Labour has called on voters to think seriously about the implications of electing a single-party Fine Gael government.
The party's justice spokesman Pat Rabbitte said most people wanted a balanced Government that would enjoy a stable mandate for the next four or five years, but this could not be supplied by Fine Gael.
Mr Rabbitte claimed that more than 300,000 public servants and their families were very worried at the prospect of Fine Gael's Leo Varadkar being "let loose" on them on behalf of a single-party Government.
People who were dependent on social services to alleviate crises at home were also concerned at this prospect, and were relying on Labour to maintain a civilised threshold of decency, he said.
"Most of the people I encounter would not consider such a Fine Gael government as a balanced government capable of mobilising the national effort, or holding the allegiance of the broadest number of people to support that national recovery."
"We need a more balanced approach to maintain the allegiance of people," he said, speaking at the launch of Labour's proposals on abolishing upward-only retail rent reviews.
Mr Rabbitte also defended his party against accusation of negative campaigning over advertisement it has placed in today's newspapers. These accuse Fine Gael of having hikes in car tax, VAT, water taxes and saving tax, as well as a cut in child benefit, in store for the electorate.
There was nothing in the advertisement that was not true or factual, he said. Labour was merely pointing out the differences that existed between its programme and that of Fine Gael.
He accused Fine Gael of asserting a lie about Labour by claiming it was a high-tax party.
