"I have been very struck by the willingness of colleagues across all political parties to play their role in this time of need and I'm confident that across the coming weeks and months we can sustain that, and I’ll play my part." These were the words of Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe on the Late Late Show last Friday night as he commended the broadly consistent sense of collectiveness in the political system up to that point.
There is deep confusion just beneath the surface however about what is going to happen next amid the undeniable reality that the Covid-19 crisis will intensify in the weeks ahead.
There had been an expectation in Fianna Fáil this week that the Fine Gael parliamentary party would elevate the talks between the parties