Taoiseach denies secret deal with SF

TAOISEACH Bertie Ahern yesterday denied for the second day running that Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin have a secret “cosy deal” in place for the 2007 elections.

In his second substantial remarks in as many days on the matter, Mr Ahern went to considerable lengths yesterday to reject the contention which gained new momentum at the Fine Gael Árd Fheis last weekend.

He said that Sinn Féin's fiscal, economic and European policies were so at variance with those of his party that they would be incompatible coalition parties.

"You can't cod yourself, you can't do that with somebody whose policies are different in every respect," he told reporters in Dublin.

The two straight denials by Mr Ahern come after Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny heavily implied at his party's National Convention at the weekend that a FF and SF alliance was possible after the next general election.

Without stating it directly, he referred to the electorate being offered a stark choice between the Rainbow alternative and "Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin those rip-off republicans."

On Sunday, Mr Kenny said he did not believe the Taoiseach's denial of any such arrangement. With this claim sure to feature prominently in the political campaigns over the next 18 months, Mr Ahern yesterday returned to Mr Kenny's assertion.

"He is obviously being advised because he keeps at it and has been at it a number of times over the last year that there's some kind of arrangement or some kind of understanding," he said.

Sinn Féin Dáil leader Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin also entered the debate yesterday, accusing the main political parties of using this "scare tactic" to prevent Sinn Féin's electoral growth.

His colleague Martin McGuinness meanwhile suggested it was premature for the main political parties to be ruling out SF so quickly.

He said the party would make considerable gains and that it would be then left to the other parties to decide how they would deal with that.