Lowry to vote with the Government, McGrath against, in Sinn Féin no confidence Dáil motion

Tipperary’s two Independent TDs were due to vote in opposing directions in a crucial no confidence motion tabled by Sinn Féin following last Wednesday’s retirement of Joe McHugh as Fine Gael party whip over the ongoing mica crisis in his home county of Donegal, leaving the government one vote short of a majority.

Pressure has come on Tipperary’s two Independents to explain who they will support in a vote that was expected to pass in the government’s favour at the time of going to print on Tuesday.

As one of the Rural Independent TDs, Deputy Mattie McGrath said he “will not support a brain-dead government bereft of ideas or purpose.”

“A government with ‘no plan’ and ‘no ideas’ to help the public cope with the current cost-of-living crisis is deserving of no support”, according to the Rural Independent Group of TDs.

Speaking on Friday, July 8, from his Tipperary constituency, the leader of the Group, Deputy McGrath stated: “The problem with this Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party government is that they think their job is to hold the people accountable to the government rather than the government accountable to the people.”

“We are, at present, seeing the brain death of the current Irish government," added Deputy McGrath. 

‘Risk of Collapse’

Deputy Michael Lowry said he will support the Government.
“I have had separate discussions with both the Taoiseach and Tanaiste to discuss my stance on this vote.

“My reasons for supporting the Government are centred on Budgetary matters. The country needs a constructive Budget at this time. This is why I voted last week to support the Sinn Féin Motion to bring the date of Budget 2023 forward.

“To vote against the Government at this crucial juncture would risk collapsing the Government. In the event of a General Election being called, this would postpone the possibility of a Budget by an indefinite period of time.

“This is time that people do not have. People need help as soon as possible. It would be morally wrong to expect people to wait open-endedly for assistance given the financial burdens they currently face.

“This is one of the most crucial Budgets in recent history. People will not cope financially without the timely support of the Government,” added Deputy Lowry.

Full story in this week's Tipperary Star.