Tánaiste Mary Coughlan called on the Labour Party to "get off the fence" and outline its position on the Croke Park pay deal. She was speaking yesterday in Galway at the first in a series of regional Fianna Fáil conferences.


She called on Labour to "descend from the safety of its ivory tower, show leadership and make clear its position on the deal".


She also mounted a defence of Fianna Fáil's record in government and claimed: "The backbiting from the opposition has progressed to new lows."