Pat says no to FF coalition

Labour Party leader Pat Rabbitte has predicted that the election battle in Cork South West will come down to a fight between Labour Senator Michael McCarthy and Fine Gael’s Paddy Sheahan.

Speaking as he campaigned with Senator McCarthy in Dunmanway yesterday, Deputy Rabbitte said that the Labour Party is convinced it is in with a chance of a seat in the three-seat constituency.

“I’m here because I think Michael will win. There is a changing of the guard in South West. What we need is a young, energetic candidate, and the information we have suggests that he is a real prospect,” he said.

Deputy Rabbitte admitted that it would still be a challenge.

“As the campaign has gone on, the information we have suggests that he’s in with a real chance to win. It would be a big one to win.

“Being truthful about it, it comes down between Michael and Paddy Sheahan,” he said.

Asked if he would enter Government with Fianna Fáil if the only alternative was for Fianna Fáil to rely on the support of Sinn Féin, Deputy Rabbitte said: “No.”

“I’ve taken a fair amount of criticism when I’ve tried to explain the electoral strategy. Your colleagues say to me ‘Will you please say yes or no?’. And I will — no,” he said.

Deputy Rabbitte added he did not understand where confusion over his position had arisen yesterday.

“I have no idea how you could draw any conclusion but the opposite. Vincent Browne and myself had a set-to, and maybe that caused confusion,” he said.

Deputy Rabbitte led the Opposition retaliation to Government claims that Fine Gael and Labour’s tax proposals wouldn’t benefit as many people as Fianna Fáil’s.

“They’ve appallingly ran untruthful ads in the papers,” he said, and described Fianna Fail’s pledge to cut PRSI as “a populist announcement”.

Article courtesy of The Evening Echo newspaper.