Labour edge closer to agreeing votes pact with FG

Labour edged a step closer to agreeing a vote-transfer pact with Fine Gael ahead of the looming election as Education Minister Jan O’Sullivan refused to rule out the contentious move.

However, expressing caution within the junior coalition partner that it does not want to be swamped by Fine Gael, Ms O’Sullivan said the priority was to emphasise Labour’s own image to the electorate.

TDs are split on the issue of a formal pact with Fine Gael as those opposed point to the 2007 general election when the Mullingar Accord between the parties was seen to have damaged Labour’s vote share.

Labourites in favour of a transfer deal insist it is the best way of maximising transfer votes as the two parties will be campaigning on their joint record in Government.

A voter-transfer deal between the parties is likely, say sources, but a joint statement of policies is unlikely.

Asked about the chances of a pact, Ms O’Sullivan said: “I wouldn’t rule it out, I think it’s something to be discussed, but hugely much more important for us is to present our own position to the Irish people.”

The election is expected to take place in March, but could be called as early as November.

“I would not at this point say that we should have a pact, but I think it is something that we will consider closer to the election, but it is not the most important thing the people decide ultimately where the votes go,” Ms O’Sullivan said.

“My strong view is that the Labour Party, as a very distinctive party with a long history and very strong ideology, that we need to first of all concentrate on our own manifesto and what we stand for, what we want to achieve in what is now a recovering economy.

“We’ve worked really well with Fine Gael in so far as we have done what we came in to do, which was to restore a shattered economy, to get people back to work, and we’ve made a lot of progress in that regard.”

The remarks are more muted than those of Communications Minister Alex White who backs a deal.

“When you look at what we have achieved in Government over the past four-and-a-half years, which has been enormous, I think there is a very strong case indeed for there to be an accommodation between ourselves, the governing parties, to ensure what we have achieved can be built upon in the years ahead,” he said.

“I believe in what we have achieved in the last four-and-a-half years in Government; I don’t see a better combination than Fine Gael and Labour.”

Fine Gael chief whip Paul Kehoe told the Irish Examiner

that he “absolutely” thought there would be a voter-transfer pact between the two coalition parties.