No general election in the near future as Government survives vote of no confidence

The final tally in support of the Government was 85 to 66.

The Government has survived the vote of no confidence, with a final vote of 85 to 66. The motion was initially brought forward by Sinn Féin following the loss of the coalition's majority last week. However, the Government then countered with a confidence motion of their own, which allowed them to speak for an hour on the topic, rather than the originally allotted 20 minutes. The hour was spent in a heated debate, with jabs being thrown from both sides. At one point, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald suggested that Minister for Housing Darragh O'Brien should be "first in line" to being thrown of government. O'Brien replied to the charge with not quite as strong a quip, saying that McDonald's "arrogance today is not just gone stratospheric, it's gone intergalactic." "You'd need NASA's Webb telescope to be able to track it."

@joedotie Darragh O'Brien was throwing out zingers in the Dáil today ??️‍♂️? #fyp #irish #ireland #burn #government #politics ♬ original sound - JOE.ie

Another moment which drew fits of laughter from Sinn Féin was Fianna Fáil TD Robert Troy suggesting that the opposition had seen the current chaos in Westminster and asked themselves "how do we get some of that here". Last Wednesday (6 July), Joe McHugh retired as Fine Gael party whip over the ongoing mica crisis in his home county of Donegal, leaving the government one vote short of a majority. Shortly after McHugh was out the door, Sinn Féin announced plans to table a motion of no-confidence in the Government. "The case for, and the need for, a change in government is unanswerable," Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said on RTÉ's Morning Ireland last Friday. "Two years on, we believe this Government has run out of road, they’re out of time and we think it is important now to hold them to account."