The Fine Gael leader, Mr Enda Kenny, has given the strongest signal yet that Fine Gael, the Labour Party and the Greens are preparing to offer themselves to voters as an alternative government in the next general election.
In his opening speech to the Fine Gael Ardfheis last night Mr Kenny urged Fine Gael voters to continue their preferences for Labour and Green Party candidates in the June 11th local government and European Parliament elections.
His call for vote transfers echoes that made by Mr Pat Rabbitte to Labour Party supporters last weekend when he called on party voters to continue their preferences for Fine Gael and the Greens.
His remarks are understood to be part of a planned and co-ordinated sequence of actions between the three parties designed to maximise the benefits each receives from the anti-Government vote in June.
Strategists in all three parties currently believe that while between them they are currently 26 seats short of a Dáil majority, a decision to present themselves as a possible alternative government, rather than campaigning in an independent way, would maximise their support in the next general election.
At the Green Party conference last month the party leader, Mr Trevor Sargent, also made clear his strong preference for participation in a government involving Fine Gael and Labour.
Last night Mr Kenny also hailed recent Dáil co-operation between the three parties. In recent months they have proposed several joint Dáil motions and co-ordinated their anti-Government campaigns on issues such as the now abandoned cuts in some widows' welfare entitlements and electronic voting.
Reject FF dishonesty, says Kenny: page 9