Fianna Fáil confirmed last night that there were "ongoing contacts" with the Progressive Democrats and with Independent TDs in order to secure their support for Bertie Ahern in Thursday's vote for taoiseach.
Fianna Fáil is in touch with four of the five Independents, Beverley Flynn, Jackie Healy-Rae, Michael Lowry and Finian McGrath. Mr McGrath also confirmed that talks were "still going on".
So far, Fianna Fáil has made no contact with the remaining Independent, Tony Gregory, who represents the same constituency of Dublin Central as Mr Ahern.
The speculation is that Mr Gregory will be contacted either on Wednesday afternoon or Thursday morning.
Interviewed on TV3's The Political Party last night, Mr McGrath said he was "talking to other parties as well in the background, to see if they can come up with something that delivers for my constituents and also to do something on the national issues in relation to children with special needs, disabilities, health and education and a few local issues as well that I'm very, very involved in."
Asked what were his essential requirements, Mr McGrath replied: "I will not go into a government unless I can deliver on core issues like children with special needs, disabilities, health and education."
Asked if the provision of Shannon airport facilities to US forces and the issue of hospital co-location were a "bottom line" in negotiations, he replied that they were "on the agenda", but added: "I'm not putting down bottom lines because we're in the middle of negotiations and I'm wide open to negotiations and sensible and progressive talk, so if people can deliver for the people I represent, I want to represent working-class people, the poorer sections of society who have been left behind for the last five years."
Expressing regret that Fianna Fáil was not talking to Mr Gregory at this stage, he added: "I think it will be a mistake to leave him out of any equation, because the man has 25 years' public service, he would make an excellent minister or an excellent Ceann Comhairle."
Well-placed Fianna Fáil sources, speaking unofficially, said a seat at the Cabinet table for acting PD leader Mary Harney would be a sine qua non for Mr Ahern.
"He has few loyalties in this world but that would be one of them," the sources added. If the Greens could not tolerate Ms Harney's participation, "that's their problem".
