Need for FG/Lab Unity

There is a view emerging that a quick general election before December, with the parties campaigning on the basis of their 4 year budget proposals would allow voters to assess the various options and select the 4 year plan they want and give a new government a "strong mandate".

Surely without a Mullingar Accord type arrangement, FG and Labour will produce radically different proposals, which they will then proceed to bastardise beyond recognition in their post election programme for government negotiations, leaving both FG and Labour voters with some sort of compromise plan which neither voted for and the new government with no more of a mandate then the current government?

Last night on Vincent Browne for example there was Simon Coveney talking about cuts etc, while Kathleen Lynch was taking a directly opposite position - even talking about stimulus spending (increasing borrowing - and the deficit - to fund the stimulus package). How could those positions be compromised with both parties' credibility intact?