budget as he said families continued to “feel the pressure” of inflation rises over the last three years.
He confirmed it was likely that one energy credit would be paid out this year but would not be drawn on whether the budget would include a second credit payment.
Mr Martin also declined to confirm whether the budget would include a second tier child benefit for lower income families, saying only that ministers were “considering it”.
He said it did not follow that the Government would seek to call a swift election on the back of announcing a raft of new measures and tax breaks in the budget.
“Experience tells me that budgets on their own don’t win elections,” he said.
“We should not underestimate the sophistication of the Irish electorate.
“I think it’s important that the budget deals with cost of living, gives workers a break in terms of tax and continues the momentum on housing and health expenditure.”
