Ireland deadlock: Talks underway to break stalemate
TALKS between Ireland's two main parties will continue on Monday in a bid to a resolve a political crisis that has pushed the country's government towards collapse.
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If Fine Gael Taoiseach Leo Varadkar fails to end the stand-off with main opposition party Fianna Fail by tomorrow, a snap pre-Christmas election looms.
Mr Varadkar and Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin held talks over the weekend to try to avert a government meltdown at a time when ministers are preparing for December's crunch EU summit, when the fate of the Irish border post-Brexit could effectively be determined.
The wrangle surrounds the future of deputy premier Frances Fitzgerald who is under intense pressure to resign over her handling of a 2015 email that revealed attempts to discredit a Garda whistleblower, Sergeant Maurice McCabe.
The email has raised questions over Mrs Fitzgerald's denials, a year later, that she knew nothing of the contentious legal strategy deployed by the Garda to question the motives of Mr McCabe during a 2015 tribunal that examined his claims of police malpractice.
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The controversy took another twist on Sunday when it emerged the then Garda Commissioner Noirin O'Sullivan had discussed the strategy in a phone call with a senior Department of Justice official while the tribunal was still ongoing.
The revelation raised further questions about the extent of contact about the matter between the Garda and the Department of Justice at the time.
Mr Martin, whose party is keeping Mr Varadkar's coalition government alive through an 18-month-old confidence and supply agreement, has refused to back down on a motion of no confidence in Tanaiste Mrs Fitzgerald.
It is scheduled for Tuesday night and, if Fianna Fail follow through with it, the confidence and supply pact would be broken and the Government would fall.
One way out of the impasse could be for Mrs Fitzgerald to fall on her sword but Mr Varadkar has made clear he does not want her to walk away.
If the Dail is dissolved, Mr Varadkar would be reduced to the role of caretaker Taoiseach when he travels to Brussels for the summit.
The crisis has erupted at a time when Ireland's stance on Brexit - in particular its call for Northern Ireland to adhere to an EU customs framework - is threatening to thwart the UK government's desire to progress negotiations with Europe on to a future trade deal.
On Saturday, Mr Varadkar provided Mr Martin with an update on an emergency trawl of documents within the Department of Justice to locate any additional information on the whistleblower furore.
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That trawl unearthed details of Miss O'Sullivan's phone call to the Department of Justice official.
Mrs Fitzgerald has defended her handling of the email issue amid allegations she was aware of the campaign by lawyers for the Garda Commissioner and took no action.
On Sunday, she faced fresh questions as to whether she discussed the email with Miss O'Sullivan when she attended a memorial event with her the day after she received it.
Last week, Sinn Fein were first to announce plans for a motion of no confidence, with Fianna Fail then declaring its intention to follow suit.
