Prosperity pledge:Tánaiste Michael McDowell yesterday launched a strong attack on what he described as Sinn Féin's "Marxist dream" policies, ruling out coalition with the party after the election "under any circumstances".
Mr McDowell said if Sinn Féin influenced the formation of the next government people in foreign boardrooms deciding whether to invest in Ireland were not going to like what they saw.
"A vote for Sinn Féin is not a vote for economic prosperity. It's a vote for a decline into the student politics of the 1960s - Marxist dream stuff which has nothing to do with the modern, progressive, prosperous Ireland of today," he said at the launch of a Pposter campaign pledging long-lasting prosperity at the Irish Financial Services Centre (IFSC) in Dublin.
"Everybody should take a long and hard look at what Sinn Féin stand for...If you work in the IFSC you have to ask what has Gerry Adams to offer? Nothing except the loss of your job."
While Tuesday was a great day for Ireland, with all the parties signed up to the rule of law and supporting the North's police system, the PDs had had to take "a lonely stance on occasion to say you will not cross the line to democratic politics unless you absolutely give up criminality.
"I had to confront them on radio and television right across the board. There was no question whatsoever having one foot in criminality and one foot in democracy."
Mr McDowell said Mr Adams had said the PDs were the only party in Ireland in which he would not coalesce. "I take that as a compliment for this reason: they are allied to Euro communists in the Euro parliament. I read An Phoblacht every week, and it deals with Arthur Scargill, Castro. Their focus is very different from the kind of politics that have made Ireland very successful."
Meanwhile Mr McDowell refused when pressed by journalists to follow Mary Harney and say he had confidence in Taoiseach Bertie Ahern.
He also rejected a suggestion that the PDs had "panicked" last weekend on the issue of payments to Mr Ahern.
When asked if he would clearly state he had confidence in the Taoiseach, Mr McDowell said: "The Taoiseach has agreed now - and I called on him last weekend to do it - to make a full statement explaining all these controversies. When he does so it is for the Irish people to judge whether they are satisfied.
"If he does give a satisfactory response of course that will have implications for the election and for the future formation of government. I am not anticipating the outcome of the statement. Having asked for the statement it would be very foolish for me to come out in advance of it what my position is in relation to it."
Asked again if he had confidence in Mr Ahern, he said: "I have asked for a statement...There is no point in my announcing now what my state of mind on a hypothetical question is."
Mr McDowell said he found it strange that he was the person looking for accountability when the Opposition was "running like scalded cats" from the issue.