The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, has moved to calm nervousness in Fianna Fail following the crisis in Government caused by his handling of the Sheedy affair.
At a meeting of the Fianna Fail parliamentary party yesterday, the Taoiseach said he recognised that some of the party were worried and nervous at recent events. He said he wanted to reassure them that the Government was stable and that the party should mobilise behind Fianna Fail candidates in the forthcoming elections. The Government Chief Whip, Mr Seamus Brennan, said the Taoiseach had used "strong language" to impress on his party that, despite the adverse publicity surrounding the Sheedy case and the tribunals, this was "a very hard-working" administration.
Meanwhile, members of the parliamentary party have been invited to meet, next week, the authors of Fianna Fail's new mandatory code of conduct for officeholders and candidates. The document has caused deep annoyance in the party because of a pledge that candidates must take when seeking election.
The pledge would be a declaration by candidates that they would be willing, if asked, to show evidence that their tax affairs were in order. The party chairman, Dr Rory O'Hanlon, and general secretary, Mr Martin Macken, will meet members of the parliamentary party to work out an amended document. Senior party sources have said, however, that the "thrust" of the section on tax affairs will not be changed.
Fianna Fail today opens its local elections campaign with a manifesto that promises to establish a community development board in each county. These would "draw up a co-ordinated vision for the development of each city and county".
The manifesto also proposes a community warden service, operated at local authority level, to enforce functions for which the authorities are responsible.