It follows in the wake of today’s poll which puts Sinn Féin within the margin of error of being the second largest party in the country.
Earlier today (Sunday 19 January), the results of The Sunday Times/Behaviour & Attitude opinion poll were published, and it showed that Fianna Fáil have taken a 12-point lead over Fine Gael.
Within a margin of error of 3.3% of that poll, it is potentially possibly that Fine Gael could have slipped to the third biggest party in the country, beneath Sinn Féin.
With that announcement, Sinn Féin have since confirmed that they are “now taking legal advice on the decision by RTÉ to exclude us from the final leaders’ debate. Excluding other views does a disservice to the public interest and prevents the public from hearing real issues being debated.”
As it currently stands, RTÉ are to hold two live debates over the course of the campaign: the first on Monday 27 January will see seven representatives from the main parties taking part, which is then to be followed by the debate between Leo Varadkar and Micheál Martin, currently slated for Tuesday 4 February.
Earlier today, while canvassing in the Liberties area of Dublin South, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald made the following statement:
“We won’t be excluded from this Leader’s debate. This election is not a two-horse race. It is not a game between Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. This election is about the people. This election is about our futures. And RTÉ have made a huge mistake because our voice and the voices of every citizen must be heard.”
You can watch McDonald’s speech in full here:
Sinn Féin is now taking legal advice on the decision by RTÉ to exclude us from the final leaders' debate
Excluding other views does a disservice to the public interest and prevents the public from hearing real issues being debated.#GE2020 @MaryLouMcDonald pic.twitter.com/oRSxQ3KYID
— Sinn Féin (@sinnfeinireland) January 19, 2020
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