PDs open to coalition with FG and Labour

The Progressive Democrats would consider forming a coalition with Fine Gael and Labour after the next election, the Tanaiste and party leader, Ms Harney, said yesterday.

Ruling out a pre-election arrangement with Fianna Fail, Ms Harney said the PDs would be open to the possibility of going into government with other parties in the next Dail.

"We have said on a number of occasions we will do business with like-minded parties where we could negotiate a programme for government that we believe would be sensible for the country," she said following a meeting of the PDs' parliamentary party in Waterford.

Asked if it was conceivable that her party would negotiate an arrangement with Fine Gael and Labour, she replied: "There's no reason why not."

The PDs would not enter into a pre-election arrangement with its government partner, Fianna Fail, even if Fine Gael and Labour formed an opposition alliance.

"The party has decided - it's not a decision for me - but the Progressive Democrats decided that we would fight the next election as an independent party and that remains the position, and nothing will change that," she said.

The party was targeting 12 key constituencies where it had "winning candidates", but might decide to contest more. The 12 include the four where the party currently holds seats as well as Dun Laoghaire, Waterford, Dublin South East, Dublin North Central, Longford-Roscommon and Cork South Central.

Mr Oliver Clery, a businessman and city councillor, was selected on Monday to stand for the party in the Waterford constituency.

In an apparent reference to the Attorney General, Mr Michael McDowell, Ms Harney said she still had "hopes" that a particular candidate would stand in Dublin South East. Of the four sitting TDs, only Mr Des O'Malley had said he would be stepping down.

Mr Robert Molloy hinted that he might contest the election by saying: "I don't see anybody here who has said they are not running."

Asked about the damage caused by recent defections from the PDs, Ms Harney said the party had clearly had difficulties in the recent past. "We always regret the loss of members, particularly those that don't have any policy differences, that move for career-related reasons. That's particularly regrettable."

However, the party was very vibrant and very determined and had a positive future. "We do need to update our policy approach. Many of the causes we espoused have been achieved . . . The challenge for us in that context is to offer the voters a distinctive set of policies at the next election, whenever it might be, and work is under way to do that."

In an interview with the Waterford station, WLR, yesterday, Ms Harney said people would have to be jailed if, in her opinion, there was to be a successful conclusion to the current inquiries into corruption in Irish society.

"Relatively minor offences are prosecuted and people are convicted, and as a result of convictions serve terms of imprisonment. Now if the big players in our society are to have an alternative escape route, then we don't have a fair society," she said.

For some, paying a large fine was nothing because they seemed to have lots of money, she said. "There seems to be a bottomless pit, particularly [for] those who pay no taxes in the Republic, who are resident abroad, who don't contribute anything to the revenues of this State. If we are not going to penalise them with prison sentences then we won't be giving them a penalty at all."