The Taoiseach will today spearhead a concerted Government assault on Fine Gael and Labour as Enda Kenny and Pat Rabbitte meet in Mullingar to highlight their plans for a pre-election alliance.
Government and Opposition will this afternoon signal the beginning of what may be 18 months of election campaigning at carefully managed, high-profile events.
Mr Ahern will tell the opening session of Fianna Fáil's two-day parliamentary party meeting in the Slieve Russell Hotel, near Ballyconnell, Co Cavan that the two main opposition parties offer Ireland "a future of uncosted pledges and empty promises".
He is expected too to suggest that they offer policies that will damage the economy and could cause unemployment and tax rises as well as a return to economic failures of the past. While claiming ownership of economic prudence, Mr Ahern is also expected to stress the importance of fostering community values and improving quality of life.
His themes reflect the choice of guests for the two-day meeting. Speakers include AIB economist Oliver Mangan on the state of the economy, and US academic and author Robert Puttnam on the decline in community and social participation. They will then have discussions among themselves in workshops.
Ireland rugby coach Eddie O'Sullivan will address the parliamentary party before dinner tonight. Tomorrow Dr Maureen Gaffney, Nóirín Hayes and Pam Kearney will speak on childcare.
Enda Kenny and Pat Rabbitte's meeting in Mullingar today comes on the anniversary of their meeting last year at which they announced their intention to form a pre-election alliance.
Today their respective deputy leaders, Richard Bruton and Liz McManus, will join them for what is an attempt to upstage the Fianna Fáil event and place the idea of an alternative coalition firmly in the public mind.
Minister for Enterprise Micheál Martin gave a flavour of Fianna Fáil's critique of the alternative alliance yesterday, condemning it for refusing to produce detailed policies.
"It beggars belief that a year after announcing their 'Mullingar Accord', the leaders of Fine Gael and Labour should meet again with no plans, no policies and no programme," Mr Martin said in a statement. Ironically, Mr Martin condemned Fine Gael and Labour for engaging only in what he called "attack politics". He noted that it was 18 months since Enda Kenny promised to provide - within 18 months - a comprehensive joint programme with other parties. In an interview in March last year Mr Kenny referred to Dáil co-operation with Labour and the Green Party and said: "I think we can expand that over the next 18 months into a comprehensive programme, that is what I'd like to do."
Mr Martin said: "Instead of any real substance we have had several joint appearances by the two leaders. We have been treated to props, walkabouts, photo shoots and lunch dates. And in policy terms, these two leaders have been out to lunch for the past year. All we have been given is empty outings, devoid of content or any attempt to explain or reconcile their very obvious differences. They point blank refuse to publish constructive policies with any serious details or costings. They are trying to win power without proper programmes. They are united only by opportunism.
"Whether the issue is taxation or social partnership or the public sector or competition or regulation or neutrality, these two parties are fundamentally out of sympathy with each other. All they have in common is their one-shot, short-term leaders bound together in a desperate power grab," Mr Martin said.