Varadkar claims Sinn Féin government would weaken Irish influence abroad

Foreign policy has found itself back in the spotlight in recent weeks, and as Sinn Féin start to voice their hopes to lead Government after the next general election, An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has claimed that a Sinn Féin-led government would damage Ireland’s reputation on the international stage. 

Speaking to reporters in Seoul on his trip to South Korea, Varadkar said “I do think generally Sinn Féin’s foreign policy would weaken Ireland’s influence in the world.”

“I think they would certainly risk falling out with the United States over issues like Cuba, Venezuela, perhaps their stance in the Middle East, would fall out with Spain over their support for separatism there,” he claimed.

Varadkar stated that Sinn Féin “have been very critical of the European Union and its institutions, not just historically but also recently.”

Sinn Féin was among the leading parties that opposed the Lisbon Treaty in 2008 and the austerity imposed by the IMF bailout in 2010, but in recent weeks has indicated it was considering switching from the GUE/NGL grouping in the European Parliament, and has taken a decidedly more centre-left approach under the leadership of Mary Lou McDonald.

Sinn Féin has traditionally sat with left-wing parties such as the Greek party Syriza and German party Die Linke who criticise the European Union project from a left-wing perspective, but is reportedly eyeing up a switch to the more centre-left Socialists and Democrats grouping in the European Parliament, which is home to parties such as the Irish version of Labour, Germany’s governing SPD party, and the Portuguese Socialist party.

“For a small country that needs to have good relations with the US, with the UK, with the European Union, with other member states, I think it is the case that Sinn Féin would weaken and damage our relations with lots of different other countries and that would have consequences, I think,” Vardakar said.

“It would have economic consequences for a start, would reduce our influence in the world, and certainly would do nothing to help people like the Palestinians, for example.”