Fine Gael will try at a special conference today to bring to an end its long-running post-mortem into its disastrous general election result.
Some 450 party members are expected to attend the conference at the Citywest Hotel in west Dublin, which will be followed by a half-hour speech by party leader Mr Enda Kenny.
With the latest Irish Times/MRBI opinion poll showing that Mr Kenny's satisfaction rating is the lowest of the party leaders at 29 per cent, the speech is seen as his first major set-piece address to the party.
It may also be the only such speech this year as the party's National Executive is considering whether to postpone holding an ardfheis until early 2004 in advance of the local and EU elections.
Mr Kenny said he was unperturbed by the satisfaction rating, which was down three points since October.
He said his efforts since becoming leader had concentrated on party development more than his development as leader.
He cited a three-point increase to 32 per cent in the party's overall poll rating.
After an internal review group warned that the party faced extinction if it did not renew itself after its worst election performance, Mr Kenny is expected to call again for an to end to what he has termed "navel-gazing" within the organisation.
"The post-mortem is over. We've analysed the whole lot, warts and all," he said yesterday.
Mr Kenny is expected to urge delegates to focus their efforts on preparations for the local and European elections next year, but he declined yesterday to specify his targets for these elections.
In addition, he will also signal an attempt to redefine Fine Gael as a campaigning machine more than a policy-developing party.
He will include enterprise, security and equality of opportunity among the party's core principles.
Despite signals that Labour might run a candidate at the end of the term of office of the President, Mrs McAleese, several Fine Gael sources said yesterday that the party had not yet given any consideration to the matter.
Mr Kenny said the party would only decide on the matter whenever Mrs McAleese made her plans public.
It is believed that former Taoiseach Dr Garret FitzGerald, who turned 77 last weekend, has no interest in putting himself forward for the position.
