The vacuum in Stormont powersharing is causing real damage, Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin warned.
Devolved Government has been suspended for more than a year and Mr Martin said there was no local voice to address mounting problems in hospitals and schools in Northern Ireland.
He claimed Sinn Fein and the DUP bore primary responsibility for dysfunction and inaction which put party ahead of public interest but added: “The simple fact is that the governments also bear serious responsibility.
“They allowed formal, photo-driven relations to replace the serious, detailed and ongoing engagement which had existed under previous governments.
“They may talk to each other a lot, but they seem unwilling to show urgency or serious leadership.
“A vacuum has been created which is grave and is causing real damage.”
The British and Irish Governments have been leading efforts to resurrect the devolved institutions, with nationalism opposed to direct rule from Westminster.
Recent reports have suggested an alliance between Fianna Fail and the SDLP, which has struggled at the polls in recent years.
Mr Martin made no reference to that during a speech in Dublin but warned no local voice was involved as critical services were planned.
He added: “No voice to address endemic poverty in marginalised communities.
“No voice to stand against cuts to school funding or mounting problems in hospitals.
“Most of all there is no place for Northern Ireland at the table when its future is being decided in Brexit negotiations.”
The British Government recently set a budget for public services in consultation with the Northern Ireland Civil Service.
Mr Martin addressed Fianna Fail’s 1916 Commemoration at Arbour Hill on Sunday.
Disagreements over a law protecting the Irish language have bedevilled efforts to restore powersharing.
Former Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness resigned in protest at the DUP’s handling of the over-spending Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scheme, forcing the collapse of the institutions.
Endless series of political talks involving the main Stormont parties, the British and Irish Governments have failed to bring about a restoration.
Some measure of progress has been made on dealing with the legacy of Northern Ireland’s violent past but victims have decried inaction over issues such as a pension for the worst injured.
Those subjected to historical child abuse in religious residential homes have also seen bids for official support delayed.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here