In a vigorous pre-election skirmish yesterday the leaders of the Progressive Democrats and Labour clashed over the credibility of the coalition options being put forward by their parties.
Tánaiste Michael McDowell accused Pat Rabbitte of preparing to repeat the "con job of 1992" by being ready after all to go into coalition with Fianna Fáil after the election, while the Labour leader hit back by accusing Mr McDowell of being "irredeemably handcuffed" to Fianna Fáil.
"If in 1992, the voters who gave Labour 'the Spring tide' had clearly understood that they were voting for Albert Reynolds as taoiseach when Labour asked them for a mandate for change, the result of that election would have been radically different," said Mr McDowell.
"Whatever about its publicly stated position, it is now clear that the Labour Party is preparing the ground to repeat the con-job of 1992 - talking about the need for change and then entering into government with Fianna Fáil," he claimed.
The Tánaiste's accusation came in the wake of an Irish Times interview with Mr Rabbitte in which the Labour leader said it was not reasonable to ask him to respond to a number of "what ifs" after the election.
"I disagree. I believe that voters are entitled to have a sense of what the party they support would do under circumstances which are quite possible," said Mr McDowell.
He added that if the PDs were invited to join in a Fine Gael, Labour and Green government, they would refuse.
"If Sinn Féin were to end up holding the balance of power in Dáil Éireann, my position is clear. My party would not remain in government if that government's political survival depended on the support of Sinn Féin," said Mr McDowell.
He maintained that Mr Rabbitte's unwillingness to categorically rule out going into government with Fianna Fáil was a clear signal that, "while he wants to go in the front door to government with Enda, he would like to keep the back door open - just in case."
Mr Rabbitte described the PD leader's comments as brazen and claimed that until recently Mr McDowell was prepared to be part of the alternative coalition.
"Mr McDowell is the only politician I know who wants to turn up at a wedding without being invited. It was only when his approaches were rebuffed in no uncertain terms that he discovered an objection in principle to being part of the alternative government.
"Mr McDowell's statement is welcome in that it shows that, despite having being faced down by his coalition partner at the time of the disclosures about the monies received by the Taoiseach, he is now irredeemably handcuffed to Fianna Fáil," said the Labour leader.
Mr Rabbitte added that the choice facing the Irish people was now very clear: "Another five years of Fianna Fáil government, propped up by whatever is left of the PDs and whoever else Mr Ahern can recruit, or a new start with the alternative government proposed by Labour and Fine Gael."
He added that it was hypocritical of Mr McDowell to accuse him of talking about the need for change but being prepared to enter government with Fianna Fáil.
"In 1989, when his party campaigned on a joint ticket with Fine Gael, before doing a total post-election U-turn and putting Fianna Fáil back into power and Charlie Haughey back into the taoiseach's office, there was not a peep of opposition from Michael McDowell."
Meanwhile, Labour spokesman on Justice Brendan Howlin told The Irish Times he could not understand the publicity being given to comments he made to a local newspaper about the need for flexibility in the event of a hung Dáil.
"I have been saying the same thing for years and I made the argument on national television during the Labour Party debate on electoral strategy. "The position adopted by the party at that conference was quite clear. We are presenting the public with a clear alternative government in the election and I will be campaigning hard to win support for that alternative."
