Fianna Fail to meet later for first time since election

 

Fianna Fáil’s parliamentary party meets later for the first time since it lost eight seats in the general election.
The party is split on what to do next and whether or not to work with Sinn Féin.
Fianna Fáil election candidates have been licking their wounds for the past few days, and the party has felt a sense of shellshock.
Many expected them to comfortably the largest party in the Dáil.
Instead it lost 8 seats and leads Sinn Féin by just one TD.
The reduced parliamentary party gathers in Leinster House later with plenty wanting to air their views about what went wrong to the party leadership.
It will be Micheál Martin’s first time addressing the group since the election.
The party also has to decide what to do next, and is completely split on whether or not to do business with Sinn Féin.
Some see it as political pragmatism, that the numbers are the numbers and the will of the people.
While others say they would entirely reject the idea of government with Sinn Féin.
The parties will continue to hold exploratory meetings, with the Social Democrats planning to talk to Sinn Féin, Fianna Fáil and the Greens.
But everyone is still in the stage of feeling things out and assessing the numbers before any serious negotiations start.