Fianna Fáil Árd Fheis - Election path littered with banana skins

WITH its political fortunes bouncing back in opinion polls, and a comfortable budget looming before the general election, a palpably relieved Fianna Fáil turned the weekend Árd Fheis into a launching pad for its bid to retain power and secure a third government term in a row.

As the last gathering of the combined parliamentary and constituency party before the coalition goes to the country, the event had special significance.

So, when he rose to address the faithful, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern took the opportunity to round on the opposition, claiming they could not be trusted to sustain or expand economic prosperity, asserting it made no sense for the country to go backwards.