No deal. Where did we hear that before?

IN recent days the Taoiseach has been at pains to reiterate that he will not go into coalition with Sinn Féin after the next election, no matter what way the electoral math works out.

He has gone so far as to say he would prefer to lead his party into opposition rather than accept Sinn Féin as a junior partner in government.

Unusually for Mr Ahern, there was no equivocation.

So, with that, middle-class Ireland can breathe a collective sigh of relief - or can they?

Mr Ahern’s comments sounded eerily familiar. Echoes of his mentor Charlie Haughey making similar bold statements in the lead-up to the 1989 general election - that Fianna Fáil doesn’t do coalitions, that they are bad for the country, and he certainly wouldn’t go into coalition with the PDs.

The fact is that after the next election, if Fine Gael and Labour lack a majority, and if the PDs don’t have the numbers, Bertie will cite the national interest in having a government with a respectable majority and go in with Sinn Féin.

If CJH could stand being in coalition with Dessie O’Malley, you can bet your SSIAs that newly republican socialist Bertie can go in with Sinn Féin.

Colm Murphy

Ballykerogue

Campile

New Ross

Co Wexford