Delegates' views: Twenty years ago, Pat O'Dwyer was one of 5,000 people who queued to get into the Metropole Hotel in Cork city for one of the Progressive Democrats' first meeting, writes Mark Hennessy
Then the main issue was tax and economic collapse. Today, the public have banked progress in both and, turned their focus to health and justice.
Given that the PDs are in charge of both cabinet portfolios, Mr O'Dwyer, like most fellow delegates, knows only too well that progress must be achieved in each area before voters go to the polls in 2007. So far, progress has been slow in health "because there are so many power groups there, but that will change," he declared confidently.
Portarlington-based Laois councillor Paul Mitchell said the public's perception about the health service is much worse than the reality.
"My father-in-law was in hospital in Portlaoise recently and he was looked after very well. That is most people's experience, bar A&E," he said.
Problems do exist but they are often "exaggerated" to suit the arguments of vested interests in the health service, resistant to change. "There are agendas out there. Sometimes I think people do counts on a Friday evening in A&E to make the situation look worse than it is."
However, he concedes voters "may want change for change's sake. We have been elected twice; to see that happening a third time will be hard".
Though possession of the justice and health portfolios holds dangers, Dublin North delegate, Brian Hanrahan believes the party has little choice but to take risks.
"The party has to make a distinctive impact. Smaller parties can't play it safe. The PDs are not interested in playing it safe," he said.
Though FF would be his favoured coalition option, he believed that business could be done with Fine Gael and Labour if it had to be. "The Rainbows pose certain challenges. It's very hard to predict. There is a large policy gap with some of the parties, particularly Labour. But if the case has to be dealt with in time then it will be a necessary evil," he said pragmatically.