Sign up to The Irish Times Archive (1859 - 2008)My Account »

Wed 02 Feb 2007Labour and the PDs become masters of the unpredictableLabour and the PDs are performing some astonishing feats on the political high-wire, writes Stephen Collins, Political EditorThe political world appears to have gone topsy turvey, with the Labour Party proposing a significant tax cut and the Progressive Democrats pledging a massive increase in the old-age pension, the cornerstone of the welfare system. Both parties have consciously gone out to defy their stereotyped image in an effort to broaden their appeal going into the forthcoming election.