The Labour Party TD Mr Pat Rabbitte has said he "will not serve in any Fianna Fβil (led) cabinet after the next election".
He was speaking on RT╔'s Questions and Answers programme last night and made the statement after being pressed repeatedly by the presenter, Mr John Bowman.
Earlier Mr Rabbitte said he had "very strong convictions" that it would be "best for all if Fianna Fβil served two terms in opposition".
He also said he believed the next general election would return "a clear, comfortable, anti-Fianna Fβil majority".
He was speaking following a question about the Labour Party leader, Mr Ruar∅ Quinn's comment about getting the (Fianna Fβil) "bastards" out at the next election. The Minister for the Environment, Mr Dempsey, on the same programme, said Mr Quinn's language was damaging to politics and politicians when their standing "was not very high at the moment". He felt it was "unfortunate" that Mr Quinn was "not man enough" to apologise.
Mr Rabbitte said his party leader should not apologise and if Mr Dempsey was so concerned about the standing of politics and politicians he "should look closer to home. His party and senior figures in his party are primarily responsible for the attitude to politics in Ireland."
Dr Chris McGimpsey, of the UUP, felt "the fact that politics (in the Republic) was still being defined by pro or anti Fianna Fβil said far more" than the debate over Mr Quinn's choice of word.
