Fine Gael supporters will have been pleased and reassured in equal measure by the signs of resilience and growth that were evident at the party's 70th ardfheis during the course of the weekend. And they will have been energised by the prospect of an early general election. The party leader, Mr John Bruton, urged them to prepare for the local and European elections which are scheduled to take place in June. But he warned that these events could be overtaken by a general election arising from disclosures emanating from the work of the Flood and Moriarty tribunals.
There was a political "buzz" about the ardfheis that occurs only when election fever is in the air and when the opportunity of returning to power beckons. The party was gathering its strength and members of the parliamentary party were preparing for battle. In those circumstances, it was no surprise the occasion was well attended. If Fine Gael could not rally its staunchest followers in these days, the outlook would be grim indeed. Even so, the age profile of delegates and their largely rural origins must be sources of concern to the leadership.
The key issues for debate were predictable: crime, traffic, housing, health care, education, agriculture and Northern Ireland. But Mr Bruton sought to lift the occasion by presenting a set of political and social values designed to inform his party and influence Irish society into the new millennium. The Fine Gael leader offered a new brand of patriotism to his followers: one that would unite people rather than territory; based on shared values instead of selfish individualism; that would take a lead in Europe and make Ireland an attractive place in which to live.
Before any of this could happen, however, Fianna Fail had to be removed from Government. The Fine Gael leader devoted a considerable amount of time to attacking the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, for his failures to ask "hard questions" of his party colleagues and to take political responsibility for dealing with corrupt practices. In the context of the public disquiet and dismay that have greeted disclosures at the Moriarty and Flood tribunals, the speech was well received. Delegates appeared delighted with the notion of a new patriotism that would allow Fine Gael to embrace the moral high ground in terms of a code of business and political ethics and in the creation of a sharing and caring society.
Political occasions such as this are heavily stage-managed and have lost much of their original purpose as forums for the creation and adoption of policy. In that regard, delegates were asked - almost in passing - to consider the 24 policy papers and nine Bills published in the course of the year by the parliamentary party. Ardfheiseanna have become largely social occasions and the old, three-day format has been abandoned by all the major political parties. Attendances have fallen off as television and improved communications have impacted on party organisations and made the leadership more accessible to members. The high cost of staging the event has also become a factor. These elements may explain the lapse of three years since Fine Gael's last major conference. Whatever about that, the party leadership will regard the ardfheis out-goings as money well spent. It has publicly rallied its troops, unveiled the broad outline of its manifesto and thrown down a challenge to Fianna Fail and the Progressive Democrats. All it needs now is a general election.