Simon Harris, leader of Fine Gael, recently made amends by directly calling disability worker Fallon to apologize and pledged to meet her in person to address her grievances thoroughly. Despite the apology, Fallon shared her emotional state with The Irish Times, expressing that she was still deeply unsettled by what she described as “horrible” treatment during their interaction.
“I wouldn’t want anyone else to go through an experience like that,” Fallon said, adding, “It’s not a nice feeling to go home in tears.”
Harris’ misstep comes as the campaign enters its critical final phase amid freezing evenings and disruptions caused by an Atlantic storm that has left thousands without power and isolated rural areas flooded. With this weekend marking one of the final opportunities to reach voters at home in daylight hours, pressure is mounting on all parties.
The coming days will see the release of major new polling in the Sunday Independent, followed by additional polls on Monday and Wednesday. A key televised debate between Harris, Foreign Minister Micheál Martin of Fianna Fáil, and Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald is scheduled for Tuesday night—the stakes for which could not be higher.
Recent polls have depicted a razor-thin lead for Fine Gael over its main coalition partner and centrist competitor Fianna Fáil, as well as Sinn Féin, which is vying to make further gains. With such narrow margins, it’s plausible the three parties could end up in a virtual deadlock for the top spot. Traditionally, the party with the most parliamentary seats gets the first chance to negotiate a coalition government.
However, both Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil have categorically ruled out any partnership with Sinn Féin, emphasizing their refusals to collaborate with the Irish republican party to form a government. This stance adds further uncertainty to the potential coalition landscape as the campaign barrels toward the finish line.
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