Clashes between party leaders over the economy dominated the final stages of the election campaign yesterday, with Taoiseach Enda Kenny calling on voters to reject policies that would jeopardise economic recovery.
Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin attacked Sinn Féin for copying Labour’s “unrealistic general election promises”, while Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams said citizens were being forced to pay for the actions of bankers, developers and politicians.
Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore, meanwhile, dismissed any suggestion he would face a challenge to his leadership if Labour had a poor result.
Speaking at the final Fine Gael press conference of the campaign, Mr Kenny said Sinn Féin should explain to people how essential State services would be funded if water charges, property tax, the universal social charge and other taxes were abolished.
Appealed
At the same event, Minister for Finance Michael Noonan appealed to voters not to be tempted by candidates whose policies would lead to significant increases in taxes to fund extravagant spending plans.
“Don’t give it all away by going back to instability,” he warned.
At his final press conference in Dublin, Mr Adams called on voters to make the change from the failed politics of old by voting for Sinn Féin.
“A combination of Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and Labour have been in government since the foundation of this state. They still do politics in the old way. They are a cosy consensus for cuts and austerity and conservative values. It is a time for new politics,” he said.
Making promises
Mr Martin attacked both Coalition parties and Sinn Féin. Campaigning in the Dublin West byelection he accused Sinn Féin of copying Labour's tactic in the last general election by making promises they knew they would never be in a position to deliver.
On the campaign trail in Kinnegad, Co Westmeath, Mr Gilmore dismissed suggestions of a possible challenge to his leadership in the event of a poor election result.
He predicted it “will be quite some time before there is a contest” in the Labour Party. He expressed confidence Labour would perform well despite poor poll findings.
Labour’s Euro candidate in Dublin, Emer Costello, is trying to persuade Fine Gael voters to switch their number one votes to her.
A message on 30,000 leaflets dropped on Dublin’s southside read: “My Coalition colleague, Brian Hayes, is topping the poll and is clearly going to be elected”, before asking for a number one vote.
