Leader's speech (edited): Tonight the Fianna Fáil organisation from all over [the Republic of] Ireland meets in Co Kerry - the first occasion that our ardfheis has left the capital.
Thank you all for being here and for your unwavering commitment. I am proud to stand with you as leader of Fianna Fáil, the party that has done more than any other to advance the cause of peace, of prosperity and of social justice.
Our Government was re-elected to work through challenging times and as I travel across our country, I know that for many in Ireland these are indeed challenging times.
I know that overtime and bonus cuts have hit many working families. I have seen the pain of those who have lost their jobs and I hear the concerns of those who face that possibility.
I have felt the frustration of companies facing tighter margins and tougher economic conditions, but even in tougher times Ireland continues to be an economic leader and to hold a steady course - the course we were elected to follow.
Our rate of unemployment is far lower than that of our neighbours, but for those concerned for their future - and for everyone who put their faith in me and in Fianna Fáil - I know that they have one question: how is this Government working for us, for our families and for our future?
Economy
I begin with the most pressing question - Ireland's economy. Our experience has shown that the best way to stay competitive - the best way to keep Ireland at work - is to keep taxes low. Creating jobs is our most important job and since 1997 we have created nearly 400,000 new jobs, but to continue winning on jobs, we must first compete and win in the global economy.
We must succeed in addressing the economic issues within our control. That means fighting inflation and keeping costs down. Step by step, we are fighting inflation and we have been winning. And because we took determined action on insurance costs, for the first time in decades, we now have falling premium costs.
But the threat to our progress remains.
From the companies who hoard land for housing, to the privileged professions where there is too much cosiness and too little competition, our economy is being held back and being held to ransom. And tonight I say to those who will put their own interests ahead of the national interest - this Government will use all of its power to put the people first.
Transport
Building first-class infrastructure is not just about spending more, it is also about spending more wisely.
We are spending €100 million every month building hundreds of miles of new roads. The M1 from Dublin to Dundalk is complete. Luas and the Port Tunnel are nearing completion. Hundreds of new buses and trains are being put into service.
Journey times are being cut and journeys are being made safer. Not only better roads, but penalty points too, are saving lives and lowering insurance costs.
For people stuck in traffic gridlock, I know that progress cannot come fast enough, but short-term frustration will lead to long-term progress. Ireland is building a better transport system. We are delivering results.
Health
We are spending unprecedented amounts on health - €9.2 billion this year: that is €5.7 billion more than in 1997 - a huge increase. This year, even with tight budgetary constraints, we are increasing health expenditure again.
Putting it another way, every single cent that we all pay in income tax goes directly into Ireland's health service, but more money is not enough. Radical reform is now essential.
And that is why our Government has worked so hard to roll out a radical Health Service Reform Programme.
One health reform that we will introduce is the ban on smoking in the work place. Smoking damages the health of those who smoke - it will kill 7,500 people this year - but smoking also damages the health of those who have no choice but to work where smoking is allowed. So from January, smoking will no longer be allowed in the work place - and the ban will include pubs and nightclubs.
On healthcare, no one is underestimating the scale of the task ahead. Only sweeping reform will do - and sweeping reform is what Fianna Fáil is delivering and will continue to deliver into the future.
Housing
We have broken new ground and made major tracts of State land in Dublin, in Kildare and in Meath available for more affordable housing. I pledge tonight that even more State land will be found and that even more will be made available. Tonight I am sending a simple message. Exorbitant prices for new houses are not sustainable.
Exorbitant profits are not acceptable. Developers who hoard land banks and who slow development to increase prices will be dealt with decisively.
Through laws requiring development to meet housing needs or through other means we will, when required, intervene ensure a fair market. Housing is an essential need. Land is a finite resource and the land of Ireland is for the people of Ireland - all the people of Ireland.
Crime
Garda figures for the first half of 2003 show a drop of 7 per cent in the level of crime, but winning on crime does not happen by accident. Since 1997 our Government has increased the Garda budget by 60 per cent to €960 million this year and the number of gardaí has increased by 1,100, but we need more, because every crime, even petty crime, leaves its mark upon its victims. We are prioritising Garda recruitment and training to bring Garda numbers up to 12,200.
Our resolve to tackle crime is matched by our determination to address its causes and one of the major causes of crime is the culture of drunken disorder in our country.
