There is a sense that Fine Gael would abandon economic caution simply to get back into power

A general election machine can be so well-oiled that it can slip out of your hands before the campaign has even begun, writes Alison O’Connor

That is what has happened to Fine Gael. The irony cannot be lost on them that, five years after they won a significant general election victory as a result of Fianna Fail’s massive mishandling of the economy, they are beginning to sound just like the fiscally dodgy outfit.

If there is such as thing as over-preparing for an election, Fine Gael is in that territory; add to that their hubris. It has not been the best of starts.