Labour is inching towards support for the Green TD, Mr Eamon Ryan, in his bid to contest a presidential election after Mr Pat Rabbitte said his party had no vested interest in stopping a candidate "who would be broadly of our view".
Mr Rabbitte's remarks came after the Labour parliamentary party withheld support from Mr Michael D Higgins, who went on radio yesterday to say that he wished to enter the race against Mrs McAleese.
While some Labour TDs have serious reservations about helping Mr Ryan to collect the 20 signatures he requires from Oireachtas members to receive a nomination, Mr Rabbitte indicated that he was open to such support.
"The Labour Party has no vested interest in declining to facilitate anybody who wants to facilitate a presidential election, who would be broadly of our view," he said.
"The Labour Party can only make decisions for itself. And I think that if the Labour Party were to exercise a veto on other candidates emerging, I think next week that you'd be asking me, how can you exercise a veto in a possible presidential election?"
Mr Rabbitte did not specifically mention Mr Ryan and said he had no wish to pre-empt a decision by the Labour national executive, which has the ultimate say on whether the party should contest the election. However, he said TDs and senators had given him discretion to act as he deemed appropriate once the 40-member national executive had made its own decision.
The executive will be asked at a meeting in Dublin today to endorse the recommendation of Labour TDs and senators that the party should not contest a presidential election.
After his failure to secure the support of the Labour parliamentary party, Mr Higgins said he will make his case again to the executive today.
"Effectively what they decide I'm perfectly happy with. If they accept the recommendation from the parliamentary party, that's fine. But if they decide, for example, to change that and have a candidate, well, then I'm available too." Some Labour TDs believe the party should not be seen to prevent a contest taking place, although the party is unlikely to provide financial support for Mr Ryan's campaign.
But given Mr Rabbitte's professed admiration for Mr Ryan, certain TDs believe Labour should facilitate him, particularly if Ms Dana Rosemary Scallon secures a nomination.
"Should there be a request from the Greens, I certainly would be strongly of the view that the party should have a view on it," said one TD. "I think it's a very narrow choice if Dana is nominated. There would be a very narrow spectrum available to the electorate."
However other TDs said the prospect of supporting the nomination of a Green candidate would be contradictory, given the parliamentary party's recommendation to absent Labour from the race.
In addition, there is a sense among Labour TDs that some members of its national executive would take a dim view of moves to support the candidacy of a figure from a rival party.
Mr Higgins would not comment on the possibility of supporting Mr Ryan should the national executive accept the recommendation of the parliamentary party.
However, he said Mr Ryan was a "fine deputy".
"He speaks beyond liberal consensus. He's very good, not only on the ecological and environmental issue."
