Thirty years ago this year, spending money on the bitterly-fought Limerick East by-election was the least of Fianna Fail's worries. In government for 11 consecutive years, the party's coffers were bulging.
The then minister for local government, Mr Neil Blaney, a legendary winner of by-elections, took up residence in the constituency as director of elections with his "Donegal mafia", a key group of supporters who were skilled in organisation and election techniques.
Nothing was left to chance in an all-out attempt to retain the seat left vacant by the sudden death of the then Minister for Education, Mr Donogh O'Malley. Fianna Fail had money and spent it. The late minister's nephew, Mr Des O'Malley, later to break with Fianna Fail and form the PDs, won the seat, fighting off a strong challenge from Labour's Mick Lipper.
This by-election campaign, caused by the death of the Labour TD Mr Jim Kemmy, is very different. For the first time, candidates are restricted in the amount of money they can spend and have to keep within a budget of £20,000 per candidate. As never before, the bigger parties, in particular, are carefully balancing the books.
The financial stringency is reflected in the number of posters to be seen. Some have already been erected, but there is no evidence of the blanket postering that is the usual feature of elections, although the campaign has effectively been underway for several weeks. More posters will be erected between now and polling day, but will not be replaced if the elements or a rival party knock them to the ground.
The Fianna Fail director of elections, local TD and Minister of State for Education, Science and Technology, Mr Willie O'Dea, told The Irish Times he had no difficulty with the principle of the Act, but it should be reasonably clear to those who have to operate it. There was confusion, he said, about the exact definition of "reasonable living expenses".
At the weekend he organised an intense canvass, with about 20 people involved during the day and 80 or 90 in the evening. It was tough, painstaking work, particularly in the built-up local authority estates where canvassers were given local problems to solve and a dressing-down on the Government's proposals to tax some credit union deposits.
The usual routine would be to provide the canvassers with lunch, and perhaps a drink at night, but he is not sure if it would be regarded as election expenditure under the Act. "I estimate that I spent about £3,000 on subsistence for canvassers in the general election. That would amount to a significant cost in a £20,000 budget."
Fianna Fail will hire professionals to put up the rest of their posters, and the party is wondering what will happen if it can negotiate a cut-price rate. "Nobody seems to know if the normal commercial rate would apply under the Act," said Mr O'Dea.
While welcoming the cap on expenditure, the PD candidate, Mr Tim O'Malley, a cousin of Mr Des O'Malley, said the Act was "inoperable". The party will spend "close on £20,000", but the final details of the expenditure have yet to be worked out.
The Labour director of elections, Mr Joe Kemmy, brother of the late TD, said his party had no difficulty in keeping to the terms of the Act, although he admitted there were some anomalies to be ironed out. "We have opened a special bank account and there will be an invoice and a receipt for every cheque written."
At the weekend, the first of the 24,000 glossy, four-page colour brochures seeking support for the Labour candidate, Ms Jan O'Sullivan, were delivered to Mr Kemmy's business premises in John Street. They are costing £3,000 - the party's biggest single outlay on literature - and will be handed out on the doorstep.
Smaller canvassing cards, to be handed out in shopping centres and at sports meetings, and with, according to Mr Kemmy, a lifespan of 30 seconds, have also been ordered. Money has been set aside for the running of an office, hiring a hotel room for press conferences and newspaper advertising. Party headquarters, which is contributing £10,000 towards costs, is handling posters, and they will be erected by party activists.
Mr Kemmy, a director of elections for his late brother in every election since 1974, said voluntary effort was the key to winning elections. On Friday, he did his usual nightly canvass with Ms O'Sullivan from 7 p.m. to 9.30 p.m. and he did a daytime canvass on Saturday and yesterday. He will take his annual holidays 2 1/2 weeks before polling day to work full-time on the campaign.
"There is no question of providing meals for Labour canvassers. Canvassing every house with voluntary workers costs nothing and is very effective. It is the one aspect of the by-election campaign unaffected by the cap on spending," he said.
The Fine Gael leader, Mr John Bruton, attended a corporate fund-raising lunch in Limerick on Friday and also spent some time canvassing. Although there is a cap on expenditure, money still has to be raised.
A local finance committee with access to legal advice is monitoring spending. "It is a new but necessary developmemt," said the West Limerick TD, Mr Michael Finucane, director of elections for the party's candidate, Senator Mary Jackman.
He added: "There is no doubt that the Act has teething problems. For instance, a small but important item like the telephone bill in the election office in O'Connell Street has to be quantified in advance. But, theoretically, a higher than expected bill could put you over the £20,000. I would like to see a variable amount, say between £20,000 and £22,000, to allow for unforeseen overspending.".
The Democratic Left candidate, Mr John Ryan, who was joined on the canvass yesterday by the party leader, Mr Proinsias De Rossa, said the Act would have no effect on his campaign. The party is spending between £10,000 and £14,000. "It is possible to get elected with that kind of money if you have a good team behind you," said Mr Ryan. "People with a lot of money should not have an unfair advantage. I am still paying back some of the £5,000 I borrowed to fight the general election.".
Nor will the Act make any difference to Mr Eric Sheppard, of the Green Party, which has estimated the by-election will cost about £1,200. He is doing a door-to-door canvass with a small group of supporters. "I think that spending £20,000 in a by-election campaign is obscene."