First shots in 'phoney' election war fired after Tanaiste Micheal Martin tells Fine Gael to stop claiming he is 'grumpy'

The first shots in the “phoney” election war have been fired after Tanaiste Micheal Martin told Fine Gael to stop claiming he is “tetchy” and “grumpy”.

He said he finds it interesting to see unnamed senior sources in his coalition partners commenting on his character instead of focusing on substantial issues.

Mr Martin was speaking at the annual Fianna Fail Wolfe Tone Commemoration in Kildare yesterday where he said the jibes started on a radio show hosted by former Fine Gael minister Ivan Yates.

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He added: “Ivan was the first guy to say, ‘Oh Micheal is getting tetchy’. What’s that all about?”

The Tanaiste, who also serves as Foreign Minister, said the claims were repeated in a Sunday newspaper with senior Fine Gael sources describing him as “tetchy”.

He said: “It’s quite amusing at one level but I would say to people cop on. It’s silly.” Just days away from the start of the election campaign, tensions between three coalition partners have been heightened amid claims a phoney war being fought to persuade voters there are differences between the two parties.

Mr Martin also defended referring to himself as a politician of substance, not soundbite. This has been seen as a swipe at Fine Gael leader Simon Harris who has been labelled the TikTok Taoiseach for his extensive use of the social media platform.

He said: “It’s just clearly stating where I am as a politician and have been all my life.

“There’s a tendency now [that] anything I say is taken by media as a comment on somebody else whereas, actually, it’s a comment on my position, my disposition, my approach to politics which is one of substance.

“In any government I have served in, I sought to leave a positive legacy.

“There is a tendency in modern politics towards the headlines and a very superficial approach but we are there to deliver for the people.”

Referring to housing, Mr Martin said the Government had turned a corner but there was a lot more to do. His comments came after the opposition claimed the number of homes built this year will fall well short of the Government’s targets.

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