The Tánaiste has asked the Taoiseach to agree to a change in the ethics legislation to cover the issue of loans and gifts to senior politicians which has led to the current crisis between the Coalition parties. Stephen Collins, Political Correspondent, reports
Michael McDowell and Bertie Ahern plan to meet again this morning to try and patch up their differences. The acceptance by Mr Ahern of loans and gifts to the value of €60,000 is at the heart of the controversy.
A spokesman for the Tánaiste said last night that the two men were "moving to create a situation where this issue cannot arise again under the law".
Mr McDowell also asked to see details of Mr Ahern's house purchase in 1997 from Manchester- based businessman Mícheál Wall. Documents relating to the deal were given to him yesterday so that he could satisfy himself that the version of the transaction given by Mr Ahern was correct.
A spokesman for the Tánaiste would not comment on the nature of the documents that had been sought and received from the Taoiseach, but he confirmed that Mr McDowell had been given some material.
"The Tánaiste sought certain information and assurances from the Taoiseach and this information has been received and reviewed," said the spokesman.
The two men met on Saturday and they are planning to meet again this morning when they hope to put an end to the difficulties which have strained their relationship.
Throughout the controversy Mr Ahern has been adamant that he had broken no law and that he had complied fully with all the ethics guidelines. The changes proposed to the guidelines are designed to ensure that in future it would be illegal for politicians to take such loans or gifts without declaring them.
On a visit to Cork yesterday, Mr Ahern refused to be drawn about the nature of the talks with Mr McDowell but expressed confidence that the Coalition would survive.
There is some puzzlement in political circles that the Taoiseach is still going ahead with his High Court action tomorrow to prevent the Mahon tribunal obtaining access to the financial details of his separation agreement, in the light of his declaration that all the information about his financial affairs was now in the public domain.
Mr Ahern told the Dáil on Thursday of his belief that the file he had given to the Mahon tribunal containing all the information about his financial affairs was now in the public domain. "It seems as if everything I gave in is out," he said.
Meanwhile yesterday the Fine Gael leader, Enda Kenny, appealed to Progressive Democrat voters to switch to Fine Gael at the next election if they wanted to vote for a party of integrity that would insist on high standards of behaviour from politicians.
During a round of television interviews, Mr Kenny told RTÉ's The Week in Politics that if the PDs had any more information about the Taoiseach's finances, they should put it into the public domain.
On TV3's The Political Party, he said that while the public might not want an election on this issue, they did not want a Government that dithered from crisis to crisis.
"Michael McDowell has sold his political soul as a party and they are now haggling about the price," the Fine Gael leader said.
Green Party chairman John Gormley said in a statement that the electorate was bored to tears by the continuing talks between the Taoiseach and Tánaiste.
"The attitude of many people with whom I spoke in Minister McDowell's own constituency yesterday is that the PDs should make a decision one way or the other," Mr Gormley said.
"Having had a tiff and trial separation for a day, the PDs must decide if they are in or out of the marriage bed. It really is time, for the sake of the country, to end this tiresome charade."
He added that in the light of what happened it was time to consider the proposals of the Green Party to clean up politics.
"The former taoiseach Garret FitzGerald has also advocated proper public funding of political parties. We believe that in parallel with this there must be limits on spending not just at election time but between elections, and a complete ban on corporate donations.
"The Green Party already has such a ban in place and we call on other parties to follow suit," Mr Gormley said.