Polished performance by Kenny hides lack of political substance

Fine Gael is riding high in its self-confidence after Enda Kenny's most polished, assured and professional performance as party leader in his keynote address at last weekend's ard-fheis.

But while Kenny gave the party loyalists another crucial boost, and perhaps for the first time presented himself to the people at large as someone really capable of being Taoiseach, in the cold light of day the core weaknesses of Fine Gael were confirmed in a fluent, well-delivered speech that sadly lacked real substance when critically examined.

Kenny began by comparing the advances the Irish people have made over previous decades with the failure of the current Government to deliver in crucial areas – and Fine Gael are concentrating, of course, on three points: health, crime and efficient use of public resources.

"All we get," he said, "is next-year delivery in a nanosecond world." And even if not every listener would be able to explain what a nanosecond world is, it certainly sounds good, and modern, and up to date.

Kenny certainly struck a chord with many well-off but vaguely dissatisfied voters when he said that "it's time to do better for Ireland."

The lack of dignity in our A&E services is truly a disgrace, but Kenny presented this truism in a way that suggested real understanding and real commitment to change and resolution.

Where the speech fell down was in what came next. Before the ard-fheis, Kenny promised that it would be an opportunity to present new, vibrant, exciting ideas and policies. But what was listed was very flat.

"Fine Gael ideas," he proclaimed, "like a new deal for carers, a break for our commuters, cutting red tape for business, modernising the way we teach our language, realising the wealth of our seas and protecting our coastal communities, moving to biofuels in the wake of the sugar beet wipe-out ... Those ideas show a government that can. A government that will."

There is nothing particularly wrong with these ideas – except the nonsense that lowering the status of Irish in the educational system will miraculously modernise the teaching of the language. But there is nothing in them that sets the world alight, or, more importantly, shows any fundamental difference in style, ambition or purpose from that of the present Government.

And the A&E proposals are worthy, but pedestrian; because they fail to address the core question of how to redress the reduction of beds effected by Charlie McCreevy's cuts back in the 1980s. In other words, how much extra investment will be made and how will it be paid for?

Getting the drunks out of A&E may well draw cheers from the non-thinking classes, but the problems of large-scale offensive drunkenness are more complex than an ard-fheis sound bite.

But it seems that even nice man Enda Kenny can't get away from the law and order obsession from which Fine Gael has traditionally suffered. Problems of drunks will be met by hitting them in their pockets. Accused people on bail will be tagged. Judges will be told the parameters of their sentencing and called to account when they go outside them.

And the faithful certainly loved the message that "when the law and order party is back in power, the thugs will be out of business".

However, whether or not these ideas are constitutional, let alone a matter of practical politics, is of course, another matter.

And clearly there is no analysis in this at all of what causes crime, or how we rehabilitate those who resort to crime; because while the "hang 'em and flog 'em" brigade might call for tougher sentencing, the fact is that it doesn't work, never has worked and never will work.

And the third plank of Fine Gael's policy, more efficient use of public resources, when boiled down, consists of little more than earnest declarations that Fine Gael will do better because they are Fine Gael. Because they are the party that "founded our democracy and the institutions of the state".

Labour's Liz McManus responded negatively to the tagging of bailed accused, reflecting a distinct Labour unease with excessive law and order rhetoric. Pat Rabbitte will be more sanguine, taking the view that this was Fine Gael asserting its own identity and that the joint programme for government will probably reflect very little of this at all.

But the unspoken context, of accepting low direct taxes (which mean high indirect – or stealth – taxes), reveals an economic approach that is at one with the current Government.

Against this background, Frank Flannery's claims that the party is on course to win 19 extra seats at the next election – backed up by no discernible evidence – are laughable.

Before the ard-fheis, it was recognised that Fine Gael had successfully recovered from the catastrophe of 2002, and was effective in attacking the Government; but that it had to use this ard-fheis to put flesh on the skeleton of its programme.

Neither in the ard-fheis "debates" nor in the leader's keynote address is there any indication that Fine Gael has done this, or even knows how it is to be done.

Perhaps it can be summed up by saying that a little has been done, but an awful lot more is still to be done yet.

Eoin Ó Murchú is the Eagraí Polaitíochta of RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta. He is writing here in a personal capacity