The Green Party's Trevor Sargent was the first party leader to take part in ireland.com'sonline question-and-answer session yesterday, with the questioners' main concern proving to be the party's intentions following the election.
He was also quizzed on the nurses' dispute, the M3 motorway, school class sizes and the development of Dublin airport.
When asked whether the party would be willing to go into coalition with FF under the leadership of Bertie Ahern, he said that the party membership had taken a decision to "be independent and also to work to change the current government".
He also reiterated his concern about the "close relationship between the most powerful elements in the construction industry" and FF.
When another questioner demanded that he say, "without equivocation", who he believed Green voters should give their second preferences to, Mr Sargent declined to give an unequivocal answer and said this was like "asking somebody who they are going to marry without considering courtship".