Coalition crucible - Small parties must make voices heard

FIANNA FÁIL won more seats than any other party in the General Election, and in that sense the party clearly did best, but the result was not an unqualified endorsement.

It actually lost more seats than any party, other than its partners in government, the Progressive Democrats.

The biggest losers of all were the independents, whose numbers were down by nine seats from the 2002 general election. But Bertie Ahern was clear yesterday that his first move in forming a government would be to talk to the PDs and “like-minded independents”. While opponents might call such an arrangement “the losers’ alliance,” the Taoiseach explained that his main aim is to form a stable government that would last for five years.