Fianna Fail is today expected to adopt, at its ardfheis in the RDS in Dublin, a new code of conduct in an attempt to move towards what the Taoiseach described last night as "a new era in our party".
In his opening address last night, Mr Ahern acknowledged that the stream of revelations of wrongdoing had brought "widespread unease and disappointment to our party".
Mr Ahern also made a trenchant call for the closure of the Sellafield nuclear reprocessing plant.
The Taoiseach will tonight address party delegates and is expected to portray Fianna Fail as committed to social inclusion.