The Social Democrats leadership has expressed the view it is unlikely that the next government will rely on a confidence-and-supply arrangement. Catherine Murphy and Róisín Shortall have also expressed doubt over the feasibility of a minority government that had no support arrangement such as confidence and supply in place. In comments reflecting the difficulty that government-formation talks will entail, Ms Shortall said of confidence and supply: “I think it’s unlikely I have to say. Ms Shortall said that a centre-left government would be its preference, but the question was whether the numbers were there or not. Ms Murphy said there would have to an agreed policy programme that was “all about outcomes and timelines”.

Source: The Irish Times February 12, 2020 13:01 UTC