Labour reaction:Labour Party leader Pat Rabbitte has said he would not lead his party into government with Fianna Fáil, even if it meant that Sinn Féin would go into government instead.
Questioned about whether in the event of the Labour Party overruling him on a coalition with Fianna Fáil he would refuse to serve in such a government, Mr Rabbitte said there was no question of such an overruling.
"I am elected by the democratic franchise of the members so there is no question of the Labour Party overruling. I have made perfectly plain I am not prepared to lead the Labour Party into government with Fianna Fáil because I believe the best interests of the country at this time is to put Fianna Fáil into opposition," he said.
Pressed further on the issue at a joint press conference with Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny, Mr Rabbitte added: "I can't see how it can be put to me that, as somebody who is in favour of change and who has been trying to drive change . . . that it is somehow my duty to lead the Labour Party into government with Fianna Fáil."
Mr Rabbitte said he accepted that "it is not a good idea" to have a Fianna Fáil government reliant on support from Sinn Féin.
"I don't want to see that either. But I would say to the Irish people they have a decision to make on Thursday and if they want to avoid that situation the way to avoid it is to elect more Labour Party TDs."
Mr Rabbitte accused Fianna Fáil of misrepresenting the tax proposals of the Fine Gael-Labour alliance in newspaper adverts yesterday. "To suggest that only 3 per cent of tax payers will benefit from their proposals is "a complete big lie", he said.
Mr Kenny and Mr Rabbitte said if people believed the health service was good enough, they should vote for Fianna Fáil and the PDs in Thursday's election.
"However if you think the health service must be better, vote for the FG-Labour alliance," Mr Kenny said.
"If you think it's okay for your child or mother to spend days on trolleys and hours in plastic chairs waiting in A&Es, vote for the Government. If you think they deserve a bed, vote for the FG-Labour alliance."
He said the "Alliance for Change" offered a prospect of real change while, in stark contrast, the FF-PD Government offered nothing but fear and more of the same.
"In the most important area - health - the Government has thrown in the towel. The Taoiseach actually said the other night that he does not accept that the health service is in crisis. He has said that people should congratulate him for the state of the health service. Is he kidding?" Mr Kenny said.
Mr Rabbitte said if the people of Ireland want five more years of Martin Cullen, Dick Roche and Mícheál Martin, they should stay with a government "that is tired, out of ideas, incompetent and ineffective".