Are they serious about doing business? - Rural independents don't want to be 'fodder' for main parties
Rural independent TDs have told Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil to tell them whether they want their support to form a government.
A group of five rural TDs - Mattie McGrath, Richard O'Donoghue, Danny Healy-Rae, Michael Healy-Rae and Michael Collins - met with Fianna Fáil TD Dara Calleary and Tánaiste Simon Coveney at the Department of Agriculture last night to discuss the policy document the two parties released last week.
Michael Healy-Rae said that while he was open to a government, he wanted to avoid being used as "fodder".
He said: "We want a government. We want politicians who will listen to the people and listen to the opposition.
"It is of utmost importance that we all really knuckle down.
The one thing that I don't want as an individual or a part of this group is to be used as a type of fodder - that they're talking to us, but they're not really talking to us.
"Do Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael want to deal with us or are they only going through the motions? Are they serious about doing business?
"Time is too precious to be going through the motions."
Mr Healy-Rae said that the group was not afraid of going into a government which will have to make "hard decisions".
"We're afraid of nothing. Our job is to work for the people who voted for us - and those who didn't."
Mr McGrath said that the group would not "shirk from its responsibilities", but that they accepted the formation of a government would be a "hard road".
During the course of the meeting, the group of TDs outlined their priorities for the coming five years, as well as concerns over the impacts which the Covid-19 outbreak will have on rural Ireland.
"A standalone senior ministry for agriculture and separately for fisheries are two areas that I would see as a red line," said Cork South-West TD Michael Collins.
Mr Collins said that the two areas had been the "poor relation" of Irish politics.
Mr Collins said that he would give due consideration to
"I'm very interested in listening to what they have to offer and if they're serious about delivering for rural Ireland, I would give serious consideration into entering into government.
