FINE GAEL leader Enda Kenny has strongly defended the absence of a pre-election pact with Labour, arguing that his party was distinctive in defending “the interests of the people” and having “no ties to big unions”.
Mr Kenny said his first preference was for Fine Gael to win an overall majority and he revealed he had been criticised by people who asked him why he had not considered working with Labour to build an alternative government.
“The fact of the matter is we have given them real choice now, there is no pact with any other party. And from that point of view we will set out our stall without fear or favour. It’s based in the interests of the people. No ties to big unions, no ties to big business,” he said.
“We claim that we have a programme that is the best programme, the best worked-out programme and the people will judge that in their own good time.”
Facing into the last general election in 2007, the Mullingar Accord committed Mr Kenny and then Labour leader Pat Rabbitte to working together. Current Labour leader Eamon Gilmore this week ruled out both Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin as potential coalition partners for his party.
Mr Gilmore also said he disagreed with Mr Kenny’s analysis that the recent European Court of Human Rights ruling on Ireland’s abortion laws should be looked at by an all-party committee of the Oireachtas. He said the Oireachtas must bring in legislation to allow abortion in circumstances where the life or health of the mother is at risk.
Mr Kenny yesterday said the court’s decision and the previous Supreme Court decision referred specifically to the life of the mother, adding that the matter would be a responsibility for the next Oireachtas to deal with.
He insisted abortion would not become a “diversionary issue” in the election campaign. The all-party committee he proposed should have access to the best medical and legal advice and “understand what is happening in our Irish hospitals now in respect of difficulties that do arise”, he said.
A date has not been set for the general election, but Friday, March 25th, is considered likely. In this context, Mr Kenny said it would be wrong for Government Ministers to travel abroad on St Patrick’s Day this year.
He said: “The electorate would see that as the most cynical exercise, the most cynical swansong that you could ever imagine.” Mr Kenny said he had always supported the traditional St Patrick’s Day visits to other countries because of their promotional value to Ireland, “but for a Government on its last legs with no support from the people, it would be astonishingly cynical that they might attempt to do that”.
He accused the Government of dragging out the date for an election, “probably until they can have an election when they originally intended to have it”.
Mr Kenny also said he did not think it was feasible for the Government to hold a referendum to abolish the Seanad on the same day as the general election.
