Social Democrats introduce possibility of rainbow government

Social Democrats TD Róisín Shortall has not ruled out participating in a rainbow administration involving several parties and Independents after the next election.

“It is wide open,” she said. “There are many combinations of parties that could form a government.”

Ms Shortall was asked whether her party would serve in government with Fianna Fáil, Labour, Renua Ireland and Independents if the numbers were sufficient.

This would be on the basis of the current Government failing to be re-elected and an FF-FG coalition ruled out.

“Anything is possible,” she said.

Ms Shortall, who was speaking on Wednesday at the launch of the party’s health policy, said the Social Democrats had been insisting from the start that the election was wide open.

‘Irish NHS’

It was interesting, she said, to observe what was happening in the polls and on the doorsteps. The Government’s approach was to keep the recovery going, when many people had said they had not felt it.

On the party’s health policy, entitled “Build an Irish NHS”, Ms Shortall said the party would invest in primary and community services throughout the country, delivering them at lower cost and closer to home.

She said her party would reorientate the health service by switching activity and care away from acute hospitals and into the community. It would end the current two-tier service by raising the standard of public hospital service, she added.