Already, Fianna Fáil's "handlers" are running into trouble in their relations with the press, writes Mark Hennessy, Political Reporter
Based in the Treasury Building on Dublin's Grand Canal Street, up to 20 Fianna Fáil press officers work from 7 a.m. into the early morning to control the Election 2002 agenda.
They have, perhaps, succeeded just a little too well. Following the campaign's first weekend, journalists have already started to grumble that too many strings are being pulled.
So far, Fianna Fáil has sought to set the pace all the time, even when the television cameras were detailed to cover the policy launches of the Opposition parties. On Friday, RTÉ received "demands" to include Government Chief Whip Mr Seamus Brennan in the "package" detailing Fine Gael's election manifesto, contrary to all precedents.
On Sunday, RTÉ journalist Charlie Bird was urged to drop his plan to do a story on the Opposition's charge that the Taoiseach was "running scared" of a TV leaders' debate. By mid-morning, Mr Bird had taken six calls. "They said: 'What are you doing this story for? There is nothing in that. You should be looking at the economics'," said one who witnessed the exchanges.
Arriving in the Treasury Buil-ding, Mr Bird was collared by senior party figures such as the director of elections, Mr P.J. Mara, the party's general secretary, Mr Martin Mackin, and others with the same mission. Rebuffed str-ongly and colourfully by Mr Bird, Mr Mara, a seasoned Haughey-era campaigner, was quick to take the hint. "Well, we will try it on. You can't blame us for trying," he said.
In RTÉ, producers report that every news broadcast and current affairs programme provokes calls from handlers in pursuit of "an immediate right of reply".
One source complained: "They have a Bill Clinton-like rebuttal unit. Stories have no natural life any more. They want to push RTÉ on to their agenda the whole time."
Most of this is simply good organisation: "They have planned every single element of this campaign for the last year or 18 months. Nothing has been left to chance," said one observer.
On other occasions, however, the situation has broader implications. From last Friday, Fianna Fáil began to charge that there was a €6.5 billion "black hole" in Fine Gael's figures.
Initially, the Irish Independent was encouraged to run with the story as fact rather than as a Fianna Fáil claim. However, they were not convinced and let it go.
The Irish Times did the same.
Left with no takers, Fianna Fáil decided to use it during their early-morning press briefing on Saturday - one of the quietest news days, even during an election campaign. Seamus Brennan repeated the claims. Some local and national radio stations ran it and the Sunday Business Post joined in with a headline stating the existence of the "black hole" as fact.
The fray resumed early on Sunday, leading to briefings and counter-briefings as FF and FG strove for the high ground. Yesterday, FF changed the ground to claim that FG's health budget was short by €3.9 billion.
All in all, the Soldiers of Destiny will be reasonably happy. A shadow of doubt - still unproven - has been cast over FG's figures.
On the campaign trail, the situation is even tighter. Until yesterday, access to the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, on canvass was strictly limited. Often, just two events are listed on the day's official itinerary. In Navan on Saturday, Mr Ahern let slip that he had stopped in Trim and Summerhill on the way from Ashbourne. On guard, reporters tried to figure out the next unannounced halt.
Guessing correctly, they headed for Kells and found Mr Ahern in a nightclub called The Vibe, complete with toilets marked "Babes" and "Studz", encouraging outgoing TD Mr Johnny Brady's supporters. "You just got the sense that it wasn't an image that the party people wanted on television screens that night. It wasn't sophisticated enough," said one journalist.
RTÉ reporter Mary Wilson voiced the complaints of many journalists: "This is a very slick operation by the FF handlers. We are being left a little short of information."
During yesterday's early-morning briefing in the Treasury Building, there were signs of change. Putting on his best altar-boy look, Mr Ahern said some of the stops had been unannounced because TV crews and photographers would only have ended up crowding into small shops. "It isn't safe," he said.
Unlike some, TV3 producer Conor Tiernan is keeping calm. An ex-BBC veteran of Tony Blair's campaign, he has seen Peter Mandelson at work. "They were extremely manipulative. Arrangements took forever to make. Aggressive phone calls were common," he commented.