Brendan Howlin has opened the door to coalition with Sinn Fein.
The Labour leader said there were still “impediments” in the way to any alliance after the election, but he said that he doesn’t rule out talking to anybody.
He said: “I’m happy to sit down with Sinn Fein.”
Mr Howlin’s remarks came after the leaders’ debate in NUI Galway on Monday night where both Mr Howlin and Sinn Fein leader, Mary Lou McDonald, put in polished performances.
Fine Gael and Fianna Fail, the two largest parties in the country, both repeated their position that there is no prospect whatsoever of either of them doing a coalition deal with Sinn Fein.
But Mr Howlin was far more inviting.
His comments open the door for a possible government being formed that excludes both Fianna Fail and Fine Gael for the first time in the State’s history.
He said: “The election is being presented as a Tweedledum/Tweedledee, you can have a sort of centre-right party called Fine Gael, or a centre-right party called Fianna Fail, whose policy platform is absolutely interchangeable.
“The only thing that Leo said to make it different is: ‘you can trust us.’
“I mean, if there is no quantifiable difference between the two, that needs to be said.”
He added: “We need to have an allowance with progressive thinkers who can set out a platform of investment to solve these crises.
“Once we have that, I’m happy to sit down with Sinn Fein.
“I am happy to sit down with Sinn Fein, but, the caveat that I entered, and I enter this on every occasion, is that there is a central issue of trust.
“I have served in governments that have collapsed on trust.
“Governments with two or more parties only can survive on the basis of trusting one another.
“That trust issue is an impediment to working with Sinn Fein.”
