The Taoiseach and the Minister for Finance appear to have curbed discontent within the Fianna Fáil Parliamentary Party about the Government's difficulties arising from the economic downturn.
During an assured performance on the first of a two-day meeting of Fianna Fáil TDs, senators and MEPs in Killarney, Co Kerry, Mr Ahern and Mr McCreevy nonetheless warned that difficult economic times lay ahead.
"McCreevy played a blinder," said one TD. "I have to hand it to him. It was as good a performance as I have ever seen. He mixed wit with economics."
The decision to rearrange the agenda at the last minute and deal with concerns about economic conditions, and the issue of cutbacks, brought immediate dividends for the Taoiseach.
The Minister for Education, Mr Dempsey, and the Minister for Health, Mr Martin, later acknowledged backbenchers' complaints that they had been left in the dark occasionally over the summer.
"They stormed the meeting. They came in with their hands up, totally took the sting out of it," one TD said. "Then they warned us about the international economic situation."
In future, TDs would have to tell unhappy voters in their constituencies "the blunt realities", and forget about trying to get their "pet projects" cleared by the Government, Mr McCreevy is understood to have told party colleagues.
"Those days are gone," he reportedly said.
During a break in the meeting, Mr McCreevy insisted that Fianna Fáil had produced a conservative election manifesto - so conservative it had troubled some senior Fianna Fáil colleagues.
He denied that voters had been misled.
They had, he said, voted for "sane and sensible" economic policies in the election - and the Government would produce more of the same, he added.
Laois/Offaly TD, Mr Sean Fleming, who complained earlier this week that TDs were running into constituency difficulties because they had not been properly briefed about policy changes, said he was satisfied with the response to such complaints.
"I am very pleased. There was a lot of information. There was agreement that there had been problems with communications. Improvements will be put in place. I am sure of that," he told The Irish Times.
In particular, he said, the parliamentary party was reassured that allocations granted for 2002 to the Departments of Health and Education were secure, despite mid-term changes.
In his contribution, Mr Dempsey emphasised that spending would be focused on special education during his term of office, and he defended the increase in college registration fees.
An extra €30 million was being spent on special education this year, he said.
Following the two-hour session on the economy - after which the parliamentary party was not able to ask questions - the meeting moved on to a number of sessions on Fianna Fáil's preparations for the Nice Treaty referendum.
"By dealing with the economic issues first we have set the economic context and shown where the Government is going," said the Government Chief Whip, Ms Mary Hanafin. "Nice is the major political issue facing us," she added.
Following a number of workshop meetings, a number of TDs said that they believed members of the Cabinet were worried that difficult economic news could threaten a Yes vote in the upcoming Nice Treaty referendum.
