The Taoiseach has played down the prospect of a national government as the Green Party seeks the an all-party forum to discuss solutions to the crisis in the public finances.
Speaking today, Brian Cowen said: "I don't see this [a national government] as being relevant to our present situation. We have a job to do in the coming weeks, we need to get on with that job, and the last thing we need to be doing, in my opinion, is creating any further degree of political uncertainty about that.
"We have a process in place. Let's get on with doing the work. If we can work together, so be it, let's try and see if that's possible," he said.
The Green Party is seeking the establishment of an all-party forum to discuss a four-year plan to deal with the “grave” state of the public finances.
Asked about Mr Gormley's suggested all-party forum to discuss the four-year budget plan, the Taoiseach said it was important the Opposition got a chance to avail of briefing and analysis from the Department of Finance "and any costings that they may wish to look at, that would be made available".
"Now that’s not normally the situation, but we offered that last weekend as an indication because the more participation we have and the more ideas people wish to bring forward constructively to try and assist in this particular exercise would be welcomed by Government," he said.
"As you know there is a strong position in the Green Party to try and build a consensus around that sort of issue. Now obviously one would welcome that and clearly we will facilitate, as I say, the work of the Opposition in whatever way we can."
Green Party leader John Gormley today said Mr Cowen understood the need for the Government to work with Opposition parties as it draws up the four-year plan.
"I think he understands the necessity for some form of consensus,” Mr Gormley told RTÉ radio. “He certainly understands the need to give information to the Opposition in relation to financial matters . . . I hope that can progress."
Mr Gormley is to contact the other party leaders today to see if they are willing to come together in the forum, along with their finance spokespeople, to discuss figures being made available by the Department of Finance.
Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan said the Government and Opposition needed to come to a common analysis of the problem and that the parties needed to come to an agreement on how to handle the deficit and restore growth in the economy.
However, responding today, Labour's Joan Burton said her party had received no letter from Mr Gormley and was therefore "not clear what exactly he is talking about".
"Many voters will view the call from the Green Party as a desperate attempt to remind the public of its existence and a gesture that has more to do with trying to keep Fianna Fáil in power and to rescue Fianna Fáil and Green seats than rescuing the country," the finance spokeswoman said.
"If this were a serious initiative then surely Minister Gormley would first of all have sought agreement in advance from his senior partners in government and would then have made contact privately with other parties rather than announcing it through the media," Ms Burton said.
Labour Party leader Eamon Gilmore said recent talk about the political parties coming to a national consensus or forming a national government was more about keeping Fianna Fáil in power that addressing the State's fiscal challenges.
He said talk of a consensus was coming very late in the day, considering the economic crisis has been ongoing for more than two years. Mr Gilmore said there was now a window of opportunity to hold an election with some time to go before the budget and the State not needing to go to the bond markets until early next year.
He told RTÉ radio that what was required was not consensus but a strong stable government with a mandate for the next four or five years. "[A government] that is in a position to put together and bring forward a four or five year plan for economic recovery".
"Fianna Fáil have got to be put out of government because they have made a mess of the country, the country needs a fresh start and that can only come about when the people of this country have the opportunity of casting their votes," he said.
Fine Gael this morning dismissed the proposal as a kite-flying exercise to remind the electorate that the Greens "still exist”.
Mr Gormley is hoping the parties can meet as soon as possible, ahead of the publication in early November of a four-year budgetary plan aimed at bringing the country’s deficit to 3 per cent of gross domestic product by 2014.
The group would comprise the Taoiseach and Minister for Finance, the leaders of Fine Gael, Labour, the Green Party and Sinn Féin, along with their respective finance spokespeople. Department of Finance officials would brief the group and explain the basis for their figures and projections.
Mr Gormley insisted yesterday he was not looking for a blank cheque from the three Opposition parties, but said he came from a party that had specialised in consensus over the years and consensus was urgently required.
Fine Gael's communications spokesman Leo Varadkar said today his party was confused over the proposal.
“It's a bit strange that this has been done on the plinth rather coming to us initially and we’re unclear as to whether it has been discussed with the Taoiseach or the Minister for Finance," he said.
Mr Varadkar said his party had three major problems with the proposal. "We’re not inclined to engage in co-operation with the parties that helped to create this crisis. They should be out of power. And even though we accept there needs to be a four year adjustment, it's clear we have very different ideas about how that should be achieved," he said.
"I’d also prefer to have a public debate on this rather than leaders and their finance ministers sitting around the table in a dark, smoke-filled room as they used to say," he added.
Speaking on the same programme, Minister for Communications Eamon Ryan said the proposal was a Green Party initiative and conceded that the Taoiseach and Minister for Finance had not yet given it their formal approval.
"Now is not a time for party politics. It's a time for consensus politics to help people of this country get out of difficult economic situation. It would be wrong to go into Dáil and throw lumps at each other and fight our way through this. It's better if we share ideas and analysis," he said.
Sinn Féin's Aengus Ó Snodaigh said his party would not be part of a consensus for cuts, further deflation and unemployment.
“The Green Party’s John Gormley and Eamon Ryan are looking for a group hug with the other political parties in order to ease their consciences as they prop up Fianna Fáil and their disastrous economic policies," he said.