At the second of six party conferences in advance of the general election, it is clear that there is an auction. What's more, for the first time, we are told by the economists that we can afford it. The campaign has started in earnest and the voters are being asked to adjudicate on the offers. Will the highest bidder be the winner? And will we be happy?
The leader of the Progressive Democrats, Michael McDowell, gave hope and direction to his party at their annual conference in Wexford at the weekend when he promised income tax cuts, greater pension benefits and a reduction in stamp duty as a curtain-raiser to the campaign. It had a broad appeal and delegates loved it. The Tánaiste and new party leader had returned to basics and linked their future to tried and tested policies they know of old.
If delegates were worried about the latest opinion poll, showing support for the PDs at a single percentage point, they weren't showing it. They had turned out in impressive numbers and were encouraged by Mr McDowell to campaign aggressively for the next 90 days to make a difference. The party had lived on the edge before. They had confounded their critics by returning good election results. There was time for the political wind to change.
Mr McDowell was well received. His predecessor, Mary Harney, received warm applause. Protecting our prosperity from the threat of a "slump coalition" by voting for the PDs was Mr McDowell's major theme. But, after a decade in Government, the party's record of delivering election promises is showing signs of wear. Its Ministers have responsibility for the "poison chalices" of health and crime. And while tough decisions have been taken and reforms introduced, there have been setbacks. Both crime and health are major issues in the forthcoming campaign.
The Green Party became a natural target at the conference because of its recent surge in popularity. Sinn Féin was still a threat. The Labour Party's offer to cut the lower income tax rate was portrayed as opportunistic. Instead, the PDs dusted off their environmental credentials and warned of the damage that would be caused by the Greens if the national road-building programme was disrupted. Without robust Green Party support, Fine Gael and the Labour Party would struggle to form a government.
The PDs are fighting for their existence. Mr McDowell recalled being told he would lose his Dáil seat 90 days before the last general election. But he topped the poll. That was the peg the new leader chose to hang his hat on: if he could do it, so could the party. Ninety days of hard campaigning would bring results, he assured them. He maintained that Ireland needed them now more than ever before. But, the PDs go into the election hitched to Fianna Fáil.
However with all parties apparently into auction politics, the credibility factor will be the clincher in the end.