Fine Gael Think-In Joined by Labour Leader

Taking place in Sligo, Enda was on Morning Ireland this morning (link later). The Fine Gael party will be discussing crime again and also energy policy. The feel-good factor running through the party was re-enforced last night with predictions from Frank Flannery that a seat haul in the fifties is a strong possibility. Pat Rabbitte has arrived this morning in a “surprise” visit to discuss strategy ahead of the Election next year however a very interesting article which I forgot to link to was published in the Sunday Business Post last weekend. It suggessted that Rabbitte in publishing a series of joint policies before next May has exceeded the mandate given to him by the party in Tralee.

However, last week’s announcement by the leaders of both parties that they would agree a detailed common policy platform before the next general election appears to go beyond what Rabbitte argued for in his speech to the conference.

At the Tralee conference last year, Rabbitte said: “We will go into the election with … a strong, coherent, radical manifesto, written by the party and no-one else, representing the party’s values and nothing else. “If we can agree a broad platform of outline policy principles before the election, to inform and shape a detailed negotiation when each party knows the size of its mandate, we will do so. Nothing in that broad platform, however, will compromise that ability of our party to seek the largest mandate our own policies and candidates can secure.”

However, the Labour leader has now moved beyond his intention to agree a “broad platform of outline policy principles” with Fine Gael.

Last week, a joint statement issued by Rabbitte and Enda Kenny promised to publish “detailed joint plans” on crime, health and the economy before the general election.