Longford Leader Editorial: Time for politicians to get a move on

The inaugural meeting of the 33rd Dáil last Thursday was never going to produce a government given the intricate arithmetic that the general election threw up on February 8. And let's not be anyway blase about it.

The formation of a government requires time, hard work, patience and sometimes a bit of luck thrown in for good measure.
However, the rancour in evidence in the Dáil chamber last week was a bit dispiriting nevertheless. Granted that there is an element of shadow boxing to all of this and that territory is being carved out, or reconfigured. That said, it's clear that the options for coalition variables have narrowed, and considerably so.

Without being trite about it, it's worth highlighting that the people voted for a government and it's the responsibility of the players involved to carve out some sort of arrangement. The next steps will not get any easier for anyone.

Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil are getting ready to meet, but no one should underestimate the level of tribalism at play in both sections of the respective parties. Meanwhile, Sinn Féin is embarking on its version of going back to the people with a series of planned rallies to garner public support for its government efforts.

All well and good, but the people had their say a fortnight ago and a government won't be formed at this stage through public fervour or otherwise.

Also read: Editorial - There is no place for violence in Longford

As these deliberations continue, many issues are starting to accumulate in all the in trays of government departments. The impasse last week in the EU budget negotiations highlights the many difficulties that Brexit has wrought and will continue to.

The formation of the government will take a while, but it cannot take too long. There are too many pressing problems which require solutions and actions, both domestically and internationally.