Labour leader Eamon Gilmore has reignited debate about Labour's future coalition options following his decision to leave open the possibility of entering a pact on the eve of the next general election.
Last month Mr Gilmore appeared to make it clear that Labour would contest the next election without ties to another party when he said Labour was "not going to have any alliances with anybody".
However, following repeated questioning yesterday at the end of Labour's conference in Wexford, he left room for manoeuvre by refusing to rule out possible eve-of-election alliances.
"I don't know when the next general election is going to be. I don't know the circumstances it will be called in. I am not going to get into the business of how that election is going to be fought at the time."
Ruling out any renewal of the "Mullingar accord" with Fine Gael, the Labour leader said there would be no alliances with other parties "for the foreseeable future".
Pressed on the issue, Mr Gilmore said: "For the foreseeable future. You are trying to ask me a question about the next general election. I don't know when it is going to be. I am not going to write the script now for what I might say on the eve of the election."
He added that he did not want his remarks to be interpreted that there would be an eve-of-poll alliance.
"There is only one agenda: building the Labour Party. That's not based on getting this one out of government, getting that one out of government, or getting somebody else into government."
There would be "no repeat" of the pre-election deal between his predecessor, Pat Rabbitte, and Fine Gael leader, Enda Kenny.
Mr Gilmore also expressed support for criticisms of the trade union movement expressed at the conference by the party's enterprise, trade and employment spokesman Willie Penrose.
Speaking in the presence of Siptu president Jack O'Connor, Mr Penrose said Labour expected trade unionists "to come out and support us and not be behind the door, and forget about this palsy-walsy act with Bertie Ahern".
Mr Gilmore said yesterday that many in Labour were "frustrated" that trade union leaders "have got too close to government".
"There is a disappointment in the Labour Party that while there is a formal affiliation between Labour and the trades unions, that when it comes to election time the support the party might expect from members of trade unions does not come across."
