Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)

The party was equally fearful of exposing too stark a difference between itself and its proposed Fine Gael partner in government.

There are also such gaps between Fine Gael and the Labour Party in other key matters, such as the privatisation of Aer Lingus, which Fine Gael supports and Labour, quite correctly, opposes. That is not to say that Deputy Rabbitte and his company would not swallow Fine Gael policies whole in order to get into Government. The Labour Party would do so in future, as it has done in the past. That is a mistake for the Labour Party. In the meantime, it must rally its support base to make the gains it believes possible in the general election.

Both Fine Gael and the Labour Party take the Green Party for granted in all of this, as do greater sections of the media, hoping that party will "do a Labour" and make up the numbers in a coalition. I have no doubt the Green Party will think very hard before going down that road. Few in the media, as is clear tonight, care to set out these uncomfortable facts. They are too busy teeing up the personality contest between Enda on one hand and Bertie on the other, and their respective side-kicks Pat and Mary.

The real issues are there and many are issues of difference between Fine Gael and the Labour Party. When the general election comes, it should not be fought on the narrow ground on which Fine Gael and the Labour Party agree. That is the reason we have tabled these amendments, challenging the Government's record on issues including the two-tier health system, the privatisation of Aer Lingus, the sinister role of the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, the erosion of Irish neutrality, the sell-off of our natural resources, the scourge of drugs in working-class communities, the rights of workers and the sluggish Government approach to the peace process.

I do not expect the Taoiseach to dissolve the Dáil during the summer recess, but whenever he does, Sinn Féin will be ready and waiting to challenge this Government and provide the real alternative in Irish politics, now and in the future.

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