Political Group: Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has defended Fianna Fáil's membership of the UEN political group in Europe despite the admission of several far-right MEPs this week.
However, he also held out the prospect of the party switching political groups and joining the Liberals after the next European elections scheduled for 2009.
"If I had a bigger group I'd far prefer to be in the Liberals, there is no doubt about that," said Mr Ahern when asked about claims that some of the new MEPs admitted to the UEN group previously held links with a party in Poland accused of being homophobic.
"I have seen what has been said about some of the individuals. I don't know them from Adam to be quite honest with you. But our group is a mishmash group, it has been put together under certain criteria and rules so that we hold status and they do very well at operating that system," said Mr Ahern.
Of the 10 new MEPs admitted to the UEN group this week, five are former members of the League of Polish Families, a highly conservative party, which is a minority partner in the Polish government. The party is staunchly anti-European and homophobic. Its youth wing, All-Polish Youth, has been involved in numerous demonstrations and attacks against gay rights campaigners.
This week the League of Polish Families was forced to sever ties with its youth group when several of its members were photographed chanting "Sieg heil" and burning swastikas at a neo-Nazi rally. The UEN also admitted another Polish MEP from the Socialist group and three MEPs from the Italian right wing party Lega Nord.
Green TD Trevor Sargent accused Fianna Fáil of welcoming into their group a new influx of Polish homophobes and Italian fascists. "The Northern League are renowned racists and xenophobes. One of their MEPs - Mario Borghezio - has been fined for beating a Moroccan child and for setting fire to the belongings of immigrants.
"The League of Polish Families are likewise a very nasty bunch. They advocate the forced assimilation of minorities and the elimination of Jewish influence in business. They support capital punishment and are rabidly homophobic." Mr Sargent said Fianna Fáil's desire for power, perks and privileges knew no bounds and they seemed to have no moral standards.
The admission of the MEPs boosted UEN numbers to 44 making it the parliament's fourth largest group, and moving the Greens down to fifth. Greater numbers mean more influence in the European Parliament with groups above 41 members allowed a vice-presidency.
A spokesman for the Fianna Fáil group in the European parliament said the five former members of the League of Polish Families had left the party a few months ago, and rejected the view that they were on the far right.
Mr Ahern said there was no room for homophobic groups or any other odd groups in the party's group in the parliament.