Government wants help selling savage budgets

Conor Ryan, Political Correspondent says parties are mulling over how they would run the State – together

IT has been called national government but whatever term you put on it, the fact is that this Government wants help from the opposition in selling its plan for four years of savage budgets.

While Green Party leader John Gormley has admitted he was perhaps hasty to suggest the concept of a national government, he was adamant the financial situation had got so bad partisan politics had to be shelved. For the moment, however, neither he, nor Taoiseach Brian Cowen, is willing to relinquish power to allow such a coalition emerge.