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GV Dublin street
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SV Labour election posters outside church
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SV TILT UP Fine Gael leader Coagrave on posters
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SV ZOOM IN Coagrave speaking at press conference
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SV Newsmen
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MV Fine Gail party member condemning Lynch (SOF)
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MV Labour leader Brendan Corish canvassing
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SV PAN Chanting children march past with Labour election posters
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WE REFER YOU TO PRODUCTION NUMBER 1784/73 SYNDICATED ON 22 FEBRUARY 1973.

Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: With a general election looming on Wednesday (February 28) in the Irish Republic, the coalition of the two main opposition parties is campaigning hard to meet a surprise campaign move by Prime Minster Lynch.

The leaders of the Fine Gael and Labour parties have held discussions on how to meet the challenge of Mr. Lynch's pledge to abolish all property taxes on private dwellings in the republic.

Mr. Lynch announced a series of wide-ranging social reforms on Thursday (February 22) -- seen as an attempt to woo voters away from a similar programme of the opposition coalition.

Fine Gael and Labour are pushing a 14-point social and economic platform aimed at lifting tax burdens on the poor. Their platform and campaign was, until Thursday, in contrast to Mr. Lynch's emphasis on law and order issues.

Mr. Lynch's Fianna Fail party apparently switched tactics after campaigning indicated bread-and-butter issues dominated voters" minds rather than troubles in Northern Ireland, and terrorism.

The opposition has called Mr. Lynch's pledge to raise social welfare benefits and abolish rates "vote-catching". Opposition leaders have scoffed at the Prime Minister's claim that the 30 million pounds sterling the Irish Republic will receive following its January 1 entry into the European Economic Community would be channelled into social welfare.

But the opposition campaigning is stepped up, hoping to take advantage of voters' desire for change after 15 uninterrupted years of Fianna Fail rule.