Labour admits possible coalition talks clash with FG on renegotiating bailout

LABOUR and Fine Gael are set to clash over renegotiating the EU-IMF bailout deal if both parties are in government after the election.

With voters going to the polls the day after tomorrow, Labour leader Eamon Gilmore admitted yesterday that both parties would need to resolve budgetary issues around the deal.

Appealing to a more populist vote, the party also launched plans to offer voters legal rights to a career break where their jobs would remain secure.

Launching proposals for children’s rights in Dublin, Mr Gilmore said: “In the course of the negotiation for any programme for government naturally we would have to try and resolve those differences and work it out.

“There are many areas of our respective programmes where there is common ground, on issues like our objectives on health policy, on political reform.

“There is work that will have to be done on resolving issues of difference in relation to some aspects of budgetary policy. That probably ties into the whole issue of the re-negotiation of the EU-IMF deal.”

While Fine Gael have said they want to change the terms of the aid package, including the interest rate, Labour want to go further and are demanding the timeframe to reduce Ireland’s budget deficit be extended to 2016.

Labour reiterated its promise not to cut child benefit, while also suggesting a children’s rights referendum could be held within 12 months. Legislative reforms were also proposed, such as the exchange of ‘soft’ information in suspected child abuse cases.

Children would continue to get a free, pre-school year, and the junior and senior school cycles would also be reformed, the party said.

Low literacy levels and cuts to the number of psychologists in schools would also be tackled, it said.

Parents would also not have to pay up-front GP fees for their sick children as part of plans for universal health insurance, the party promised.

Supporting parents was also a priority with plans for workers to be given legal rights to a career break.

Campaigning on Dublin’s Grafton Street, Mr Gilmore started his pressing of the flesh beside the Molly Malone statue. But there seemed to be more tourists than voters, with the party leader shaking hands with citizens from Australia and Britain.

One Kerry female voter though did reply to his request for a Labour first with “I’ll think about it” while a Dublin woman said “I don’t have to switch [to Labour].”

One female shopper did make tracks for Mr Gilmore, telling him she disagreed with abortion and he would not get her vote.

And as the Labour leader paid for the compulsory bunch of red roses on the walk and joked that if his party won there would be free roses for everyone, the flower seller turned, gave him his change and said: “Well, a pay rise would be a good start.”

Meanwhile, Mr Gilmore shrugged off reports yesterday that Fine Gael was encouraging voters to give transfers to Independents rather than Labour. It had emerged that Enda Kenny’s party was asking Dublin South East voters to give their extra votes to Independent Paul Sommerville rather than Labour.

“I think it’s a one off... When people go into mark their ballot papers, it’s very much an individual thing where people go with their subsequent transfers.”