A QUALIFIED TRIUMPH
The Fine Gael Ard Fheis was a deserved success for Garret FitzGerald, who has devoted more energy to resuscitating the party in the last 10 months than anybody has done in the last 40 years.
There was some doubt that the enthusiasm evident at the meetings in the constituencies during his tour was anything more than ephemeral, but the Ard Fheis proved that it has resulted in real substantial gains for the party, especially among the younger element. There were nearly 1,000 delegates at the Youth Conference on the Sunday morning of the Ard Fheis weekend, compared with the maximum of 200 which the young tiger youth movement attracted at its zenith a decade ago.
This Fine Gael Youth Group, or rather Young Fine Gael, as it probably will be called after its special conference later in the year, is more democratic and more widely based than its Fianna Fail counterpart which is tightly controlled by head office. But it would be a mistake to believe that Fine Gael itself has suddenly become thoroughly democratic, for there were all too apparent signs at the Ard Fheis that the old authoritarian attitudes were still prevailing.
The debate on the constitution was carefully stage managed between Professor Dooge and Chairman, Tom Fitzpatrick. True, 35 amendments were made to the original document from the floor, but not a single amendment was carried without the concurrence of Dooge. This was carefully and discreetly arranged with Fitzpatrick who at all times prefaced the vote with an indication of what way Dooge was advising his delegates to vote and when it suited to take the no-vote before the yes-vote this was done without the flicker of a delegate card. The same was true of the general motions.
Gerald Sweetman would have greatly admired the performance even though he could hardly have emulated it.
The Fine Gael Ard Fheis audience is a traditionally biddable crowd however. Last year they jeered reference to civil rights and cheered Liam Cosgrave to the rafters for his blow-in remarks. They reacted similarly to Garret FitzGerald at this Ard Fheis, although he supposedly represents very different attitudes to those of the former Taoiseach. But there was a feeling of pride at the Ard Fheis as it centred entirely on FitzGerald. For once the party feels confident that it has got ability, dynamism and charisma in the leadership and it was for that rather than for his poorly delivered speech, that Garret was chaired around the hall.
That exercise began for the benefit of the television cameras, but became a genuine expression of affection for the leader as it progressed around the packed RDS hall. Tom Randals of Kilgarvin, Co. Cork, a CIE bus conductor, was the person who instigated it. He explained afterwards: "Kerry used to chair Mick O'Connell off the field when he played a blinder and we chaired Garret after he played a blinder".
The success of the event was very much personalised on FitzGerald, for one of the revealing features of the Ard Fheis was the paucity of talent there is around him. John Kelly indulged himself in his drole witticism but said little else; Michael Keating, Jim Mitchell and John Boland were adequate, but Peter Barry and Jim O'Keefe were once more awful.
Front bench spokesmen are supposed to be able to speak at least for themselves if not for their party. O'Keeffe seems unable to do even that and until he learns to do so, he should be retired out of the all too embarrassing limelight. Peter Barry is proving repeatedly that he isn't up to the Finance portfolio, but then what's the alternative? FitzGerald has set daunting standards for himself for his next few years as leader of Fine Gael. The next stage of development, in the policy area, will not be as susceptible to charisma and energy, as has the organisational challenge. Furthermore the party will be forced to take hard choices in the areas of taxation, wealth distribution, and job creation policies which will mitigate at least some of the euphoria which has been generated by this past year.
But it would be churlish not to acknowledge the enormous achievement that has been FitzGerald's in just a single year. Organisationally the party is on the verge of matching Fianna Fail, and it has become apparent that FitzGerald himself is the most potent political figure in the country, with the possible exception of Jack Lynch.