Verona Murphy Confirms Bloc Talks with Regional Independence Group
Verona Murphy said she has been contacted by many people and confirmed the regional independence group will negotiate as a bloc. She said phone calls have filled the last two days, that four remaining members will meet tomorrow and that she could not yet provide numbers.
Immediate contacts
She said "loads of people" have been in contact and that she has been on the phone for hours over the last two days. She also referenced "new independence" as among those in contact.
Group composition
Murphy said the regional independence group currently has four remaining members; two members have retired and two are unelected. She wished Matt and Cahillberry well when discussing the change in membership.
Bloc negotiation
When asked if the group would negotiate as a bloc, she replied yes and said the four remaining members and some others are talking. She indicated the group might expand, which could increase its clout.
Numbers and next steps
Murphy said she did not have numbers to share about possible expansion and that she would be meeting tomorrow. She declined to speculate ahead of that meeting.
Responses to coalition questions
Reporters asked whether Fine Gael or Fianna Fáil had been in contact and whether the group would go into government; Murphy repeated that "lots of people" had been in contact but did not confirm specific negotiations.
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Verona Murphy, congratulations again to yourself. Has anyone been in contact with you yet? No, Sarah. To be fair, you could start with something else. There's loads of people have been in contact. We've been talking to, literally, look at the last two days, have been on the phone for hours and hours. There's new independence, of course, also. So it's all that. And I think everybody's in the same position. Okay, so when you say loads of people have been in contact, do you mean a part of the regional independence group? Is it? I mean various people, yeah. Any government, sorry, Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil? Well, look at, lots of people, lots of people. Okay, are you going to be, you were part of the regional independence group in the last Dáil and that included members like Michael Lowry and a number of others, Sean Canney and a number of others, who have already indicated that they're interested in going forward for government or being part of a coalition. Will you be, you'll be part of the group again, will you be negotiating as a bloc? Yes, we will. And we are, the four remaining members that are there, two are retired, two are unelected, unfortunately, and I wish Matt and Cahillberry very well. And the four remaining members and some others are talking at the moment. Okay, so that regional independence group might expand, which will give you a bit more clout. Yes. Do you have any numbers as to what you'd like to expand to? No, to be fair, we will be meeting tomorrow. So no, I don't want, I can't. Okay, so we might find out tomorrow. Yeah. All right, okay, I'll come back to you on that. All right, okay, I'll come back to you on that.
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