Labour leader Pat Rabbitte has reiterated he has "no intention" of entering coalition with Fianna Fáil following next year's general election and that he is fully committed to the party's pre-election pact with Fine Gael.
Mr Rabbitte moved yesterday to quell speculation about comments he made on TV3 on Sunday, which were seized on by political opponents as evidence that Labour was now open to a coalition deal with Fianna Fáil.
Speaking on RTÉ radio yesterday, Mr Rabbitte said that during the TV3 interview he had made clear his opposition to coalition with Fianna Fáil.
"I thought I made plain yesterday, and I think I said it four times, that I have not changed my convictions on the matter," he said.
"I have no intention, no intention, of leading Labour into government with Fianna Fáil and every intention of persuading the Irish people to change this Government, and that means change the two parties."
He said he had acknowledged in the TV3 interview that Fianna Fáil and Labour would have the numbers to make up a government after he was asked a direct question about it, but it was not an indication of any desire on his part.
"The only answer you can give to that question is yes, because of course Labour and Fianna Fáil will have enough seats to form a government, which is something that you can't say about Fianna Fáil and the PDs because manifestly they won't." He maintained that a Fine Gael/Labour coalition was "a real one".
"When I say I want to change the Government, I think a lot of people out there agree with me, and that is changing both parties."
Mr Rabbitte's comments on TV3 were seized on by PD leader Michael McDowell as evidence that Labour was softening towards a possible coalition with Fianna Fáil.
In Portarlington yesterday, he said Labour was "preparing a fall-back position to the 'Mullingar accord' because they know [ the accord] is a dead duck politically".
Mr Rabbitte retorted that Mr McDowell had "his hands full in advising and trying to keep his own party alive, without advising me on electoral strategy which is well settled".
Mr Rabbitte's rejection of coalition with Fianna Fáil comes after last week's Week in Politics programme on RTÉ, where focus group research carried out by American polling expert Frank Luntz suggested that floating voters would most like to see a Fianna Fáil/Labour coalition.
Mr Rabbitte said the key issue the programme showed was that Labour was the most attractive proposition for floating voters and that he intended to capitalise on that through an electoral pact with Fine Gael.
What Pat Rabbitte said on TV3's The Political Party on Sunday evening:
Pat Rabbitte: "I believe that Labour will have most clout in a government with Fine Gael . . . I believe that we will have most clout in that government, most capacity to influence the issues."
Ursula Halligan (interviewer): "Would an election make you change your convictions where the numbers added up for a Fianna Fáil/Labour government? Would you then lead Labour into a government with Fianna Fail?"
Pat Rabbitte: "Well I think it's inevitable that the numbers will add up for a Fianna Fáil/Labour government just as it's inevitable that the numbers won't add up for a Fianna Fáil/PD government. There's no doubt about the two parties having the capacity to form a government . . ."
Ursula Halligan: "But will you lead Labour into such a government with Fianna Fáil?"
Pat Rabbitte: "My absolute focus is and . . . must be on the combination of Labour and Fine Gael winning this election, Labour getting the optimum number of seats because the way Labour can be most effective and offer the change people want is by Labour winning more seats."
Ursula Halligan: "Will you be leading Labour into that government?"
Pat Rabbitte: "I've made my views on that known before, Ursula . . . I'm interested in winning the maximum number of seats for the Labour Party between now and polling day. That's the focus, what happens after the election is another day's work but I haven't changed my convictions about it."
Ursula Halligan: "So, you've left that open? You could lead Labour into a government with Fianna Fáil? That's the implication I'm taking."
Pat Rabbitte: "I have to say to you, Ursula, that Labour must win if we are going to have real change in the politics of this country."
Ursula Halligan: "Well they could be in government with Fianna Fáil and they could still achieve that."
Pat Rabbitte: "They could, they could . . ."
Ursula Halligan: "And would you be the leader?"
Pat Rabbitte: ". . . but I haven't changed my convictions on any of that."
Ursula Halligan: "But will you be the leader of the Labour Party in government with Fianna Fáil?"
Pat Rabbitte: "I've no intention of resigning the leadership, Ursula. I have every intention of increasing the number of seats that Labour will have in government."