In 1990, Fine Gael did itself desperate damage by devoting months to an ineffective effort to find a presidential candidate. The last-minute drafting of Austin Currie and his poor election performance eventually sank the leadership of Alan Dukes.

There was a lesson there for other party leaders. But Bertie Ahern mustn't have been paying attention. His problem was not, originally, a dearth of candidates but the ambition of Albert Reynolds.

Trying to stop Albert when his mind is fixed on something is not easy - and we have had two government collapses to prove it - but Mr Ahern and his supporters are trying.

Michael O'Kennedy was quietly encouraged to enter the race. Maire Geoghegan-Quinn was asked to run but shrugged off the offer. John Hume bowed out after giving the matter careful and lengthy consideration. Mary McAleese was facilitated as an outside candidate. And Ray MacSharry couldn't be persuaded to re-enter public life.

While all this anti-Albert jockeying was going on, the leadership failed to consult the Fianna Fail parliamentary party. The members might as well have been in purdah. TDs and senators were certainly being canvassed for their votes by Mr Reynolds and Mr O'Kennedy, and - last week - by Ms McAleese, but the real action was elsewhere.

If political dithering had been the hallmark of Fianna Fail's campaign up to the weekend, the news that Adi Roche, the Chernobyl and CND campaigner, was about to be nominated by Dick Spring injected an element of panic.

Ms Roche's nomination by Labour brought new permutations into play. Her cross-party appeal - evident from the fact that both Fianna Fail and Fine Gael offered her nominations for Dail and European Parliament elections in the past - had to be countered. Her popularity opened up the prospect of a second Fianna Fail presidential defeat in a row.

Immediately, a "draft David Andrews" response set in. It was suggested that the leadership should drop its resistance to Mr Andrews as a candidate and take a chance on losing any subsequent Dun Laoghaire by-election.

The idea of the Government's Dail strength falling from 81 to 80 - and shortening the life of the Coalition - did not appeal to some ministers. They spoke, instead, of trying to swing the parliamentary party behind Ms McAleese at tomorrow's meeting, leaving both Mr Reynolds and Mr Andrews in the lurch and staving off the prospect of a by-election. To facilitate that development, the Northern academic will be allowed within the hallowed precincts to address the parliamentary party.

But not all Ministers are opposed to Mr Reynolds. Charlie McCreevy and Brian Cowen have publicly declared for him, while others are keeping their powder dry and an eye on Mr Ahern. Among TDs and senators, Mr Reynolds is said to have hoovered up the promise of so many votes that he may be unstoppable.

Mr Andrews will return to Dublin this morning - he was attending the funeral of Mother Teresa in Calcutta - and is expected to reassess his position after speaking to Mr Ahern. Fianna Fail's anti-Albert strategy took a new and convoluted twist following Adi Roche's nomination by the Labour Party, with conditional support from Democratic Left, yesterday. As the left-wing parties' campaign took on the shape that had won Mary Robinson the presidency, desperation set in and Dana was effectively nominated as a shadow Fianna Fail candidate.

The judgment was that the former Eurovision winner would bring out an older, conservative element that might not otherwise vote. And that the second preferences of these people could be attracted by the Fianna Fail candidate. Not only that, Dana's involvement as a singleissue candidate would reflect adversely on Ms Roche's campaign and her lack of political experience.

So when Fianna Fail councillors rang Mount Street for advice on how they should vote, they were told they could nominate Dana if they wished. It was different within Fine Gael and the Labour Party, where party whips were applied. In spite of that, some councillors broke ranks.

Within hours, and with the help of strong Fianna Fail support, Dana was nominated as the first presidential candidate in the 1997 election. Initial support came from Donegal, Kerry, Wicklow and Longford.

Even before her selection as a candidate, the main parties had acknowledged that the result of the election would be decided by voting transfers. The main question was: which of the candidates nominated by the three parties would bring up the rear? Now, with Dana in the field, they may not worry so much.

Fine Gael is to select its candidate today when Mary Banotti and Avril Doyle put their names before their parliamentary colleagues. Shortly before that, the Labour Party and Democratic Left are expected to endorse Ms Roche. And, tomorrow, Fianna Fail will finally bite the bullet and choose its contender. After all the dithering, it will be a great relief to the electorate.