Despite his decision to quit as Labour's special adviser, Fergus Finlay tells Mark Hennessy the party will soon be in power
The last few years have been difficult for the Opposition, Fergus Finlay concedes, though he predicts that better days lie ahead after the next election if Fine Gael and Labour hold their nerve.
"There hasn't been a huge amount to be excited about in the last couple of years," said Mr Finlay, who is to become the chief executive of the charity Barnardos.
"There are times in politics where people are to an extent beyond the artillery range. Bertie Ahern is going through this. It has lasted for him longer than it has for anybody else," he commented.
Sipping coffee yesterday in Leinster House, the Labour strategist seems pleasantly surprised that so many have wished him well, "including hearty congrats from some Fianna Fáilers".
Having tipped him off last Friday, Mr Finlay told Labour leader Pat Rabbitte on Monday that he was going to leave. "He was very shocked and surprised. We have got to know each other reasonably well.
"I think he knows that there are a couple of areas where I would be tempted to go. If I had gone in and said that I was going to Johnson & Johnson to sell soap powder I think he would have felt betrayed.
"I will be 55 on the day I take up this job. I know in my heart of hearts that it isn't going to happen to me when I am 58 or 59. Now is the time for me to do it."
For years Mr Finlay was a hate figure for some, though supporters - and he has many - point to his analytical skills and lightning-quick scripting that could raise the most boring speech to oratory.
Promising to be a "pain in the ass" in his new role, he concedes that his decision to quit politics for a charity group is a commentary on the centrality of politics to Irish life.
"What does it say about politics? It says about politics that it has had different priorities. I really passionately believe that if we can become a country that has Gucci handbags by the million then we can become a country that values kids.
"I think the political choices that have been made make us more materialistic, more self-centred, more selfish."
Urging Labour delegates next month to back a Fine Gael/Labour coalition, Mr Finlay said he would be "very surprised" if Mr Rabbitte did not win the support of three-quarters of them.
"Labour will be in government next time. The next election will be fought between the Government and the alternative government," said Mr Finlay, who worked for former Labour leader Dick Spring for 17 years.
If Labour does not combine with Fine Gael, it will be outflanked by the smaller parties and Independents, leaving Fianna Fáil with a host of options, he advises.
However, Labour, in turn, must make sure that Fine Gael does not swamp it by creating its own list of "unique selling points" so that voters do not just opt for voting for Fine Gael directly.
Though he would prefer Mr Rabbitte to be Taoiseach, Mr Finlay insists that Enda Kenny can fill the role.
"I remember looking at Bertie Ahern when he was leader of the Opposition and never dreaming that he would one day negotiate an EU constitution. Office maketh the man."