The new Tánaiste has repeated his attack on the alternative government of Fine Gael and Labour, calling them a "slump coalition".
In a long interview on RTÉ radio this morning Minister for Justice and new Progressive Democrats leader Michael McDowell criticised the political careers to date of party leaders Enda Kenny and Pat Rabbitte.
"Next year, they will have 50 years membership of Dál Eireann between them,and if you look back over that combination of 50 years and show me the excitement, show me the vision. I don't see it," he told Pat Kenny.
"I don't want to be too negative on them or to hard on them, but I really do believe that the FG/Labour/Green/far-left combination that is the only other realistic alternative to the present combination of parties is in fact a slump coalition."
"I believe that recent events and the likely unfolding election campaign will make a very simple choice for the Irish people. Do they want a coalition led by Enda Kenny/Pat Rabbitte, necessarily supported by the Greens and the far-left Independents?
"Or do they want to give the PDs and FF - two parties fighting the next election on independent manifestos but have proved they can work together . . . do they want to give them a new mandate based on a new vision to bring Ireland forward?"
Mr McDowell described the grouping of Fine Gael, Labour and the Green Party as "ideologically incompatible".
"Let's take a look at what happened on the Fine Gael side. They chopped John Bruton, they chopped Alan Dukes, they chopped Michael Noonan and they've ended up with Enda Kenny, and I don't know whether most people would consider that as progress upwards or downwards."
He added: "I've great time for Enda. I like him. He was at the table between 1994 and 1997, and he had an opportunity. And so did Pat Rabbitte and we saw the colour of their money."
Referring to Labour and Fine Gael he said: "They have handcuffed themselves to each other and I don't think they can expect me to start playing footsie with them in advance of an election when their stated objective is to wipe the PDs out."
Despite these comments, Mr McDowell left the door wedged open for a future coalition with either Fine Gael or Labour, should the results of the next election require it. He said the only party he would rule out going into government with are Sinn Féin.
Asked whether there were tensions with Fianna Fáil backbenchers over the café bar legislation, which Mr McDowell was forced to abandon, Mr McDowell said there were no problems. "I have a very good relationship with them," he said.
"The Department of Health and the Department of Justice are hugely important departments. But our reforming zeal is paying dividends now right across the board. It isn't a question of FF giving the PDs the short end of the stick."
He said the current administration was pushing ahead with a number of high-profile, innovative schemes, including the Transport 21 programme and the plan to regenerate Dublin's docklands. "There are people criticising me for purchasing farmland and what they claim to be too high a price, but look at Mountjoy, it's going to be a new urban village," he said.
Meanwhile, Mr McDowell this afternoon re-appointed Noirin Slattery, Paul Mackay and Brendan Malone as trustees of the party. Last Sunday, Mr McKay was very critical of party figures who 'blackguarded' Mr McDowell after his bid to prise the leadership from Ms Harney in June.