Trevor Sargent has said he would resign as Green Party leader rather than enter government with Fianna Fáil. The move strengthens the prospects of a Fine Gael-led government after the next general election.
The Green Party conference at the weekend voted overwhelmingly against doing a pre-election pact with Fine Gael and Labour. This was seen as a setback to the hopes of the Fine Gael and Labour leaderships of forming a pre-election Rainbow alliance with a strong chance of taking power.
However, Mr Sargent's rejection of Fianna Fáil last night will allow a Fine Gael/Labour alliance to suggest that the support of the Green deputies may be available to them after an election to help secure a Dáil majority.
Mr Sargent made clear he would resign as party leader rather than go into government with Fianna Fáil. "I certainly wouldn't go into government with Fianna Fáil. It won't be me as leader of the Green Party if that happens."
With a Labour conference to vote in 12 days' time on whether to agree a pre-election pact with Fine Gael, Cork South Central Labour TD Kathleen Lynch yesterday added her voice to those in her party who do not want a formal pre-election deal with Fine Gael.
"Personally I believe we should go into the next election as a stand-alone party," she told RTÉ's The Week in Politics programme.
She joins senior Labour figures Brendan Howlin TD and Senator Derek McDowell as Oireachtas members who have come out against leader Pat Rabbitte's strategy. However, most sources within the party - including opponents of his strategy - believe Mr Rabbitte will win the support of the party conference to allow him negotiate a broad policy deal with Fine Gael before the election.
Fine Gael and Labour were keen to have the Greens as part of an alliance. Without them they need to gain 30 seats at the next election to form a majority government. With the support of the Greens, this figure goes down to a somewhat more achievable 24.
Mr Sargent's strong statement of opposition to government with Fianna Fáil will allow the two larger Opposition parties to point to the strong prospect of a post-election deal with the Greens. While the party delegates rejected a pre-election pact at the weekend, the tone of the debate suggested there would be enormous opposition to any Fianna Fáil deal.
Cork South Central TD Dan Boyle, who proposed the motion against a pact, said the Greens could nevertheless "send out signals" during a campaign as to whom they wished to do business with after an election.
The party was persuaded to adopt an independent strategy on the basis that this would allow it put its policies more clearly before voters.
The Taoiseach yesterday criticised Mr Rabbitte's strategy of seeking a deal with Fine Gael and ruling out Fianna Fáil, suggesting Fianna Fáil and Labour were politically close.
"In terms of political ideology, I know that many traditional Labour supporters think that Labour's policies are most closely aligned to Fianna Fáil's socially inclusive policies which target heavy investment in health and education, continued social partnership and further advancement of the peace process."
He said in an interview with the Sunday Independent that Labour, Fine Gael and the Greens were "poles apart" on many issues.
Mr Sargent said yesterday that Fianna Fáil had been in power too long. "They have lost touch with the realities of the challenges Ireland faces," he told The Irish Times.