Ministers from Fine Gael and Labour have both dismissed suggestions that they should campaign in the election with a joint manifesto.
Labour's Jan O'Sullivan says the two parties should campaign on different platforms, while the head of Fine Gael's election committee says there's been no talks on the issue.
The idea's come from former Fine Gael strategist Frank Flannery, who says it might be the only way to secure stable government.
He told the MacGill Summer School that with the increasing number of smaller parties, some of whom would refuse to work with each other, the two incumbent parties should play up the fact that they might be the only option for a reliable partnership.
Our political correspondent Gavan Reilly reports.
