The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, will not agree to a television head-to-head debate on the abortion referendum with the Fine Leader, Mr Noonan, despite a repeated challenge yesterday.
Mr Noonan received a standing ovation from ardfheis delegates on Saturday night when he threw down the challenge to Mr Ahern. "You can run but you can't hide," he declared.
A Fianna Fáil spokesman was adamant it would not happen.
"It is a fundamental issue," he said. "It is a matter for the people to decide. It should not become a party political issue. We have worked very hard to try and ensure that it doesn't become a party political issue."
A Government spokesman said Mr Noonan was trying to secure electoral advantage by putting himself at the head of the No campaign. "We are not going to play that game," he said.
RTÉ has enthusiastically welcomed the proposal by the Fine Gael leader.
RTÉ executive Mr Peter Feeney said a head-to-head would not conflict with the station's legal responsibility to reflect all sides.
The leader of the Labour Party, Mr Ruairí Quinn, quickly sought to be involved in any debate."Given the importance of the issue, this should not be restricted to Bertie Ahern and Michael Noonan," he said.
The Government's call for a Yes vote received another blow following the decision of the organisations represented on the National Women's Council to reject the proposed wording unanimously.
"It is possibly one of the most anti-women activities that any government in Ireland has sought to bring forward," the council's chairwoman, Ms Grainne Healy, told a rally organised by the Alliance for a No Vote.
Following a confident performance at the ardfheis, which has done much to improve the mood of the party rank and file, Mr Noonan refused to accept Mr Ahern's refusal last night.
"The Government has been negligent in not establishing the Referendum Commission in sufficient time and with a sufficient budget to provide full and accurate information to every voter.
"In the absence of such information, the vacuum must be filled by the political parties, and the best way to do this is that the principal personalities in each party debate the issue," he said.
In his ardfheis speech, Mr Noonan emphasised a political agenda that attacked Fianna Fáil's ethics in office and concentrated on "quality of life rather than standard of living" issues.
"I often wonder what moral compass guides the Taoiseach. He makes Ray Burke the Minister for Foreign Affairs, he makes Liam Lawlor chairman of the Dail's Ethics Committee. He appoints Denis Foley to investigate tax evasion," he said, to cheers.
Criticising the Progressive Democrats, he said they had been part of the Government's "litany of failures. And they did this with four TDs. Imagine the damage they would do with eight."
A motion demanding that the party's grassroots should have a voice in the election of the party leader was passed overwhelmingly during a sparsely attended early-morning ardfheis session.
The motion must be ratified by a postal ballot of 7,500 party members over the next six weeks. The frontbench will recommend that it be defeated.The ardfheis accepted that a special delegate conference should be held to ratify any coalition and programme for government agreement entered into by Fine Gael after the general election.
