Mr Rabbitte expressed confidence that Labour and Fine Gael could win the seats required to form a government even though both parties would have to make enormous gains.
He said there was now a clear unity of purpose in his party. "The divisiveness that started in 2005 in terms of electoral strategy was conclusively shut off at the Tralee conference and, notwithstanding Fianna Fáil mischief, the party is united behind the strategy.
"I have made my bed and I am prepared to lie on it. I don't honestly think that it would be in the interests of the Labour Party at this particular juncture to put Fianna Fáil back in power and it won't happen under my leadership."
He said Labour would be presenting a raft of new young candidates to the electorate and if it could manage to increase its standing in the polls by a couple of points he was confident that the party would win a lot of extra seats.
As to the prospect of a coalition involving the Progressive Democrats, the Labour leader was negative. "I think the Labour membership gives me a lot of tolerance on the question of my judgment on electoral strategy but the Labour membership is united, as I haven't seen them before, in terms of its rejection of the Progressive Democrats as a partner in government."
Mr Rabbitte said that by contrast the Green Party had said it would not do business with Fianna Fáil so the Labour/Fine Gael alternative would have better prospects of negotiating with the Greens after the election if that was necessary.
He said that Labour and Fine Gael would demonstrate the character of the alternative government through a broad common policy agenda. "For shorthand I would say that it will be a framework for a centre-left government. What we have at present is a centre-right government. It will clearly demonstrate the character of the government, its political direction and ethos. The major things will be nailed down. We will continue the process begun at Mullingar when we produced the document on social partnership."