Small wonder that (it was ) Fianna Fáil's approach to Brexit that dominated the 10-page speech delivered by Micheál Martin over nearly 25-minutes at City West in Dublin last night.
The 79th Árd Fheis was the first time party members had come together since that fateful decision (December 2018) to extend 'confidence-and-supply' and continue to facilitate the Fine Gael-led minority government.
Journalists wanted to know what delegates thought. Delegates wanted to hear what the party leader had to say. But what else was in the speech?
Well, whipping Fine Gael over its record in government was clearly one of his key priorities. Mr Martin had got stuck-in by page one, branding Fine Gael and the Independent Alliance as "an out-of-touch Government which is chronically incapable of delivering its plans."
He followed-up this jab, with an uppercut to the jaw: "The only thing ministers are passionate about is using public money to promote themselves."
Strong stuff, which went down a storm with the hundreds of delegates packed into an increasingly hot room.
If Fine Gael was out-of-touch, the Fianna Fáil leader was keen to claim that a government led by his own party would be different.
It would be a "... government which understands the pressures which people face every day in getting a home, in assessing health services and affording childcare."
Micheál Martin was laying the ground for a scathing attack on Taoiseach Leo Varadkar. After describing the housing crisis as "the worst of it", the Fianna Fáil leader said the number of people in emergency accommodation had reached 10,000.
Then he wielded the knife: "When faced with 3,500 homeless children, the Taoiseach went to his Árd Fheis and announced an unaffordable €3 billion tax cut, weighted to the highest earners. That tells us all we need to know about his priorities."
Ouch.
He accused the Government of "neglect, complacency and avoidable cuts" but did spend some time identifying what Fianna Fáil would do if in office: local authorities needed to be freed from red tape; credit unions should be able to get involved in social and affordable housing; more apprenticeships were required.
However, the party leader didn’t go into any detail here about how Fianna Fáil could achieve its stated aim of ensuring "... people have the chance to buy or rent a decent place to live."
That said, the afternoon session of the Árd Fheis was focused on developing some solutions.
The problems in the health service were also targeted where, he claimed, there was a "near complete lack of basic leadership."
Mr Martin said Fianna Fáil had "secured major new funding for mental health services" but the Government had failed to "... hire the staff or deliver the service." Here solutions were proposed: to increase funding to the National Treatment Purchase Fund; a new way for older people to access the Fair Deal Scheme; recruit more GPs; and employ more consultants. But there was no price-tag put on those initiatives.
Sinn Féin was not going to be left off the hook, under any circumstances. The party was lambasted for grandstanding.
Mr Martin said: "We'll take no lectures from them about the national interest when 100 times out of 100 they put their party and movement's interests first." It landed one of the biggest cheers of the night.
When it came to the absence of government in Northern Ireland, Mr Martin was careful to kick both Sinn Féin and the DUP: "Everyone knows that the core issue has been with the DUP and SInn Féin, who ran the executive like a closed cartel looking after their own."
He then trumpeted Fianna Fáil's new so-called partnership with the SDLP: "Working together we can help provide the new agenda which is so desperately needed both in the North and the South."
Towards the end of the speech, a range of issues was highlighted but not gone into in any detail. Mr Martin touched-on the "fiasco" of the National Broadband Plan; the need to recruit more Irish language teachers; tackle anti-social behaviour; adequately fund the arts; and move on climate change.
On the last issue, Mr Martin said: "There is no time left to debate and there is no doubt - our environment is under threat and sustained action is needed,"
But the main target of Micheál Martin’s speech was always going to be Fine Gael and its "out of touch and arrogant government."
He claimed that it was obsessed with image and spin over substance and delivery. Highlighting "scandals" such as the cost overrun at the National Children's Hospital, Mr Martin contended: "... ministers need to stop the secrecy and start being open and honest with the people."
And that’s a theme we can expect to be advanced again and again, as Fianna Fáil attempts to raise questions in voters’ minds about Fine Gael's financial competence, management capabilities, and honesty - with the prospect of a general election hanging in the air once the row over the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement has been resolved.
