FIANNA Fail has moved to paper over the cracks in the campaign to form an alternative coalition with the Progressive Democrats as Government strategists plan to make unity and stability key election issues this week.
In an attempt to present a show of unity, the leaders of the two parties, Mr Bertie Ahern and Ms Mary Harney, decided on a formula yesterday to dilute their differences on the controversial issues of unmarried mothers and cutbacks in the public service.
However, divisions are likely to resurface today when Fianna Fail publishes its policy document on the public service. While the PDs have proposed a decrease of 25,000 jobs over five years, Fianna Fail will stress that there will be no redundancies or cuts in numbers.
The Taoiseach, Mr Bruton, met the Tanaiste, Mr Spring, in Limerick yesterday "to review the campaign so far", according to a spokesman. The leaders of the three Government parties plan a series of such meetings in the remaining 11 days of the campaign to portray an image of unity to voters.
Speaking on his tour of the west yesterday, Mr Bruton accused Fianna Fail and the Progressive Democrats of "disagreeing almost every day . . . they don't seem to have any coherent approach to anything".
Mr Spring said last night "the choice is between a stable government as opposed to an experiment that did not work in the past".
Coinciding with latest opinion poll findings that the Rainbow parties have narrowed the Fianna Fail/PD lead to 4 percentage points in first preference votes, Mr Ahern met Ms Harney in the Green Isle Hotel in her Dublin South West constituency yesterday for half an hour to review their campaign strategies.
Both sides said afterwards that the real election issues were crime and drugs, tax and unemployment, Northern Ireland and the environment. They said they shared a broad range of agreement on tackling these issues.
Fianna Fail sources said they had agreed on the two controversies "which appeared as cracks". The PDs and Fianna Fail had signed up to Partnership 2000, they said. Referring to the PD proposal to shed 25,000 jobs in the public service, the sources added that any change would require the agreement of all the social partners.
On the question of unmarried mothers, they said "there will be no cutting of benefits". Both sides agreed that what Ms Harney had said was misinterpreted.
After the meeting, Mr Ahern said they reaffirmed their commitment that they were working closely. "We want people to know that we have an understanding to work together on issues. We can put forward a very comprehensive and satisfactory combination of government right through to the year 2002." The issues that divided them were seen on the surface, Mr Ahern said.
Ms Harney said she was approaching the unmarried mothers question from a social, not an economic, perspective. If in government with Fianna Fail, she was determined to deal with it in a caring and compassionate way. There were differences between the two parties, she added, but there was also a commitment to reach the compromises necessary for successful coalition government.
She accused the Government of only pretending to be united.