Oh please, FF/FG, let me serve you…

Here’s the seat distribution in the  South after the recent general election.

Fianna Fáil – 46

Sinn Féin – 39

 Fine Gael – 38

 Green Party – 1

Labour – 11

 Social Democrats – 11

 Independent Ireland – 4

People Before Profit / Solidarity – 3

Aontu – 2

 Independent – 16

 Other – 1

To form a government, any combination of parties would need 88 seats, so FF and FG  fall short at 84. In practical terms, they’d need not another 4 but another 10 probably or at bare minimum another 6. So they’re talking to smaller parties to establish a working majority. Labour and the Social Democrats would fit nicely, giving FF/FG a comfy working number of 106.

Something along those lines will be what will probably emerge, but it doesn’t have to. If all the parties and individuals who  detest the FF/FG axis as much as they say, they could reach the target of 88. There’d be no wriggle room, which is why it won’t happen.

Certainly any party that comes out of discussion with FF/FG would need some cast-iron promises

that FF/FG would deliver  said promises.  Labour or the Soc Dems will doubtless require something signed and sealed, if they expect it to be delivered. 

The trouble is, apart from Sinn Féin, there are few  inroads that any smaller group of TDs  could expect to make in altering FF/FG policy.

But here’s the thing. Supposing ALL of the smaller parties and individuals were to act as one and demand certain concessions, otherwise there’d be no FF/FG government, would that perhaps soften FF/FG’s cough?

Alas, that won’t happen. On the contrary, the non-FF/FG parties are  jostling in the queue to get an audience and hopefully a 5-year gig with the FF/FG masters.  The one exception is Sinn Féin, and that’s because FF and FG have already told the Shinners they will not have them as government partners.

But if instead of the unholy scramble to get a place in a government  led by FF and FG, the entire non-FF/FG people were to refuse to offer FF and FG their allegiance, it’d be interesting to see if  the FFers and the FGers blinked first.

Unfortunately, regardless of what they tell you, politics is all about me, me, me. But it’ll be interesting to see FF and FG  beating their heads off the wall of issues which they singularly  failed to resolve over the past five years.