Bruton: can he hang on?

The BBC's Dublin correspondent, Leo Enright, reports on the debate Dur: 3'53"

Bruton and Ahern Clash in TV Debate

Mr Bruton said he and Mr Ahern disagreed "very fundamentally" about the role of Dublin's head of government in representing people from Northern Ireland. Both men stressed their determination to bring an end to all terrorist violence near the end of their hour-long debate, broadcast on both television and radio.

But they differed sharply on the need for the Irish prime minister of the day to look after the interests of Ulster.

Mr Ahern - who in an opening address looked forward to a new Taoiseach (prime minister) and government getting the Northern Ireland peace process going again - said it was for the Dublin premier to adopt the role of "looking after" the northern nationalists.

Mr Bruton insisted that the Ulster unionists were Irish people, declaring "I believe the Irish Taoiseach - whoever he is - has to look after them as Irish people. It is not a question of religion. Our job is to build a bridge between the two communities. The Irish government has got to be seen to be fair to both sides."

On the hardline Irish Republican movement, made up of Sinn Fein and the IRA, he said, "Violence will not be ended by pretending that the threat does not exist, by pretending that the republican movement is not a threatening movement.

The TV exchanges were seen as potentially vital because large numbers of electors have admitted they are still undecided in opinion surveys.

The polls have put Mr Ahern's two-party alliance in front of Mr Bruton's three-party coalition, but indicated a steadily closing gap up to last weekend, at least.