Unlikely partners the Progressive Democrats and Fianna Fáil from a coalition government.
This is a clip from the RTÉ current affairs series 'Today Tonight' . A month after the 1989 general election, Fianna Fáil entered coalition for the first time since the 1930s. More remarkable was that their partners were to be the Progressive Democrats, the party whose founding members had left Fianna Fáil in 1985. As late as the second day of the count, Charles Haughey was opposed to any form of coalition.
When the 26th Dáil [government] gathered to finally elect a government, 'Today Tonight' sought the opinions of the deputies from all sides. Charlie McCreevy and Maire Geoghegan Quinn of Fianna Fáil, Michael D Higgins and Emmet Stagg of the Labour Party, Phil Hogan and Michael Lowry of Fine Gael and Jim Kemmy of the Democratic Socialist party give their views.
Pat Rabbitte of the Workers Party, Bobby Molloy, Mary Harney, Dessie O'Malley of the Progressive Democrats also discuss the coalition in front of Leinster House in Dublin.
Presenter Brian Farrell introduces the report by showing an archive clip of the Fianna Fáil leader Charles Haughey saying he would not enter coalition.
