Shane Ross is intensifying his recruitment for a new Independent grouping to "step up to the plate" and fight the next general election.

The Independent TD's preferred option would not be a political party, but a group of Independents "uniting behind a common platform of basic principles".

"The electorate is screaming out for us to act now," he said in an email to Independent councillors.

Mr Ross has told potential candidates a "historic opportunity is opening up" and he plans a meeting of the group in the New Year.

The plan is the nearest move to the formation of a new party so far and comes in the wake of the strong anti-establishment vote in two recent by-elections.

Mr Ross says the group would go into the general election campaign with a set of broad agreed policies and then enter negotiations on the formation of a Coalition.

He says he has the support of a number of other TDs and senators and has been meeting with Independent councillors over recent weeks.

"The main focus of our meetings has been on the general election, now expected in 2016. The majority - so far - have favoured a group of independents uniting behind a common platform of basic principles.

"A minority want a new political party. All are motivated by an ambition to send many more independents back to the Dail and Seanad and to seize the opportunity to finally end tribal politics," he said in his email.

Mr Ross says recent events such as the Seanad by-election debacle and Irish Water fiasco have "energised Independents more than ever into uniting behind a common banner".

"The Government's recent record has only served to confirm the contaminated culture that has infiltrated all the big parties. Increasingly, the electorate is seeing little difference between Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and Labour.

"Now is the time to step up to the plate and accept the challenge. The opinion polls are in our favour. The by-elections proved that the population of both rural and urban Ireland are demanding a radical change. The electorate is screaming out for us to act now," he said in the email.

The email was circulated by the Dublin South TD to a list of Independent councillors, both those who he has met and those he wants to attract to his movement.

"We have already identified a critical mass of independent TDs and councillors, easily enough to justify a meeting of all of us to plan the way forward in the New Year. I hope you will come - and help to build a platform of common principles," he said.

Mr Ross is promising Independent councillors his contacts will be "confidential for as long as you wish".

"The numbers are rising. A historic opportunity is opening up," he said.

The Independent TD had signalled his intention to set up a group in recent months and held exploratory talks as a result.

Speaking to the Irish Independent, Mr Ross said the plan was for the group to run under the one banner with agreed principles which could be put to the voters.

On foot of the mandate received by winning seats, the group could then go and negotiate with parties forming a government.

He said the group would be radical but "not mad right or mad left".

Mr Ross said he was not in favour of setting up a formal political party. Although he would not divulge their identities, he said he had a number of TDs signed up to join him.

He said the group would be set up well ahead of the general election, which is due in the spring of 2016.

Mr Ross's initiative is separate to the Independents' networking group set up by John Halligan, Catherine Murphy and Finian McGrath.

Lucinda Creighton's Reform Alliance has also repeatedly been the focus of speculation about the formation of a new party, but has not made a firm move in that direction yet.

Irish Independent