The Daily Star Ireland
Simon Harris has urged Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald to release her party’s manifesto ahead of the first leaders’ debate on Monday evening. Harris, the Fine Gael leader, accused McDonald of “cynicism” for withholding the manifesto until after the televised debate.
In response, McDonald criticized Harris, claiming he was avoiding participation in a separate proposed debate. On social media, she accused him of “hiding” and said he avoids being held accountable for his record.
However, Harris responded by stating that Fine Gael has not received a formal invitation to join a leaders’ debate organized by Sky News and Today FM ahead of the election. He added that it’s strange that McDonald believes everyone in the country is afraid to debate her. Harris expressed his intention to challenge McDonald on several points during Monday’s debate and emphasized that he was looking forward to it.
During Fine Gael’s manifesto launch in Tipperary, Harris said, “We have a debate the following Tuesday and there are regular debates in the Dáil. It would be more productive if McDonald published her manifesto before the debate so they could engage on her proposals.”
Harris described McDonald’s decision to release her manifesto after the first debate as a cynical move, allowing her to respond to questions by saying the answers would be in the manifesto. He challenged McDonald to release the manifesto before their debate on Monday, so the discussion could focus on her detailed proposals.
Harris also clarified that Fine Gael had never received a formal invitation for any other debates, but they would consider participating if an invitation were extended. Sources confirmed that while discussions about a debate are ongoing, no official invitations have been sent.
Matt Cooper, a radio host with Today FM, posted on Twitter that Sky News and Today FM had proposed a joint debate for next Friday, and expressed hope that Harris could fit it into his schedule. It’s understood that Fianna Fáil has agreed to participate.
Meanwhile, McDonald continued to criticize Harris on Twitter, claiming he was avoiding a debate with her and refusing to take responsibility for Fine Gael’s performance in government. She accused him of lacking new ideas and of avoiding being challenged on his record.
In the coming weeks, party leaders will participate in two live debates. All 10 major party leaders are invited to Monday’s debate, and another debate between Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, and Sinn Féin will take place on November 26th.
