WITH exactly a week to go to polling in the Dublin West and Donegal North East by elections, the Taoiseach has hinted there may be a vote transfer arrangement with Labour.
Asked yesterday if the possibility of a voting arrangement had "been considered between the two coalition parties - Democratic Left has no candidate in the field - Mr Bruton said it would be discussed later in the campaign.
"No such arrangement exists at this stage. We will see if we have such an arrangement. I have great admiration for the other Government candidates and have no hesitation in recommending them," he added.
Meanwhile, the Dublin West Fine Gael candidate, Mr Tom Morrissey, said failure by Fianna Fail to keep the seat would "place a grave question mark" over the leadership of Mr Bertie Ahern. Mr Brian Lenihan, son of the late Tanaiste, Brian Lenihan, is seeking to retain the seat for Fianna Fail.
According to Mr Morrissey, this election is effectively a choice between Fianna Fail and the rest. The real choice came down to who would be the most effective TD and the Fianna Fail candidate had no track record of his own.
By far the most important issue in the constituency was water rates. For some reason, a small charge of £1 per week, or 15p a day, seemed to cause a strong emotional reaction, he added. He expressed confidence that the Government commission on local funding would "come up with the right answer".
As other candidates also marshalled themselves for the final battle in the Dublin by election, the Labour candidate, Mr Michael O'Donovan, set out a policy to combat crime. A series of confidence building measures were necessary, including "a fast track" in the courts for dealing with more serious criminal cases, particularly drug related and violent offences.
The Progressive Democrats candidate, Ms Sheila Terry, proposed a plan to compensate crime victims. She suggested the establishment of a statutory criminal injuries compensation fund.
In Donegal, the Fianna Fail candidate, Ms Cecilia Keaveney, attacked the Government for its record of "inaction and indifference" to the plight of thousands of cross Border workers. Anomalies in taxation for people working in the North and living in the Republic had to be addressed.