Coming up in the Dáil

As the TDs return to Dáil Eireann, Mary Minihan previews what's going to happen in the season ahead. Most activity will be in the constitutencies, wooing voters in the run-up to the next general election

Even the most devoted of the touchingly loyal band of brothers and sisters that makes up the viewership of Oireachtas Report would have to agree that the next election will not be won or lost in Leinster House.

Indeed, Labour leader Pat Rabbitte, who has for many years clearly relished his role as a master of parliamentary put downs, has been convinced to "forget about the Dáil chamber and hit the roads with a constituency tour", if the Sunday Tribune is to be believed.

There are possibly 18 months to go until election time and already we've entered the realm of rolling constituency visits, frantic flesh pressing and near-paranoid opinion poll-watching.

The pollsters tell us the election is there to be won by an opposition. But what impact the alternative leaders' Dáil performances will have on the outcome is debatable, say party spinners.

"Fianna Fáil TD Jim Glennon says the Opposition are simply taking on board a lesson his party leader learned a long time ago.

"The entire relevance of the Dáil to electoral politics is questionable.

"The only people who take an interest in events in the Dáil chamber are the political classes."

Back in April 2002, Fine Gael, Labour and others complained that Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and Tánaiste Mary Harney had abandoned their Kildare Street base in favour of virtual full time electioneering well before the Dáil was dissolved. While the coalition leaders basked in the glory of job announcements in vulnerable constituencies, the opposition claimed, they were left to keep the home fires burning in the chamber.

It will be interesting to see if they adopt an "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" approach to early canvassing this time round.

While strategists pay lip service to the continued importance of the Dáil as a forum for public debate and the crafting of legislation, there's no doubt that emphasis is being increasingly placed on the importance of on-the-road trail blazing in sweeping tours of the State for party leaders.

Puffed up from recent party meetings, deputies will ensure that the histrionics of the opening days of this session will continue for quite a while.

But if old-fashioned debate on policy is allowed to take centre stage, there's a real chance this session could develop into one of the most complicated and competitive of recent years.

That's assuming things can be scaled back from the current fever pitch. Once red alert has been reached it's hard to calm things down again.

Although TDs now seem to be in constant campaign mode, there's still plenty of routine Dáil business to get through before the votes are cast.

The Government intends to introduce 14 new Bills between now and Christmas.

As parties of Government, Fianna Fáil and the PDs must naturally defend their own policies while trying to pick holes in those of the alternative. They must also try to re-convince the public they can still take care of the economy.

Fianna Fáil will be trying to unsettle the relationship between Fine Gael and Labour which, according to Pat Rabbitte, has "infused politics with a new dynamic".

Ahern's team will also attempt to demonstrate that a rainbow threesome involving the Greens would be a little too colourful for the electorate.

The stance taken by the Progressive Democrats will be interesting as they try to counter accusations of irrelevance and possibly continue to make delicate overtures to other parties.

A Fine Gael strategist cites health, crime, the cost of living and the control of public spending as priorities for the new session.He says he's delighted the Dáil is back because "when it isn't sitting, opposition parties tend to get less coverage".

He boasts that a general election campaign tour has already been mapped out in the event of an earlier than expected call to the polls. In any event, party leader Enda Kenny has already "criss-crossed" the country.

"When you're in the proximity of the Dáil you tend to see it as the centre of the universe, but people want to meet their politicians and to look them in the eye", he explains.

When it comes to Dáil performance, he says Fine Gael is happiest with "traditional" performers like Gay Mitchell and Richard Bruton, and "emotional" contributors such as Michael Ring, while also insisting that younger deputies like Olwyn Enright have "come on". There is a belief that Kenny's Dáil performances have improved from a shaky start and he is applauded for his strategy of "quietly creeping up on Bertie".

There's an acceptance that some voters will never be reached through Dáil performance alone – they're simply not interested. Website campaigns are used to make contact with these potential Fine Gaelers. "We're trying to stay on the right side of clever and funny without introducing Star Wars characters."

Labour's backroom boys are also talking up the mileage Pat Rabbitte has clocked up in recent times, while distancing themselves from claims that he's set to abandon Leinster House for an 18-month electioneering carnival. "Pat is not going to forget about the Dáil", a spokesman said. But it is clear he will be spending less time in his office and more "on the road".

Does it ever get difficult for party strategists to persuade TDs to put a lot of effort into their routine Dáil duties in this new political climate?

"A lot do question it. They can spend two or three days on the committee stage of a bill in the basement of Leinster House 2000 and not get a line of coverage, but that's part of their role as legislators."

The spokesman says Labour TDs are out canvassing but not electioneering, and says the party's priorities for this autumn/winter session are health, education, crime and childcare.

According to Green TD Eamon Ryan, his party will be concentrating on education, children, energy and transport. He's concerned that an American influence has crept into politics here which is seeing serious debate being abandoned in favour of constant electioneering: "Whatever you say, say nothing. Just keep pressing the flesh". His party leader Trevor Sargent recently claimed Fine Gael and Labour were without clear policy positions in key areas. He admits the Dáil is increasingly perceived as having limited returns for politicians.

"The end of the dual mandate should have meant that a TD's main focus was the Dáil, but one of the lessons of the last election was that establishing yourself as a shining light in the chamber was no guarantee of getting re-elected.

"You would be wary of that as a politician but it shouldn't detract from the fact that that's what our job is."

As well as the peace process, Sinn Féin will focus on childcare, health and housing.

"We realise the Dáil is important but we don't see it as the be all and end all. We have a bigger project," a spokesman says.

The Independents will be looking out for their own bailiwicks and attempting to focus attention on the issues that are relevant there – that's what they were elected for after all – while Independent Socialist TD Joe Higgins is pledging to rail against the "drive towards economic neo-liberalism".

Mary Minihan's book, Dáil Spats, is published by Maverick House this week at €10.99