We have moved to combat this culture of public disorder by enacting the new Intoxicating Liquor Act. We will not be kill-joys, but when irresponsibility with alcohol is a killer it must be confronted. The freedom to drink alcohol must be accompanied by the obligation to drink responsibly and that obligation will be met - in law and in practice, in pubs and clubs across our country.
Pensions
Saving for future State pensions is another responsibility that we believe in. Every year lost in savings means a smaller income in retirement. Amazingly, there are those who urge the Government to spend that money now and to stop saving for future pensions. Fianna Fáil does not agree.
I know you agree with me that saving to give you a decent State pension when you retire is not only prudent, it is essential. That is why our Government will continue to contribute 1 per cent of our Gross National Product to the Pension Reserve Fund.
This is the right course for Ireland's long-term future.
And we are looking after pensioners now - our elderly parents and the neighbours whom we look out for. These people built our country. They cared for us and caring for them now is not just an option. It is a responsibility. It is one of our most important values - a Fianna Fáil value. That is why the old-age pension - €157 today - will rise to €200 at least under this Government.
Northern Ireland
In Northern Ireland, I have worked tirelessly for the full implementation of the Good Friday agreement. Earlier this year we were in sight of final agreement on the outstanding issues. We published the Joint Declaration - a positive blueprint for the problems that need to be addressed -
· About the necessity to end all paramilitary activity
· About stabilising the institutions of the agreement,
· About how and when the British military infrastructure in Northern Ireland would be dismantled,
· And about the questions central to policing, to justice and to human rights.
These are the issues that are central to progress on peace.
Our Government did not agree with the postponement of elections. I believe that these elections should take place. I believe too that elections should happen in an atmosphere of real hope - the hope that the Assembly and the Executive can be formed and can work properly, after the election.
The clock is ticking and tonight I say to the parties - you know what must be done.
Building a Better Ireland
The people I meet often ask me: what is my vision for Ireland's future. It is this: my vision is to build a better Ireland. It is the radical plan for change and for transformation that we began together in 1997. And it is set out in practical steps to deal with the real issues faced by real people.
The issue is peace, is jobs, is crime, is schools, is hospitals, is roads, is our environment - is our future.
Building a better Ireland must be done more cost effectively and more quickly. Consultation is important but it cannot be endless. Building for the greater good - this is our national interest.
And in the national interest, we will establish a National Infrastructure Board - a one-stop shop - and a sole decision-maker for major projects of national importance. All the issues will be heard but delays will be shorter and decisions will be faster.
Our airports will become independent authorities in their own right, fostering competition and regional development. Our National Spatial Strategy is a focused plan to build a landscape of living communities across our island. Our farm families, who are at the heart of rural life, will be enabled by a new simplified farm payment to grow the quality produce our people want and our food industry needs.
Across our country schools and towns are being connected globally by broadband technology. Ireland will leave no one behind. Our focus is on the long term. Building on the success of the levy on plastic bags, we will now introduce a similar levy on take-aways, on chewing gum and on ATM receipts.
The Responsibility of Leadership
When I became leader of Fianna Fáil, I said that I would be a consensus leader. I said as well that that road would sometimes be the most difficult road to take. And at times, so it has proved to be.
I believe in bringing people together. I believe in partnership in our economy. I believe in an agreed and peaceful settlement for our island. I believe in a government as good and as decent as the people of Ireland.
As Taoiseach, I am working to deliver practical solutions that improve people's lives. That is the real and the practical standard of leadership that I have set for myself. I understand that criticism comes with the office I hold, but I need to take no lectures on government from those who lacked the courage or the capacity to govern in the 1980s.
So while our choices today may be difficult, let me leave no doubt of what this Government is about. It is about making tough choices. It is about having the courage to do what is right. It is about having a vision - and staying the course and more than anything it is about the serious responsibility of leadership, but while our focus is on the task before us, we do not hesitate to lift up our heads towards the horizon of hope that we can reach in our day and generation - an island at peace - and a renewed, secure and just prosperity for all.
Fianna Fáil has that vision. I have that vision and the Irish people share that vision. Together, even in hard times, even in the face of those who have nothing to offer but opposition, let us continue - continue working, building, leading to make our country all that it should be - all that we know it can be.
I pledge to you tonight that I will work every day to build that better Ireland, the better Ireland we know we will build with time, with courage, with commitment - the commitment, the courage that has always been at the heart of Fianna Fáil.
Let us continue.