The Taoiseach has ruled out the possibility of making any arrangement with Sinn Féin to allow Fianna Fáil back into government after the next election, on the grounds that their policies would severely damage the economy. Mark Brennock, Chief Political Correspondent, reports
A spokeswoman for the Taoiseach said last night that Mr Ahern was not only ruling out coalition with Sinn Féin, or relying on their support for a minority Fianna Fáil-led government. He was also ruling out even a scenario in which the abstention of Sinn Féin TDs in a Dáil vote was needed to ensure Mr Ahern's re-election as Taoiseach.
"He will not be dependent on Sinn Féin for any act" to allow him form a government, the spokeswoman said. Mr Ahern had ruled out Sinn Féin solely on the grounds of their economic policies, which he said would lead to a flight of capital, unemployment and emigration.
His comments neutralise a key election argument of the potential alternative government, which was preparing to argue that a vote for Fianna Fáil could be a vote to put Sinn Féin into government.
The Progressive Democrats were also lining up to argue that their presence in coalition was required to keep Sinn Féin out. On Saturday night at the PDs' 20th anniversary dinner in Dublin, Minister for Justice Michael McDowell said: "It is time that every republican on the island of Ireland made it absolutely clear that there will be no room in democratic government, north or south, for a party or a movement that is controlled by a secret army."
The Fine Gael leader, Enda Kenny, said yesterday that he did not accept Mr Ahern's assurances. "His track record doesn't stand up to any kind of scrutiny. On every public occasion that he's spoken about this, he's gone behind the people's backs," he said on TV3's The Political Party.
Mr Ahern's statement represents a hardening-up of the position of hostility to Sinn Féin he has expressed in recent months. Over the past few weeks, the Taoiseach has said Sinn Féin's policies on the economy and the EU are incompatible with his. However, he stopped short of ruling out a deal with them in all circumstances.
But in a statement at the weekend, he said Gerry Adams had proposed - on RTÉ's Prime Time on November 3rd, 2004 - increasing corporation tax to 17 per cent from its current 12.5 per cent rate.
Wealth was needed to spread and to help the disadvantaged, and "Sinn Féin fiscal, economic and EU policies would deprive us of that wealth and surrender Irish workers to unemployment or emigration," Mr Ahern said.
And in reference to recent reports that that party is modernising its policies, he said: "Even a radical overhaul of Sinn Féin economic policy would have little real credibility after 35 years of Marxism. I believe Sinn Féin are agents of poverty and disadvantage.
"For the good of the country, we cannot accept those policies in government. A practical Republican programme, delivering real benefits for ordinary people, would be impossible with Sinn Féin in government.
"In such circumstances, I would lead my party into Opposition rather than contemplate coalition with Sinn Féin or an arrangement for their support in government."
His remarks drew an immediate reaction from the DUP, with Nigel Dodds MLA saying Mr Ahern should not expect his party to have to stomach in the North what he refusing to stomach in the Republic [sharing power with Sinn Féin].
By couching his objection to Sinn Féin purely in terms of economic policy, Mr Ahern hopes to be able to counter the argument that his objection to Sinn Féin in government is the same as the argument of many unionists - a stance not accepted by the Taoiseach.