Sinn Féin President Mary Lou McDonald TD has said that the people voted for change and the political challenge is to deliver a Government for Change. 

She said that Micheál Martin’s decision to dismiss the views of the more than half a million people who voted for change and to disregard the mandate received by Sinn Féin is “reckless and arrogant”.

She went on to say that the people did not vote for five more years of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, and that it is unthinkable that these two parties would go back into government for more of the same. 

Ms. McDonald said:

“The people voted for change and politically the challenge is to give people the government that they voted for – that is a Government for Change; a government that will deal with the housing crisis and the trolley crisis, that will guarantee the pension age at sixty-five, that will give workers and families a break, and that will work for Irish Unity. That is what we want to deliver.

“Since the votes were counted Sinn Féin had taken a constructive and proactive approach to forming government. We are continuing to talk to the Greens, People before Profit and the Social Democrats and are making contact with Independents.

“While we strongly disagree with Fianna Fáil on many policies and issues, the voters have given us a mandate to make change happen and that is what we must do.

“Micheál Martin has arrogantly refused to speak to Sinn Féin – the party which won the election and which represents over half a million people. This position is totally untenable and reckless.

“Fianna Fail and Fine Gael have held power for almost a century. They want to have it all their own way. They seek to obstruct the alternative politics and the appetite of the people for change. 

“The people didn’t vote for five more years of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael.

“I cannot imagine who would be prepared to put these two parties back into government for more of the same. People will be appalled at the prospect of Micheál Martin putting Eoghan Murphy back in as Housing Minister and Simon Harris back in as Health Minister.”