Green Party leader Trevor Sargent has reiterated that he will not lead the party into coalition with Fianna Fáil despite the party's strong performance in the latest Irish Times/TNS mrbi survey.
In an interview in November Mr Sargent said he would step down rather than lead the party into coalition with Fianna Fáil.
Yesterday Mr Sargent told The Irish Timesthat his position has not changed since his interview with TV3's The Political Party programme.
"I won't be leading the Green Party into coalition with Fianna Fáil."
However, he said he would lead an independent party into a general election, after which he would be open to negotiation "with all parties".
Asked if this was not a contraction, Mr Sargent said it was not as he was stating that the party would be open to talks with all parties "but I do not see myself leading the party into coalition with Fianna Fáil due to its culture of bad planning, corruption and bad standards".
He said: "What I intend to do is reflect the mandate that I will be given by the members. But it is very doubtful that we could ever go into coalition with Fianna Fáil."
He said the "carry-on" in the Fianna Fáil tent at the Galway races epitomised what was part of the culture of the party.
"A sociologist would say that it is easy to change technology and policies, but it's not easy to change a culture."
Mr Sargent said the opinion poll, which shows the Greens with 8 per cent support, up 4 per cent on the previous poll, reflected what the party was picking up on the ground. However he said it may be over-inflated, and he felt their true standing was at 6 per cent
He said the party was determined to give new political leadership in areas of energy and climate, issues which now have resonance with people all over the country, including farmers and business people.
"Our time has come, and the time is urgent. An energy revolution is needed."
Mr Sargent said the party now had 33 candidates selected to contest the election, but the target was to run a candidate in each of the 43 constituencies.
Meanwhile, the Greens accused Tánaiste Michael McDowell of looking through the wrong end of the telescope when it comes to the environment and the economy, and of deliberately misrepresenting the party's position on taxation.
Reacting to claims by Mr McDowell on radio that the Greens would increase corporation tax to 16 per cent if in government, the party's finance spokesman Dan Boyle said the Greens at their convention last year approved the Taxing Smarter policy document, which stated that at the forthcoming general election the party would be campaigning on a platform of not changing the rate of corporation tax or the rates of PAYE taxation.
Meanwhile both Fine Gael and Labour said yesterday the opinion poll results were a reflection of the desire for real change by the people.
The Fine Gael leader, Enda Kenny, said the poll was an indication that people want change.
It was also a reflection of a Government that has been in power for too long and out of touch.
He said it epitomised the response in the Dáil this week by the Taoiseach and Tánaiste to the unfolding crisis in the health sector.
He said this was the highest January poll that the party had had in five years.
"There is a challenge there. People do want change, and myself and Pat Rabbitte are determined we will deliver that change.
" We have a set of candidates focused on winning seats in the election."
The Labour Party's environment spokesman, Eamon Gilmore, said the polls since May 2005 showed there was a clear possibility of Fine Gael and Labour delivering change.
A spokesman for the Labour Party said the poll findings disposed of "the myth" of recent months that the election was over and the outcome a foregone conclusion.