In advance of a meeting between the Taoiseach and the Fianna Fáil leader this evening in relation to an extension of their Confidence and Supply arrangement, Sinn Féin President Mary Lou McDonald TD has said:

“Today’s meeting between Leo Varadkar and Micheál Martin is a sideshow, and it is meaningless to people faced with the reality of unaffordable housing and rising rents, those lying on hospital trolleys and those facing into a year of stress about making ends meet.

“Extending the life of an ineffective and out-of-touch government only serves the interests of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil.

“It will do nothing for the hundreds of thousands of workers and families that are suffering because of the failures of their coalition arrangement.

“It will do nothing to improve public services, it will do nothing to address the housing crisis and it will do nothing to fix serious problems in our health service.

“Frankly, I think enough is enough.

“We need to put people first.  

“It is time to accept that this government has run out of road and it is time to call a General Election.

“Let’s give the people a chance to say loud and clear that it is time to give workers and family a break, that it is time to cut rents and build homes, and that it is time to start planning for Irish Unity.

“It is time to give the people their say.”