The principles of Michael Collins were "the principles that drive Fine Gael" and the next election would be fought on that basis, party leader Enda Kenny told the annual Collins commemoration at Bealnablath, Co Cork yesterday.
"Many may have disagreed with Collins's politics," he said. "But no one could doubt his principles. And 84 years on, they're the principles that drive Fine Gael - the principles on which we will fight the next election."
Highlighting Collins's administrative talents, he said: "I'm proud to say that Collins's mission, of success and accountability, in managing the country's finances, in getting our wealth working for the people - all the people - is the Fine Gael mission for the next government of this country."
Commenting on the recent Morris report, he said it raised two critical issues, the morale of gardaí themselves and the level of public confidence in the force.
"I want to see reform of An Garda Síochána that will see a serious improvement in its performance," he said.
"In addition, if we are serious about modernising our police-force, we should look at adding to their skills base. Opening up senior Garda positions to experts from outside the force, whether that be recruiting experienced officers from overseas, or others with expert skills in specialist areas, from the wider community."
Like Collins, Fine Gael believed "the security of the State, the maintenance of public order" must be the first duty of government. The "provisional movement" had made "notable progress in its move from terror" but Sinn Féin had "a way to go" before it could be accepted as a wholly-democratic party.
"Firstly, they must accept An Garda Síochána and the Army as Ireland's sole, legitimate source of law and order. Secondly, they need to accelerate their own internal debate on supporting and joining the new police structures in Northern Ireland."
Noting the presence of representatives of the Defence Forces, at the ceremony, he said Collins "would be proud of the distinction with which our army has served across the world".
Mr Kenny said he would support Irish involvement in a UN force for Lebanon, "firstly, provided its mandate is peace-keeping, not peace-enforcing and secondly, if I am confident it would have the co-operation and support of the Lebanese and Israeli governments".
Meanwhile, he said Collins was "the brilliant west Cork boy, the military genius, the one-man revolution who made Ireland ungovernable, forcing the British Empire, not just to a truce, but to its knees". But he also possessed "uncanny ability to divine a new, a modern, a prosperous Ireland, from the mire of 700 years of occupation, from the attendant learned helplessness of colonialism and from the generational curse, of who you knew, as opposed to what you knew, to get a job, to get a wage and to get on".
Fine Gael in government planned to emulate Collins's achievements, "because with the billions the people are generating, Ireland should be so much further ahead than it is today", Mr Kenny said.