An apology to Fine Gael regarding the feasibility of Inter-Party Government.

I would like to take this opportunity to apologise to Fine Gael and members of that party. I may have, in recent weeks, since the election of the 30th Dáil, implied on Politics.ie that the suggestion that Enda Kenny might fashion together an Inter-Party Government comprising Fine Gael, Labour, the Green Party, the Progressive Democrats and a number of Independent TDs was ‘absurd’, ‘unfeasible’, ‘ridiculous’, ‘unwieldy beyond belief’, ‘impracticable’, ‘wrong’ and ‘nonsense’.

I now recognise, in view of the composition of the present Coalition between Fianna Fáil, the Green Party, the Progressive Democrats, Jackie Healy-Rae, Finian McGrath, Michael Lowry and Beverley Cooper Flynn, that my previous statements were entirely incorrect and that the terms ‘absurd’, ‘ridiculous’, ‘unwieldy beyond belief’, ‘impracticable’, ‘wrong’, ‘nonsense’ could equally be applied to the current coalition prior to its formation.

It is now apparent that Enda Kenny was entirely visionary in the suggestion that such an alliance could be formed to prevent Fianna Fáil from attaining Government in this Dáil. The outlines of the Inter-Party Government he sought were almost identical to that finally formed, and the sticking point that others raised, a total incompatablity between the Progressive Democrats and the Green Party on policy issues, was as he correctly discerned a mere detail. Moreover his innovative idea that gene-pool Independents might work with a party of the opposite stripe to their DNA was also essentially correct.

Clearly had Enda Kenny fashioned together such a political alliance it too would have been in a position to deliver as strong and stable a government for this country as the current coalition intends to do.

Again, my sincere apologies…