THE PROSPECT of a bitter contest for the leadership of the Progressive Democrats increased last night after a meeting between Michael McDowell and Tom Parlon broke up in disagreement.

The two met at Leopardstown Races at McDowell’s invitation, but Parlon left the meeting angrily when an expected offer of the post of party president was “not on the table”. As the two camps failed to narrow their differences by telephone afterwards, it seemed likely that Parlon will seek a nomination to contest tomorrow.

A number of senior PD sources have indicated that should Parlon contest the election, Liz O’Donnell is willing to second his nomination. The Dublin South TD is understood to have told McDowell and Parlon that she would prefer if they could avoid a leadership election. She is not thought to have any interest in the post of party president.

One source close to the exchanges said: “Things are still very fluid. The leadership is not the foregone conclusion that everyone thinks.”

Another said: “McDowell arrived at the races with a Sunday newspaper photographer in tow. There was a handshake with Parlon and everything looked rosy until they began to talk.

“An offer that was made to Parlon about coming on board, that there would be the dream team of McDowell as leader and Parlon as president to bring everyone together, that was not being offered.”

One senior PD source said that Senator Tom Morrissey, a prominent McDowell supporter, rang Parlon on Friday evening to invite him to a meeting with McDowell and suggested the president’s position would be offered at the meeting.

The meeting was supposed to take place on Friday evening, but was postponed until yesterday due to circumstances unrelated to the PD race.

O’Donnell and McDowell met in a Dublin hotel on Friday and had a “cordial and purposeful” discussion about the leadership race. O’Donnell and Parlon kept in phone contact over the past two days but did not meet.

Sources close to O’Donnell say she would prefer if the leadership was agreed without a contest but she will not prevent Parlon from contesting it if he is determined to do so. This could mean she will second Parlon’s nomination if he runs.

The post of party president was created to attract McDowell back into the PDs in 2002. It is a powerful position with responsibility for head office duties and staff, and with an organisational role. The question now arises whether McDowell would be comfortable with Parlon taking this powerful position while he is leader.

One source said the justice minister offered the position to Parlon in June, when differences emerged between McDowell and Harney over the timing of her departure. Parlon is understood to have declined in an effort to avoid a leadership change before the general election. If Parlon does contest the election, he has an uphill battle. McDowell is believed to command the support of at least seven of the 13 parliamentary party members, a tally that would already give him nearly 22% of the overall vote. The parliamentary party has 40% of the vote in the election.

McDowell is also expected to poll very strongly in the second electoral college of the PDs’ three-tier system — the combined 15-strong national executive, 29 local authority members and three party trustees — a group which accounts for another 30% of the vote. A two-thirds showing there would give him another 20% of the overall poll.

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