DRAPIER - an insider's guide to politics: As the third anniversary of the formation of this Government passes, all of the parties in the Dáil are moving to battle stations.
Bertie Ahern may declare that the general election will not be until summer 2007, but a more reliable guide is the schedule of canvassing he has started in his own constituency.
He is also kicking butt among his TDs who are not delivering.
After eight years in power, Fianna Fáil has a number of vulnerabilities that need to be neutralised.
"Government Rip-Off", its wasteful spending and its tax relief for fat-cat friends are images that have hurt. So has the notion that the PD tail has wagged the Fianna Fáil dog. A key infrastructural priority for Bertie is to develop a lightning rod for these vulnerabilities.
Last week a super consumer watchdog was established. It is designed to shift the view that Government has been the main author of rip-off. Expect to see high-profile curbs on tax relief and a well-
publicised campaign to get value for money in public spending.
Some of the cats that have happily fattened on the cream of tax relief, cost overruns and consultancies will be publicly shown the door.
All of this will be wrapped up in the nice red ribbon of socialism "à la Bertie". With one bound he has snookered the Labour Party, confounded Fine Gael and marooned the PDs. Or has he?
Bertie certainly recorded a win over the PDs on the Dublin airport terminal. Mary Harney did not read the signs. Her gallant knight Tom Morrissey was leading the charge for an independent terminal. The PDs did not notice that first Ibec and then the Chambers of Commerce deserted their flag. Suddenly they were out alone on barren ground. Mary had to bow to the inevitable.
However, the significance of this unforced error can easily be overstated. Mary Harney and Michael McDowell still hold trump cards; they run the two key briefs of health and crime on which the next election will turn.
Fianna Fáil will have to bask in the reflected light of the success or failure of these two key PD stars. Some of their initiatives, like privatising the prisons or extending tax relief for private hospitals, may jar with the socialist makeover.
Generosity in social welfare increases and curbs on tax relief may rob Pat Rabbitte of a stick to beat Fianna Fáil, but will they swing floating voters?
Bertie will struggle to portray his party as one which has delivered a fair society. However, cleverly manoeuvring Sean Healy of Cori into giving him a nine out of 10 rating for his Budget might help.
How things have changed since CJH declared that he paid little heed to the views of a group which had the words "major" and "superior" in its name (formerly the Conference of Heads of Major Religious Superiors).
Endorsements, of course, are an invaluable weapon in the Government armoury at a time when the public is sceptical about politicians.
Sean displayed an innocence not even repeated by the usually supine Ibec with its carefully crafted five out of 10.
Pat Rabbitte looks well placed as he enters this Labour conference weekend in Tralee. He carries a four-to-one majority within his parliamentary party and the backing of Siptu. His opponents are looking increasingly ragged.
However, the real test will be to show that he can deliver a practical agenda of serious reform to deliver his vision of a fair society: that he can make a difference in the way A&E departments are run; in the way early school-leavers are treated; in the fate of those with little hope of getting housed.
The Greens may be remaining aloof, but the declaration by Trevor Sargent that he would not lead a Green Party into coalition with Fianna Fáil says enough.
Their "Greens means business" conference changed the traditional menu and it worked. Side by side with the traditional organic veg arrived some of the red meat of politics. It is plain to see that Dan Boyle, Eamon Ryan and John Gormley could enjoy a carnivore's menu, especially if Fianna Fáil is on the spit.
Enda Kenny may be waiting to see the outcome in Tralee, but he is not planning to be idle. Along with former Mayo manager John Maughan he is planning to cycle 300 miles from Kerry to Donegal over the holiday weekend in aid of the Irish Association of Suicidology, one of whose founders was Dan Neville.
As the battle positions are being taken by the major parties, there is suddenly a bit of chill air on the Independent benches. Seamus Healy is searching to form a new party just as Jerry Cowley tried before him. The success of Independents in 2002 was because of the lack of a credible alternative to Fianna Fáil. This vacuum looks set to be filled if the Labour conference goes as most believe.
At the end of 60 hours' debate, the Disability Bill was guillotined in the Dáil this week as hundreds of people representing the disability movement protested outside the gates.
Even at its second attempt, the Government has not been able to convince people that its legislation represents a major step forward. The proof of the pudding will be in the eating. However, Mary Wallace, who was sacked from her ministerial post because of the outright opposition to her first draft of this legislation, will feel that she was harshly treated.