Conference Sketch: First there were the senior members insisting that they were the "republican" party that cares. Then there were the delegates complaining about how difficult it is to get planning permission. Next there was the Tricolour dominating the platform, writes Liam Reid.
It would appear that the Progressive Democrats have gone all Fianna Fáil.
While the Taoiseach has decided he is a socialist, it would appear that Mary Harney, Michael McDowell and Co have been rifling their coalition partner's wardrobe, to borrow a Joe Higgins phrase, for their weekend conference in Cork.
It all started with the ecumenical conference on the Friday night, in memory of Pope John Paul II.
Perhaps mindful of the success Fianna Fáil made of having a man of God at a political shindig, when they invited Fr SeáHealy to Inchydoney last year, the PDs went one better. They invited two bishops - Catholic Bishop of Cork and Ross Dr John Buckley and Church of Ireland Bishop of Cork the Right Rev Paul Colton.
That Fianna Fáil feeling continued into Saturday's proceedings, when the country'n'western wing of the party took to the PD platform.
Under the watchful eye of Galway West TD Noel Grealish, delegates extolled the virtues of one-off-housing and bemoaned the fact that the right to build a house on family land was not enshrined in law.
The virtues of decentralisation were extolled by Minister of State for Finance Tom Parlon.
Throughout the morning, party figures appeared to be having a competition about who was the most caring.
Minister of State for Health Tim O'Malley was in a state over the fact that doctors were preventing the party from giving out medical cards to the needy.
By midday it was all down to Michael McDowell, the Cardinal Ratzinger of the party, to restore orthodoxy to proceedings, but even he appeared to have caught the Fianna Fáil virus, referring to the PDs as a party of "republicans".
Announced by Senator Kate Walsh as the "one and only", the Minister launched into an all-out assault on Sinn Féin and Gerry Adams, or "the Bearded One" as the Minister called him.
Order was restored in the conference, as delegates applauded the sustained attack, giving him a standing ovation for his efforts. Things were back to normal for much of the afternoon, as delegates spent more than two hours discussing the minutiae of transport policy.
By the time it came to Mary Harney's keynote speech that evening, it appeared all was back to normal, but the Tánaiste had other ideas, and took the theme of the PDs "caring" to an altogether different level.
Not only was her own party and Bertie Ahern "caring", the Tánaiste said, but Enda Kenny was also "caring", and so were Pat Rabbitte and Trevor Sargent for that matter.
No party had a "monopoly" on social justice, she said.
The Taoiseach, it appears, may well have a bit of competition for the affections of the Progressive Democrats.