Bertie Ahern's appearance before the Mahon Tribunal and his intention to step down as Taoiseach could mean the Government does not last a five-year term, Labour Party deputy leader Joan Burton said this evening.
Delivering the opening address to the Labour Party annual conference in Wexford because leader Eamon Gilmore was absent due to the death of his mother, Ms Bruton said ministers were more concerned with Mr Ahern's position than running the Government.
"The Government has a comfortable majority, but we cannot assume it will manage to serve a full term.
"By announcing that he will depart as Taoiseach prior to the next scheduled general election, Mr Ahern has fired the starting gun for the succession stakes.
"The immediate future will be dominated by speculation as to when he will go and who will replace him. Ministers are far more pre-occupied with jockeying for position in the aftermath of Mr Ahern's departure than they are in doing the peoples' business.
"And then there is the elephant in the room. I refer to Mr Ahern's appearances before the Mahon Tribunal. Certainly it is difficult to believe that a repeat of the confused, contradictory, and unbelievable testimony we heard last September would not lead to any early exit from office," Ms Burton said.
Mr Ahern came in for sustained criticism after appearing to giving contradictory evidence to the tribunal investigating payments he received in the early 1990s. Ms Burton said "a repeat performance" could put the Green Party's position in coalition in jeopardy.
"While we know that the local and European elections will provide a specific target for us in 2009, we cannot assume that we will have the luxury of a four-and-a-half year gap before the next general election," she told members.
She said this year's general election had changed the make-up of the Government but "the same old Fianna Fáil ... dominates as much as ever". The party had become increasingly arrogant as illustrated by the pay rises they accepted while urging wage restraint, she said.
The state of the health service was another example. Mr Ahern was pushing ahead with hospital co-location plans which will benefit "Fianna Fail's developer friends" but increase inequality yet he criticised consultants' salaries in the Dail last week.
"He seems more irritated by the fact that some hospital consultants are earning more than he does, than by the failure to deliver accurate results to women when they presented for cancer screening and as a result, exposed them to risk of illness and even death."
"So it's tough going for Bertie without his own Air Force 1, Camp David and personal chef. Can I remind him it's even tougher for many people living in Ireland at the moment."
She said housing waiting lists, insufficient school places and inadequate public transport meant that next month's Budget could cut back on social investment.
Ms Burton gave the Taoiseach credit for his work in Northern Ireland but said there was a danger that the formation of the Executive may not be "genuine power sharing [but rather] the carving up of power, mainly between the two largest parties".
She also urged members to support the establishment of a party commission to examine a role for the party in the North. She also expressed support for the EU Reform Treaty which the leadership intends to support when it comes before the people in a referendum next year.
More than 1,100 delegates at the three-conference in Co Wexford are debating policy issues and outlining priorities for the party for the coming year.
Elections will also be held for the party president position, which is currently held by Michael D Higgins, and for the National Executive Committee ruling body.
The conference will conclude at lunchtime on Sunday with debates on international affairs and immigration.
Party leader Eamon Gilmore is attending the funeral mass of his mother and is unlikely to attend the event until his keynote address in White's Hotel tomorrow evening.