In his speech to the Socialist Party annual conference in Maynooth, Higgins said his party was open to working with "principled political groups with a real base, genuine local campaigns and community groups who may be considering standing in the general election".

There was a need, he said, to "construct a major party of the left, a real mass workers' party on this island, and the Socialist Party, while retaining its ideas and unique analysis and socialist programme, will strive to assist such a development".

The party's key objective in next year's general election would be to retain its seat in Dublin West (held by Higgins himself) and win a new seat in Dublin North with Clare Daly, Higgins said. "Nor do we exclude the possibility of winning more seats, especially with our hard-working councillors, Mick Barry in Cork and Mick Murphy in Dublin South West."

Higgins said his party would campaign for a socialist alternative both to the Fianna Fáil/PD government and to a Fine Gael/Labour/Green coalition. "There is no real choice here for working-class people as all these parties share similar economic and political positions. All they fight over, in reality, is which cabal should have its hands on the loot, " he added.

Sharply criticising the proposed privatisation of Aer Lingus, Higgins said it was "more than shameful that we have the state investing in the armaments industry and in killer tobacco companies through the National Pension Fund, but refusing to invest in Aer Lingus". He also condemned the government for continuing to facilitate the occupation of Iraq by US and UK forces by allowing "the passage of thousands of US soldiers through Shannon airport".

"The Socialist Party calls for the immediate withdrawal of these facilities and also the immediate withdrawal of all facilities offered to CIA chartered flights suspected of facilitating the kidnap and torture of opponents of the Bush regime, " Higgins said.