Roche denounces her critics as `pawns in a political game'

The People's Alliance candidate was showing steel yesterday. After asserting herself strongly on RTE radio's Today with Pat Kenny show, she reiterated her belief that there had been a smear campaign against her in which her opponents were "pawns in a game, used for political ends".

"There is enough evidence to convince me three times over - not so much that I can physically see but what I know", she said in Cobh.

"I will be able to look myself in the face on Friday morning and know that I can live with myself . . . Will they?" she asked.

Later, there was a warm, humorous progress around the stands of the Our House exhibition in the Millstreet arena with Labour Party leader Mr Dick Spring.

Around the same time, Fergus Finlay was on national radio elaborating on this newspaper's perceived sins against the Alliance candidate. "Fergus Finlay is an honest person, as honest as the day is long," said Mr Spring afterwards. "But what's done is done and you just get on with it."

These leadership rumblings, he said, were the last thing Adi Roche needed: "In a campaign where we feel we didn't have a fair crack from the media, I think we should keep the focus on Adi Roche for the Presidency and not Dick Spring. We want more votes than are showing in the opinion polls and we're going to work up to Wednesday night to try and achieve that."

And party plotters beware. Today Mr Spring "celebrates" 15 years as party leader by challenging the alleged plotters to declare themselves.

Yesterday's stories about a threat to the leadership in the event of a poor outcome for Adi Roche were, he says firmly, "just bank holiday rubbish with no substance whatever". "But if there's anyone in the parliamentary party who has anything to say to me, let them put their cards on the table. The one thing I do not like is this talking into their hands behind my back . . . that sort of nonsense. I've been around too long for that.

"I deal upright, on the table, and that is what I will continue to do. If some fellows have better ideas, then put them on the table or forget about it. I have three kids to raise and an awful lot more things to be doing with my life."

And anyway, what is their gripe? he asks. "I was sent off to find a candidate by the parliamentary party and I found an excellent candidate. And yes, there was general approval, absolutely. Without demur. The politicians can't have an each-way bet. . . . If I hadn't found them a candidate, it would probably have been a matter of questioning the ability of the leader again."

Does he want to put up with it for much longer?

"I'll make my decisions in my own time. I'm leader of the party at the moment. If anything, my colleagues have been asking me to stay. The majority of my parliamentary colleagues want me to stay and that's despite the misgivings of a few Dublin deputies who brought the issue up in Mullingar."