Donegal TD Thomas Pringle has said it is only a matter of time before Fine Gael or Fianna Fail does a deal with Sinn Féin to form a government.
In a wide-ranging Hot Press interview, the Killybegs TD said “Fine Gael will go into coalition with whoever will keep them in power. Like Fianna Fail.”
“The thing over the next while is whether Sinn Féin will sell themselves out for power. The jury’s still out on that. And that’s the reality of the situation. So, I don’t care what Sinn Féin are going to do.”
He also claimed that Tánaiste Simon Coveney held two secret meetings with him in order to canvass him for his support prior to Fine Gael going into government in 2016.
“I met Simon Coveney on two occasions in the run-up to the formation of government … and probably, if I had come onboard with them, it would’ve given them a strong sense that they were doing something right. But there was obviously no way that I could have accepted what they were proposing.
“To have to go along with what the government was doing just to get stuff for your own constituency, that’s not something I could live with myself on.”
Mr Pringle also told Hot Press’ senior editor Jason O’Toole that he finds it ridiculous that Gerry Adams still maintains that he wasn’t a member of the IRA.
“It is farcical. But it is probably understandable too.”
Deputy Pringle also discussed why he believes his constituency of Donegal was the only one to reject the 8th Amendment referendum.
“There were a number of reasons for it. Donegal has been left behind. When I ask questions about Donegal in the Dáil, the government says Donegal is doing well because unemployment figures have dropped – it’s emigration that has dropped the unemployment figures.
“So, a kind of protest vote is a factor. Another factor is that other politicians who were supposed to be supporting the referendum didn’t actually put the work in!”
In the interview, Mr Pringle goes on to discuss the impact of suffering a stroke last year, Brexit, Donald Trump, Northern Ireland, his father’s time in prison and losing his virginity.
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