THE Government parties will fight the election "on a basis of mutual respect and co operation", the Tanaiste, Mr Spring has said.
They will also work in the aftermath of an election "to negotiate a new agreement fair to all parties," he said.
Speaking at the a.g.m. of the Labour Kerry South Constituency Council in Killarney last night, Mr Spring signalled he would be fighting throughout the election campaign to secure another term of office for this Coalition.
"The latest opinion polls are telling us that this Government stands every chance of being reelected - the first time a Government will have been given a second term in Ireland since 1969 - almost 30 years ago," he said.
His party had "turned a corner in the polls" and more people were beginning to realise how Labour had "contributed a number of vital ingredients" to the work of Government in the last few years.
People were beginning to ask themselves - if they wanted to "throw all that away" and the answer, increasingly, was "no".
Attacking the Progressive Democrats' economic strategy, Mr Spring said the party had already published policies devoting a huge share of national resources to securing tax reductions for those on the highest income levels.
"They would pay for this, among other things, by forcing up to 60,000 people off the Live Register by effectively cutting, in real terms, all benefits for people who are unemployed," Mr Spring said.
Predicting a "fire sale" of State utilities and companies under the PDs, he said they had earmarked the State banks "for immediate sale" and would sell off ports and harbours, the majority stake in Telecom and "half the ESB".
Meanwhile, the "cracks" were beginning to show in their on again, off again, relationship with Fianna Fail.