TAOISEACH BRIAN Cowen highlighted the different approaches of Fine Gael and Labour to a no confidence motion in his Government during sharp exchanges with the Opposition.

Mr Cowen rejected a Labour demand that he provide Government time to debate the party’s motion of no confidence in the Coalition.

The motion will now be debated in Labour Private Members’ time next week.

Mr Cowen said even Fine Gael thought that the motion was “stupid”, adding that it had been a stunt last weekend to get the Labour leader’s face on the Sunday newspapers.

“That is what it is about,” he added.

Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny said he had not challenged the intellectual capacity of the Labour leader. “I said the motion was ill-timed and ill-judged,” Mr Kenny added.

Mr Cowen said he could not agree more with Mr Kenny. “I knew the day would come when Deputy Kenny would realise that a no confidence motion in this Government was ill-timed and ill-judged,” the Taoiseach added.

When Labour challenged a vote on the Order of Business, because of Mr Cowen’s failure to provide Government time for the motion, Fine Gael abstained.

Government Chief Whip John Curran sought a walk-through vote, where TDs pass through the Tá and Níl lobbies, rather than an electronic vote.

The Government won the division by 75 votes to 26. Sinn Féin voted with Labour.

Earlier, Eamon Gilmore said several of the Taoiseach’s parliamentary colleagues voted no confidence in him on Tuesday. Others would have done the same, but they thought the timing was wrong.

“He has said repeatedly that he will remain Taoiseach as long as he and the Government have the confidence of the House,” said Mr Gilmore. “Let us put it to the test.”

Mr Cowen said he had dealt with no confidence motions on a few occasions.

“It can be taken in the Labour Party’s own time. We have work to do,” he added.

“I am confident that I will enjoy the confidence of the House when the motion is put. It will be tested again in due course.”

Mr Cowen said it was not the time for politics as usual from the Labour leader, adding that the Government needed to get on with its business professionally, competently and comprehensively and complete the legislative programme with the timeframe set out.

“Thereafter, we will dissolve the Dáil and have a debate about who will govern the country,” he added.

Mr Gilmore said it was the Taoiseach who was insisting on politics as usual.

“The reality is that the people of the country want the Government out of office fast,” he added.

“They want that to happen because they want to move on. The country is stuck in the mire and will stay there as long as the Government clings on to office from one month to the next.”

Mr Gilmore said every motion of no confidence in the government of the day, tabled by Fine Gael or Labour, for as long as he could recall, had been dealt with immediately.

Mr Cowen said he did not know how Mr Gilmore intended to instil confidence when he continued to be one of the foremost spokespersons for the negativity industry in the country.

He accused Mr Gilmore of using phrases such as “stuck in the mire”, “economic corpse’’ and “banjaxed”, which were all part of Labour’s lexicon in a myriad of press releases.

“It is the usual politics of the old Democratic Left, non-stop, day in and day out, to keep throwing the muck in case some of it might stick,” Mr Cowen added.