The Labour leader Pat Rabbitte has described the events surrounding the Fianna Fáil/PD Coalition over the past 24 hours as "bizarre".
Accusing Mr McDowell of pulling another pre-election stunt, thwarted only by his senior colleagues, Mr Rabbitte said "the spectacular zig zagging by the Progressive Democrats over the past 48 hours is hardly a surprise."
He added that with the development of a clear alternative government, the PDs have become increasingly irrelevant.
"Last October Mr McDowell gave Mr Ahern is unqualified support.
"All of the messages coming from the PDs over the past 48 hours suggested that they had already decided to pull out of government, however it would appear that Mr McDowell's predilection for another pre-election stunt has been thwarted on this occasion by his senior colleagues", Mr Rabbitte said in a statement.
He said that the Fianna Fáil/PD coalition is coming to a chaotic end and that the Alliance for Change made up of Fine Gael and Labour was the only viable government now on offer.