THE Taoiseach was asked to identify the main differences between the Rainbow Coalition, and the coalition offered to voters by Mr Ahern.
Mr Bruton said the main difference between the two prospective governments was that the current Coalition had successfully worked as a team. There had been four changes of government over the last 10 years - three had involved Fianna Fail and had broken up prematurely. "This is the first government in 10 years that has actually stayed together," he said.
There were 120,000 more people employed during the Rainbow Government. It was government which represented all interests - "the unemployed, the employed, business people, farmers, trade unionists, everybody is there around the table," Mr Bruton said. When the Government made decisions, they were decisions "for everybody".
Mr Ahern was also asked to identify what he saw as the main differences between the two coalitions being offered.
He said he believed the Progressive Democrats and Fianna Fail would have a cohesive policy formula. He and Ms Mary Harney had been in politics 20 years together, having both been appointed by Jack Lynch - "Mary Harney to the Senate, I added to a ticket". Both understood the issues of the day, and had been good friends over that period. They could bring stability to cut taxes and crime, develop the peace process, and control public expenditure.
He said that in his time in governments he had done "nothing other than to try to develop those, to bring people together.
"We over that 10 years have made a real difference to this country," he said. Unemployment had been cut, prosperity had been created.
The important thing now was to maintain the growth that had been created and tackle unemployment, especially long term unemployment, which had fallen by "only a few hundred" in recent years, compared to a 25,000 fall when he was Minister for Finance.
Mr Bruton was asked whether coalition was "all about compromise", and whether as Fine Gael leader he had constantly had to compromise with "the two smaller left parties" in coalition.
Mr Bruton said he was a Christian Democrat, and Christian Democrat parties worked in coalition throughout Europe. "Fine Gael is a natural party of coalition," he said. It had been in coalitions over 50 years. "So we understand the give and take."
He said the current Government was the most cohesive coalition since coalitions started in 1948, when he was a year old.
"I don't think Fianna Fail have yet accommodated themselves to coalition," Mr Bruton said. A Fianna Fail deputy had said Mary Harney had been "reprimanded" last week, "told more or less what her place was". This "would never happen" in the current coalition Government, Mr Bruton said.
Mr Ahern said he had been in a number of coalitions and had broken none, whereas Mr Bruton was "responsible for breaking two" as Minister for Finance.
"That's not true at all," the Taoiseach said.
Mr Ahern said in the first instance Mr Bruton's budget had brought down a government and in the second his partners had walked away.
Mr Bruton replied that the government had stayed together, but "Independents" would not support it.
He said in its 1977 manifesto Fianna Fail had "bought office, the last time you tried to do it 20 years ago," and had left a "financial mess". He had to clear it up, "with tough measures, precisely because of the sort of auction politics which you engaged in yesterday".
Mr Bruton said that a week ago Mr Ahern promised not to engage in auction politics, but had now done so on taxation. "You're making the same mistake that was made in 1977."
Mr Ahern said all the issues raised were in Fianna Fail's manifesto, and were aimed at bringing down the rate of taxation.
"Three great economic years and all the people have got is 1 per cent, 1 miserable per cent reduction," Mr Ahern said.
He argued that Fianna Fail had taken over a disastrous financial position in 1987, and had to work "long and hard to control that".
With the PDs, he said, "we will be able - with no difficulty because there are no ideological differences - to deal with the major issues of cutting taxes as long as we control expenditure".
He said the Rainbow had put forward no policy for controlling expenditure and could not cut taxes without one.
Mr Ahern said: "Our target is a 20 per cent introductory rate tax for people joining the labour market, working towards a 20 per cent standard rate over time, reducing the higher rate to 43 per cent" as well as widening tax bands so that 80 per cent of people would be on the standard rate.
Asked if the PDs and Fianna Fail were already compromising, Mr Ahern said they had the same tax aims.
Mr Bruton said: "You had to call them in twice during the election to tell them off for saying things that you found embarrassing, that was even before the election had taken place."
Mr Bruton said if they were in government Fianna Fail and the Progressive Democrats would have a "daily battle". The origin of the two parties was a 1985 feud, and their previous coalition had broken up when one leader accused the other of telling lies at a tribunal.
Mr Bruton said Fianna Fail and the Progressive Democrats had "a coalition of convenience" and had "no shared conviction".
"What is the Rainbow?" Mr Ahern asked. "Three people in a boat, two rowing to the left and one to the right. And you say that's stability?"
Mr Bruton said the Rainbow was about looking after the least well off people who could not help themselves, unlike the alternative coalition's tax policy, which he said favoured the better off.
Mr Ahern replied that people moved on to the higher rate of tax at a pay rate of £13,600. "They are not rich. They move into that at a very low rate," he said. "We have to try and find a way of making life easier for those people."