Sinn Féin chair Mary Lou McDonald has called on the independent TDs to stop supporting the government in Dáil votes as her party considers introducing a vote of no confidence in the coalition.
The government certainly appears to be facing a vote of no confidence ahead of the Dáil recess next week.
Either Sinn Féin or People Before Profit are set to file a motion during their private members’ time. Ms McDonald said her party would decide on her plan before the 11am deadline Friday morning.
Ms McDonald said: “The government has now lost its majority. We’ve now had two years of what I would describe as a disastrous government and we’ve gone from one fiasco to another on housing and health care.”
The Dublin Central TD said the appetite for change that was evident in the last election had not disappeared, but had in fact grown. She said people have run out of patience with the current government.
“They no longer have a majority. I have no doubt that they believe they can limp further. The sooner we have a change of government, the better. But on the issue of the no-confidence vote itself, we are considering that issue, we will make a final appeal tomorrow,” Ms McDonald said in Ringsend, south Dublin.
When asked if she had a message for Independent TDs who usually support the government in Dáil votes, she replied. “Yes, please stop, stop, stop it. This is bad government, we need solutions for people now, we need a change of direction that is clearly obvious.”
She spoke at the launch of Sinn Féin’s childcare policy, which promises to cut all parental contributions by as much as two-thirds in two years.
It is clear that PBP TD Richard Boyd Barrett told Dáil’s affairs committee on Thursday that his party would table a motion if Sinn Féin does not.
The move follows Fine Gael TD Joe McHugh’s decision to lay down his party’s whip after voting against the government on several amendments to the Mica recovery scheme.
A source at Sinn Féin said the matter is being “actively considered” but no final decision has been made before the deadline for filing a motion on Friday morning.
The Dáil will be suspended for the summer recess after next week. At the moment, Sinn Féin plans to table a housing motion in the Dáil next week, but this could change in the next 24 hours.
Mr McHugh’s decision reduces the number of coalition members in the Dáíl to 79 out of 159 TDs, not counting Ceann Comhairle.
The majority of the tripartite government has steadily eroded over the past two years, with the six-month suspension of Green Party TDs Patrick Costello and Neasa Hourigan two months ago, reducing the majority to one.
The resignation of former Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy from the Dáil and Marc MacSharry’s decision to resign last year’s parliamentary party Fianna Fáil also reduced the coalition’s majority.
However, it continues to enjoy support from a number of independent TDs, including Michael Lowry, in Dáil votes, meaning Sinn Féin’s motion is unlikely to pass.
A Sinn Féin spokesperson said: “This is a government that has now lost its parliamentary majority and is failing to address the cost of living and housing crises. They have lost their way. A vote of no confidence is pending.”