The Progressive Democrats have rejected a proposal from the Attorney General, Mr Michael McDowell, to rename the party and appoint him president in return for his membership.
A special joint meeting of the PD national executive and parliamentary party has unanimously turned down Mr McDowell's demand to rename the PDs the Radical Party and make him president with significant powers.
In a proposal document, Mr McDowell said the party label was "dated and carried a lot of negative baggage". The new title would suggest "youth, vision and vigour".
He proposed that the new party president would be responsible for policy development and overseeing the drafting of the next general election manifesto.
Negotiations to woo Mr McDowell back into the party have been going on for several months. The failure to have him return before the PD annual conference in Cork on November 10th and 11th represents a setback for the party.
Mr McDowell's proposals, revealed on TV3 news, were seen in some quarters as an attempt to take control of the party.
Mr McDowell left the party after he failed to retain his Dublin South East seat by a handful of votes in the 1997 general election. There was no comment from Mr McDowell last night.
It is understood the PDs were willing to appoint Mr McDowell as party president with "certain responsibilities".
The party chairman, Mr John Minihane, confirmed last night that a special meeting last Wednesday unanimously ruled out Mr McDowell's proposals.
Mr Minihane said he had been in negotiations with Mr McDowell for some time in an effort to have him rejoin the party. "We were willing to recognise the role he played by finding a suitable position for him at a high level," he said.
It is understood Mr McDowell was proposing that one of the functions of president would be to control and direct "the other officers and employees of the party". This was rejected by the PDs.
Mr McDowell also proposed that the party president would be responsible for the transformation, development and expansion of the party into an "effective political movement".
Ms Harney would remain as party leader and the main representative of the party in the Oireachtas and Government.
In his document, Mr McDowell said the Radical Party would forge alliances with regional sister parties.
For example, a sister party in Dublin, the Dublin First Party, could be established with overlapping membership.
Mr McDowell said that to create "a new wave" the party had to break with the past. The PD label was dated and carried a lot of "negative baggage of economic elitism, Fianna Fail factionalism, niche ambitions, revisionism and smallness".