Labour Party TDs and Senators have gathered in Clonmel in Co Tipperary to discuss their strategies for the next Dáil session.
Addressing the meeting, the party leader, Pat Rabbitte, reiterated that in Government he would not increase personal income tax but would rather undertake a rebalancing of the tax system.
The meeting coincides with an announcement that the party has strengthened its base in the constituency in Clonmel.
The party said the local borough councillor in Clonmel, Darren Ryan, is to join the party. He is the latest defection from the group headed by local independent TD Seamus Healy.
Mr Rabbitte also launched a strong attack on the coalition, accusing Fianna Fáil and the PDs of mounting a malicious whispering campaign against 'consumer champion' Eddie Hobbs.
He said that he had been Finance Minister at the time of the investigation into the collapse of the Taylor group, Mr Hobbs' former employers, and that the probe had not implicated him in any wrongdoing.
Addressing the conference, Mr Rabbitte also questioned whether the enterprise strategy of the 1990s was appropriate for the current economic climate.
