Towards the end of last year, there was a standoff between Fianna Fail and Labour over which party could hold its ardfheis on the first weekend in April. FF had booked the RDS for three days from April 6th and Labour had booked its biennial conference into City Hall, Cork, for the same days.
The problem arose with RTE. Balance meant both had to get equal time, but logistics and the patience of the TV audience dictated they couldn't go ahead on the same weekend.
After much arguing, Labour, being the smaller, with 1,200 or so delegates, compared with FF's 6,000, backed down and rescheduled its first conference in two years for Cork on the weekend starting May 11th. This, of course, was before foot-and-mouth hit the land.
Now, neither conference is taking place until the autumn, with FF probably going in mid October. The postponement of its 65th ardfheis caused great disappointed in FF, but as a senior source told Quidnunc, there is no date on the tickets so they, and the completed video inserts for Bertie Ahern's address, are still usable.
Taking a swipe at FG, he said a Dublin-only event was out because FF is a national organisation.
Foot and mouth and the postponement of the conferences has had one big political effect - it instantly put an end to all speculation about a June election.
Even a collapse, i.e., a defeat in the Dail, will not push the Government to the country in the immediate future.
All remains on track for early 2002.