THE Progressive Democrats' general council is likely to approve the programme for government with Fianna Fail next week despite sharp internal criticism of the party's election strategy.
An unsuccessful election candidate, Dr Joe Hennessy, who ran in Tipperary North, said yesterday that there was an argument for the PDs to join Fianna Fail. The former chairman of the Dublin North East constituency organisation, Mr Noel Peers, has said he will leave the party once coalition with Fianna Fail is agreed.
Party sources said yesterday that these two views were untypical, and while there was widespread criticism within the party of how the election campaign was handled, nobody else was threatening to leave.
Two party meetings held on Thursday heard strong criticism of how the party leadership and staff handled issues during the campaign. There is not under stood to have been any question raised over the continued leader ship of Ms Mary Harney, who received a standing ovation at the end of a meeting of the party's general council.
The meeting of the council - the PDs' ruling body consisting of constituency representatives, councillors and members of the parliamentary party on Thursday night, however, heard considerable anger at the way the campaign was run. A small number of speakers argued at the meeting against the party going into coalition with Fianna Fail, according to sources. They warned that the party, with just four Dail deputies, could be swallowed up in such an arrangement, and that they would be better going into opposition or supporting a minority government from outside.
Although there was no vote taken, the vast majority present believed that going into government with Fianna Fail was the best option for the party, accordion to the sources.
Before the general council meeting, there was also strong criticism of the party's campaign at a meeting of 27 of the party's 30 general election candidates.
Speakers at both meetings criticised the party leadership and its staff for allowing the PDs to be portrayed during the campaign as favouring the firing of 25,000 public servants.
People wanted to know why this happened, who wrote the manifesto, why we failed to correct the impression given?" a source said.