A Sinn Féin TD has said the changeover of Government on Saturday was 'very much cosmetic'.
Sinn Féin TD for Cork South-Central Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire was speaking after a Cabinet re-shuffle under Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, who was installed following a Dáil vote.
The Cabinet itself was much-unchanged, with several high-profile portfolios remaining where they are.
There were no fresh faces with just a swapping of some ministries.
This included Micheál Martin taking up Foreign Affairs and Defence, and Simon Coveney becoming Enterprise, Trade and Employment Minister.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Tánaiste Micheál Martin pictured with the newly-appointed Cabinet after ministers received their seals of office at Áras an Uachtaráin. Picture by: Government Press OfficeHelen McEntee is Minister Without Portfolio, with Simon Harris taking on the Justice portfolio while she is on maternity leave.
Deputy Ó Laoghaire was one of those voted against Mr Varadkar becoming Taoiseach.
He told Newstalk Breakfast nothing has changed.
"It reflects very much the fact that there is no significant change politically," he said.
"There's no change in policy likely to come, the change in personality is very much cosmetic.
"It's Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil exchanging power like they have done for the last 100 years.
"I think it's very much in keeping with that - the fact that the personalities didn't change, and any of the changes in department were relatively minimal."
'It's not stability'
He said the question of stability of Government is all about context.
"Stability when things are going well, then absolutely," he said.
"But when you're talking about a situation where you've 800,000 people on housing waiting lists, records being broken in terms of housing, in terms of record numbers of people homeless, record rents, record house prices.
"Even the one thing the Government was clinging to, commencements, that that has gone down as well.
"I don't that's the kind of stability - indeed it's not stability, because the situation is deteriorating.
"I don't think that we need the status quo, that would be the case if things were going well."
He also accused Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael councillors voting against social housing "out of pure snobbery - including those Fianna Fáil councillors in Cork."
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald speaking in the Dáil ahead of the election of Leo Varadkar as Taoiseach. Picture by: Oireachtas screenshotEchoing comments from his party leader at the weekend, Deputy Ó Laoghaire said an election is needed for any real change.
"I think it just underlines the fact that things are not going well for this Government, particularly in health, in housing and in the cost of living side of things," he said.
"I think what's needed is - and I think that's been put into very stark relief by events on Saturday - is we need a general election to create the kind of dynamic that will allow for a real change of government," he added.
