Fine Gael campaign launch: The Fine Gael and Labour leaders will speak this weekend with a view to formalising a vote-transfer pact for the by-elections in Meath and Kildare North.
As campaigning starts in earnest for the polls on March 11th, sources in both parties said the Fine Gael leader, Mr Enda Kenny, and his Labour counterpart, Mr Pat Rabbitte, were likely to finalise such a pact in the coming days. However, clear policy divisions have surfaced between the two parties on some of the most sensitive issues in both constituencies.
Fine Gael's candidate in Kildare North, Mr Darren Scully,yesterday spoke against the removal of the tax exemption on stallion fees. Citing the large number of horse-breeding jobs in the constituency, he said he would be opposed to anything that would damage the industry.
Such a stance is in direct contradiction to that of the Labour candidate in Kildare North, Mr Paddy MacNamara. "I think horse-owners get a lot of subvention as it is from Government funds. It is a sport, but it's a sport in which people make a lot of money," he said. "On balance, I think it should be taxed."
In addition, differences emerged over the routeing of the M3 motorway in Meath through the Tara archaeological complex. The Fine Gael candidate, Mr Shane McEntee, favours the existing route, although he believes the National Roads Authority should make some concessions on the design of the road.
Mr McEntee's Labour rival, Mr Dominic Hannigan, is against the current route and said yesterday that he feared the project would be caught up in litigation for years if the route was not changed. "The only route this is going to is the High Court," he said.
At the launch of the Fine Gael campaign yesterday, Mr Kenny said he recognised the scale of the challenge the party was facing in Meath, given Fianna Fáil's strong performance in the constituency.
"FF currently holds three of the four seats in Meath and, given the neglect of the county by this Government compared with the rainbow government, I don't detect any wish to hand them a fourth seat."
Mr McEntee said commuters in Meath should not have to pay toll charges on the M3 and should be entitled to tax relief in respect of toll charges on the M50.
Mr Kenny urged voters in the two constituencies to use the by-election to "continue the process of changing the Government" which he said had begun in local and European elections last June.
"The current Government has been in power too long, and we are seeing the results now - arrogance, broken promises and problems that go unsolved," he said.