The Progressive Democrats took comfort from the past and looked to the future at their annual conference in Cork at the weekend as they relished 10 years in government and considered the policies that would sustain them there.
There was no great urgency about the debates. With a general election up to two years away, the occasion was used to reassure delegates about the soundness of the party leadership while promising a continuation of low tax policies and the introduction of further reforms and more effective competition.
There were hints of unhappiness about existing political arrangements, including the success of Fianna Fáil in reinventing itself as the socially-committed heart of government. The Tánaiste and party leader Mary Harney insisted the Progressive Democrats party was just as caring as Fianna Fáil, or as Fine Gael and the Labour Party for that matter. And delegates agreed that a future coalition arrangement with Fine Gael or the Labour Party was fine by them. Any party would do, it seemed, so long as it wasn't Sinn Féin.
Rejection of Sinn Féin, because of its symbiotic relationship with the IRA, was the centrepiece of the speech delivered by the Minister for Justice Michael McDowell. The party president reached for the phrase once used by the party's founder Dessie O'Malley, and "stood by the Republic" in opposition to undemocratic political means and illegal armies. That uncompromising stance by the party, in opposition to militant republicanism, has become a key element in its public image.
The need for greater competition and institutional reform was a thread that ran throughout debates. But the record of this Government has been poor in addressing the anti-competitive bottlenecks identified by the OECD four years ago. And in view of Fianna Fáil's lack of appetite for taking on vested interests - particularly the trade unions - over transport and aviation policies at this time, the objectives of the Progressive Democrats were formally noted. The exception was in health, where the Tánaiste devoted half of her televised address to promising change and facing down medical interests. More private money is to be attracted. And new work practices instituted. But, like the party's contribution to a reduction in income tax rates, it is expected to take time.
Reform of the health services is Ms Harney's big new political idea. And while it offers major opportunities, it also poses high risks. Restraining expenditure while improving the quality of services is perfectly feasible, given the extent of past wasteful administration and practices. But it will require a deft political touch and a high level of co-operation from those directly involved. The Tánaiste has tended to blame others when problems arise. In future, the approach will have to be more tactful and less defensive if she is to preside over the kind of reforms that will help to return the Progressive Democrats to government.