Defiant Joan Burton says Labour's main general election battle is with Fine Gael

Tánaiste Joan Burton will claim today that the Labour Party’s main battle come the general election will be with Coalition partners Fine Gael, not the opposition.

Ms Burton will hold a symposium on James Connolly as part of Labour’s 1916 commemoration programme, during which she is expected to make her remarks, which are likely to anger many in Fine Gael.

“The battle of ideas these past five years has, in my view, been entirely between the Government parties,” she will say. “So in the forthcoming election, based on all the evidence to date, I expect the pattern to repeat itself. The battle of ideas will continue to be between ourselves and Fine Gael — on economic issues and on social issues.