FINE GAEL as a party and the Government parties would best handle the issues of jobs and growth, according to the latest Irish Times/MRBI opinion poll published today.
However, the alternative Fianna Fail/Progressive Democrats alliance would handle the other important issues in the election - taxation, crime and Northern Ireland - better than the three party coalition.
Fianna Fail would handle the Northern Ireland problem better than all of the other parties combined. Fine Gael would handle jobs and growth better than Fianna Fail.
These are the main findings of the latest poll which questioned voters on the party best equipped to handle four key issues in the next government. The first poll in the election campaign was conducted among a national quota sample of 1,000 electors at 100 sampling points throughout all constituencies last Monday and Tuesday.
These findings, together with the 12 percentage point lead in first preference votes held by Fianna Fail and the PDs over the Government in yesterday's poll, will be studied by Rainbow coalition advisers as they consider revising their strategy.
Meanwhile, the Fianna Fail leader, Mr Bertie Ahern, will today attempt to move the agenda to the public finances. He will this morning present an economic policy document which will call for tighter control on spending and be strongly critical of the Government's record.
The document will say Fianna Fail will review all additional spending commitments taken on since 1995 by the Coalition to make major savings. It will also promise to relocate civil servants who duplicate work already being undertaken by the EU Commission in Brussels and to ensure that Government Departments do not double up on work already being done by State agencies.
The Fianna Fail document will also call for a Green Paper on the budgetary position for after 2000 - when monetary union will be in place and the EU funds are running down. The party is also arguing for a tougher approach to managing yearly spending.
The Progressive Democrats' manifesto, published yesterday, supports the call for much tighter control on public spending to help pay for major tax reductions.
Unveiling the manifesto Ms Mary Harney highlighted her party's £2,700 million income and business tax package. Cent red on the reduction of the top rate to 40 per cent and the standard rate to 20 per cent, she also proposed the abolition of all levies including employees' PRSI, and full tax relief for parents for child minding.
As the only party to express reservations about EMU membership without Britain, Ms Harney said the party wanted to be part of EMU. The criteria on which we would enter needed to be established.
"We are simply saying we need to keep our options open until the end," she said, recommending that a forum be set up to consult with the private sector.
She saw no need for another referendum on abortion, advising that there should be "an open mind" on the Fianna Fail leader's approach to publish a Green Paper. The outcome of the Oireachtas all party committee's deliberations had to be awaited before going down either the constitutional or legislative route.
Turning to the exchanges between the Tanaiste, Mr Spring, and herself about the holding of a TV debate, Ms Harney said: "One thing is certain. The next Tanaiste will not be a man from Kerry with a moustache."
Meanwhile, the debate on tax continued, with the Government parties launching a combined tax plan under which all the resources in the next two budgets would be devoted to increasing tax allowances, widening the standard rate band and pushing up exemption limits, with special concessions for the elderly and young people.
This means the Fine Gael proposal to reduce the top rate from 48 per cent to 45 per cent would not be moved on until the third year at the earliest.
But the Government parties renewed their attack on Fianna Fail, with today's document confirming the party favours a significant increase in personal tax allowances over a five year period.
This did not appear in the original Fianna Fail tax plan and the parties have accused Fianna Fail of performing a U turn on the issue.
Increasing allowances is central to the Coalition parties' tax plan.