After an amazing five years at the top of the Fine Gael cliché charts, "The best small country in the world to do business" has been dramatically toppled, writes Conor McMorrow of RTÉ's political staff.
Enda Kenny’s favourite post-bust mantra has been replaced with "Let's keep the recovery going".
It was the party’s slogan in the Citywest Hotel this weekend and if this Ard Fheis is anything to go by we can expect to be hit with a proverbial sledge-hammer as Fine Gael drives that message home throughout the election campaign.
At the same venue last weekend, Fianna Fáil leader Mícheál Martin warned Fine Gael that there would be an election and not a coronation.
But Minister of State Simon Harris reminded the Fine Gael faithful about Fianna Fáil’s use of royal terminology:
"Mícheál Martin, the royal term you'd be a lot more familiar with is abdication.
"In government yourself, Bertie, Brian and all the gang abdicated all your responsibilities. Mícheál Martin you royally failed the people of Ireland."
He continued with pledges on jobs, the economy and of course he mentioned "keeping the recovery going".
Not once but twice.
At over 30% in the opinion polls of late, the party may be in good health. Critics would say the same cannot be said of the health service, especially in January.
But Minister for Health Leo Varadkar told the conference Fine Gael has "not lost sight of the plan to introduce universal health care and we are determined to achieve it".
He said: "For the next government, health will be seen as mission critical not mission impossible."
The health minister kept to one of the dominant Ard Fheis themes - attacking Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin.
"We can't risk the recovery now, by allowing back into government buildings, those who ruined our economy in the first place and those who opposed everything that was necessary to get us to this point."
"We have a long term plan to secure the recovery and that is the fundamental difference between Fine Gael and all the other parties. That's what this election is all about - keeping the economic recovery going and implementing our long-term economic plan," said Mr Varadkar.
Yes. He did use that new favourite saying.
Of late, Fianna Fáil has sketched-out the narrative that the current government merely implemented Brian Lenihan's recovery plan. But the Minister for Finance Michael Noonan disagreed.
"Fianna Fáil claim that they are responsible for the recovery. This claim reminds me of Comical Ali in Baghdad claiming victory while the American tanks rolled-in behind him."
Mr Noonan's speech ended with: "Keep the recovery going."
Enda for Europe?
If the 2011 General Election was about the 'Five Point Plan', the ‘Long Term Plan' is going to be the message in Election 2016. Scores of party faithful kept mentioning this new (yet to be revealed) plan.
The Fine Gael leader insisted the current administration could be relied on to keep "the fragile" and "incomplete" recovery going.
Mr Kenny is well on course to become the first Fine Gael Taoiseach to be returned to office. But some well-informed delegates indicated another possible plan for Mr Kenny.
There is a view within the party that Mr Kenny will lead the next government for a period of about three years.
Then he could well take up the position of President of the European Council.
The position is currently held by former Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
But the Taoiseach stressed that if re-elected he would serve a full second-term and that would be it.
Leader’s speech
Enough about the future and back to the impending election.
In tonight’s keynote address, the Taoiseach said the electorate has "a clear choice between continuing on the path of stability and recovery or putting our hard-won progress at risk. We must keep the recovery going".
Fine Gael has "a clear, costed, long-term economic plan to keep the recovery going," he added.
He labelled the Universal Social Charge "a penal tax" introduced by Fianna Fáil and pledged that if Fine Gael is re-elected "just as we said goodbye to the Troika, we will say goodbye to the USC".
Election campaign
While the Taoiseach did not reveal the date for the election, conventional wisdom points to a February 26 polling day.
Delegates at the Ard Fheis were given a ‘Canvass Guide’ this weekend.
Among the 'Canvassing Don'ts' listed in the little blue book is, 'Don’t waffle.'
Imagine the politicians took that advice on board for the campaign?
Some chance of that.
By Conor McMorrow, RTÉ's Political Staff
