Southside TD Paul Murphy has called on Sinn Féin to back left-wing independent Catherine Connolly for President.
In July, it was revealed that Murphy’s party, People Before Profit, were joining the Social Democrats and Labour in backing the Galwegian in the race to succeed Michael D Higgins as President.
However, Sinn Féin has remained coy about what exactly it plans to do in the upcoming election, which must take place before November 11.
Murphy has repeatedly spoken about the need for the parties of the left to work together, calling for a transfer pact ahead of the 2024 local elections and the 2024 general election.
Murphy’s calls for left unity seemingly fell on deaf ears, and Sinn Féin’s seeming hesitancy to back Connolly has caused concern for Murphy.
Speaking on Thursday, the Dublin South-West TD said that Connolly has the “best chance” to beat whoever the government parties put forward.
The race has exploded into life after Fine Gael’s previously agreed-upon candidate, former European commissioner and veteran MEP Mairead McGuinness, withdrew from the race on health grounds.
Within the Connolly campaign, there was doubt that the Galwegian TD could have beaten McGuinness, but now that McGuinness is out of the race, there is belief within the campaign that Connolly could beat whoever the government parties put forward.
Murphy said, “it’s very positive that other parties of the left have also come together, but we’re obviously anxiously awaiting the outcome of Sinn Féin’s deliberations.”
Murphy noted, “there are certainly lots of grassroots Sinn Féin members who are very supportive of Catherine Connolly and, of course, we respect Sinn Féin’s own internal processes, but we’re certainly hoping that they make the decision to support Catherine Connolly. We think that will be a real boost.”
Rumours have persisted that Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald could run as a candidate; in early August, McDonald told the Irish Times that “elections are decided on transfers” and insisted that a solo Sinn Féin run would not split the left-wing vote.
Within Sinn Féin, there are some reservations about Connolly not having “sufficient” Republican chops, and some elements of the party’s executive want to run a candidate who would “push forward” the conversation on a United Ireland.
Murphy appealed to Sinn Féin to work with the fellow parties of the left, saying, “having an election where we’re working together on the ground on a national level, I think, has the potential to energise people.”
The People Before Profit TD said that a potential Connolly presidency would put foreign affairs at the forefront of her presidency.
“Do we want the Government to get away with abandoning all that is left of neutrality and ripping up the triple lock? Or do we want to defend neutrality in the triple lock?” Murphy asked, rhetorically.
“Do we want to have a Government which says some correct things in relation to Palestine, but then continues with complicity in terms of the Central Bank authorisation of the bonds, in terms of trying to water down the Occupied Territories Bill, in terms of the overflights that continue to happen?”
Murphy’s comments point to the opposition parties of the left wanting to make the presidential election a mini-referendum on how the government has handled its first few months in office since being re-elected at the 2024 general election.
Announcing the party’s backing of Connolly in July, People Before Profit said “the left, boosted by winning the presidential election and vowing to rule out coalition with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, would be a very powerful political force with the momentum and popular support necessary to finally end the rule of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael”
“It’s what so many want; the parties of the left have the power to make it happen”.
Former Fine Gael Minister Heather Humphreys has emerged as the favourite to be Fine Gael’s name on the ballot, which local Sinn Féin TD Mark Ward said would be a gamble for the government, commenting that the move “reeks of desperation” from Fine Gael.
“Humphreys was in government for nearly 14 years; in that time, Fine Gael brought a decade of austerity and cutbacks that wreaked havoc on communities right across the state,” the Dublin Mid-West TD said.
“As a result of decisions made by her and her colleagues, we now have record homelessness with nearly 16,000 people, including almost 5,000 children, homeless; a health system on its knees; and a cost-of-living crisis that continues to spiral out of control.”
“As a TD for Dublin Mid-West, I still see the scars of those decisions every day; derelict, boarded up homes; families fighting eviction and children growing up in hotel rooms.”
Ward said, “the consequences of their policies are particularly visible in working-class communities who are still paying the price for the choices made during the decade that Humphreys sat at Cabinet.”
“The Irish people deserve so much more. The President of Ireland should represent everybody, not just the elite and wealthy.”
Fine Gael sources have indicated to Southside People that running Humphreys will help make up for losing a candidate of McGuinness’ stature.
McGuinness was considered the ideal candidate for Fine Gael, prior to her dropping out on health grounds, and the party have made a concerted effort to run someone from a rural area in a bid to move slightly away from the urban, cosmopolitan version of the party that defined the party in the 2020 and 2024 general elections.
With Connolly, who represents Galway City as well as all of Western Galway in the Dáil, and Humphreys, who was a TD for Cavan-Monaghan from 2011 to 2024, this means that Fianna Fáil may fancy their chances at running a candidate from Dublin.
Fianna Fáil have shown no urgency in clearing up who their candidate will be, or if they will even field a candidate.
MEP Billy Kelleher has called on the party to have a meeting “as soon as possible” to discuss the party’s strategy heading into the election.
Earlier this year, it was announced that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael would be running separately in the election despite being in coalition together in the Dáil.
In a poll of Fianna Fáil TDs conducted by Virgin Media News this week, a majority of the party’s TDs said they would back former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern being the party’s candidate.