Labour Party TDs have expressed strong opposition to a suggestion by a Fine Gael strategist that both Coalition parties contest the election on a joint platform.

The idea of Fine Gael and Labour campaigning together as a government offering stability was floated by Frank Flannery at the MacGill Summer School in Glenties, Co Donegal, this week. "If the two parties fight the election using the traditional model they will lose a lot of that essential brand quality of security and wisdom and foresight," he said.

Arrangement

However, on Tuesday a number of prominent Labour deputies, including two Ministers of State, dismissed the idea, saying there would be no such arrangement with Fine Gael in advance of the election.

Minister of State for Justice Aodhán Ó Ríordáin said the party had tried the Mullingar Accord approach in 2007 and would not be returning to it now. “I certainly don’t think we will be campaigning against each other,” he said, but added that neither party would seek or wanted a joint manifesto.

“A programme for government is based on respective strength of the parties after the election and is not really doable before the election,” said Mr Ó Ríordáin, who will be standing in Dublin Bay North.

Mandate

Minister of State for Social Protection

Kevin Humphreys

said Labour would produce its own manifesto, and would use its mandate to negotiate a programme for government if the party was in a position to return to power. “Frank Flannery is floating a kite and such an arrangement would offer a lot to Fine Gael but not for us.

“The Government has brought stability and we will be arguing that that can continue. We have our own issues, including the repeal of the Eighth Amendment, on focused job-creation and on protecting the most vulnerable in society,” said Mr Humphreys, who will be running in Dublin Bay South.

Galway West Labour TD Derek Nolan also said such an arrangement would be something that he would not favour.