Laois Fianna Fáil TD Sean Fleming – who was elected for the seventh successful time – says that he’s happy to go back into Government again with whatever number of parties is needed to make up the required numbers.
Fleming, who was elected for the first time in 1997, took the second seat behind poll topper Willie Aird (Fine Gael) and was elected on the eighth count on Sunday.
He says there no was no level anger similar to 2020.
“With the campaign this time, I think other people found it across the country, from what I hear, they’re very easy on the door. It wasn’t the level of anger that you might have had on previous campaigns,” he said.
“It was calmer and nicer and more pleasant.
“But at the same time, I think every candidate was getting that. I came home saying to myself, ‘everyone is nice to me, but they can’t all be voting for me’.
“I’m not that harmless, right? So I just said, I can only conclude everybody is getting a more pleasant reaction than in the past.
“So that made it harder to call.”
He says that the return of two candidates in Laois from the outgoing Government is a strong statement from the electorate.
“The message I give about this election here today is, there are three seats in Laois. It looks fairly obvious to the people of Laois – two of the three to be government TDs.
“Because governments deliver, oppositions can’t. They can talk, but it takes government action.
“So I would have said that, put it back into government so we can deliver again for Laois into the future.
“And that does make a difference. So we can deliver for Laois. And now there’s two government TDs from Laois that hopefully will be in the next government.”
And he reckons that whatever combination of parties make up the next Government need to have a “good majority”.
The first thing I would say is, we need a clear, a good majority. I don’t believe in having a majority of one or two, because over a five-year term of government, one or two sadly might pass away. And one or two falls out which is over a local issue, somebody gets sick, people will go to Europe, so you need a good cushion.
“Because otherwise, it makes it too tense. Ministers can’t go abroad on vital missions for on behalf of the country, if they’re voting every week. So you need a comfortable majority of six.
“And if, and I say this, if it takes Fianna Fáil and Fianna Gael plus another fine, and if it takes two more, if it takes two, so be it. We got on well at three. And three is no harm.
“And if there has to be four, it’s not the end of the world. Because it does mean the government is covering and representing more people.
“So it might not happen. But if it has to be, I would say we should do that.”
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