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Simon Harris insists '76% did not vote for Sinn Fein' after Fine Gael's election disaster

Simon Harris has come out on behalf of his party and reminded people that “not everybody voted for Sinn Fein” and that three quarters of voters gave their number ones to other candidates.

The outgoing Health Minister said that Fine Gael now needs to go into thinking mode after the disastrous election result that saw the TD tally collapse to just 35.

Mr Harris said: “You’d think by listening to some of the commentary that everybody voted Sinn Fein.

“76% of people did not vote for Sinn Fein to be in government, so the centre should try and hold, but the process is that Sinn Fein should try and go for it first.”

Mr Harris said that the offer of a grand coalition with Fianna Fail stands.Simon Harris has come out on behalf of his party and reminded people that “not everybody voted for Sinn Fein” and that three quarters of voters gave their number ones to other candidates.

The outgoing Health Minister said that Fine Gael now needs to go into thinking mode after the disastrous election result that saw the TD tally collapse to just 35.

Mr Harris said: “You’d think by listening to some of the commentary that everybody voted Sinn Fein.

“76% of people did not vote for Sinn Fein to be in government, so the centre should try and hold, but the process is that Sinn Fein should try and go for it first.”

Mr Harris said that the offer of a grand coalition with Fianna Fail stands.

(Image: Gareth Chaney/Collins)

But Fine Gael has for now firmly put the ball back in Sinn Fein’s court when it comes to trying to form a Government, with Mr Harris saying: “She (Mary Lou McDonald) should now do what she said she was going to do, let her off now and see if she can form a government, and I wish her well in that regard.

“If she can’t, I do think there’s an obligation on the centre of Irish politics, which still won a hell of a lot of votes by the way.”

Mr Harris is resolute in his backing of Leo Varadkar as Fine Gael leader going forward, saying “it would be a disaster” to try and oust him now.

Fine Gael has gone from being the biggest party in the State to third place.

Mr Harris said: “I think the first thing we need to do as a party is to reflect, we’ve lost many good colleagues, I think 2 of my outgoing colleagues, but we’ve also gained 5 new TDs I think.

“So I’m looking forward to the Fine Gael parliamentary party and having the opportunity to meet, to discuss the issues and to reflect on the election.

(Image: 2020 Getty Images)

“I think the first thing to say is that whilst we clearly lost votes and lost seats, so did Fianna Fail. Sinn Fein won votes and won seats.

“Nobody won the election outright and the obligation is always on the person who has the most seats in Dail Eireann to see if he or she, she in this case, Mary Lou McDonald, can form a government.

“I understand from her public utterances that that’s what she now intends to do.

“And the great thing about being in Fine Gael is that the position is consistent.

“It was the same before the election, during the election and after the election.

“We’re willing to talk to any and all parties in Dail Eireann about forming a government should that arise, with the exception of Sinn Fein.

“Because while Sinn Fein has a mandate, and I respect that mandate, I have a mandate and so do my Fine Gael colleagues, and that mandate very, very clearly was not to go into Government with Sinn Fein.

“In fact, I think it’s interesting, there were really two parts to the campaign, there were debates on policies, on all the big issues and where all the parties stood on them, but there was also a very significant amount of time with leaders asked about coalition formation and what would you do.

“And I think it’s fair to say that Leo Varadkar’s position on this could not have been clearer.”

(Image: REUTERS/Lorraine O'Sullivan)

Mr Harris was speaking on the Today with Sean O’Rourke Show where he was also asked if he could possibly help facilitating Ms McDonald as Taoiseach by abstaining on a Taoiseach vote.

He said: “I certainly never could abstain, never, ever abstain on a Sinn Fein candidate for Taoiseach, and I know my party colleagues, I’d be shocked if that ever was the party position. The position is very clear here.

“There were people with me on the doorsteps of Delgany, Greystones and Bray who said, Simon, if we give you a vote you’re not going to do a deal with Sinn Fein and I responded by telling the truth that we weren’t.

“We remain available though to talk to other parties.”