FF Árd Fheis - Battle for power begins in earnest

With more than 5,000 delegates expected to join Taoiseach Bertie Ahern at the Fianna Fáil Árd Fheis this weekend, the serious business of a return to power at next year’s general election officially began.

As a warm-up to it, Mr Ahern announced the intention to hold a constitutional referendum to amend the rights of children, which, no doubt, was prompted by UN criticism of the Government in this regard.

Undoubtedly, it was largely influenced too by the panic the country descended into in the aftermath of the infamous Mr C case earlier this year.