The incoming taoiseach has set out his stall in a meeting with political correspondents in Leinster House, writes Stephen Collins, Political Editor
BRIAN COWEN will not take over as taoiseach for another month but already the indications are that he will bring a new approach to the post and that his style of leadership will be very different from that of Bertie Ahern.
There was a clear indication of that last Friday when Mr Cowen gave an on the record briefing to the country's political correspondents in Leinster House, which lasted for about three-quarters of an hour.
While he set the ground rules by saying he would not answer questions about how he intended to do the job as taoiseach until he was actually elected to the position by the Dáil, the Tánaiste provided detailed answers to a wide variety of questions.
In his 11 years as Taoiseach, Mr Ahern never once came to the political correspondents' room in Leinster House to give that kind of briefing.
He preferred to communicate with the public through so-called "doorsteps" in which he answered a few questions for television and radio journalists while he moved from one function to another during the day.
The "doorstep" technique generated enormous publicity for Mr Ahern, providing a rolling diet of sound and pictures during the day, which suited some media outlets. It helped to promote the image of the Taoiseach as an accessible man of the people, always willing to answer questions, mostly with a smile on his face.
This willingness to feed the electronic media beast certainly contributed to Mr Ahern's popularity and for almost his entire period of Taoiseach he was easily the most popular politician in the country.
Even in the last few months, as he came under severe pressure at the Mahon tribunal and in the Dáil, his ratings were still about the same as the other party leaders.
Apart from the media coverage involved, Mr Ahern's endless round of openings, constituency tours, door-to-door canvassing and sporting events helped to form the positive public image of him as the likeable "ordinary man" of modest aspirations with whom they could identify and support.
No other leader is likely to have the time or the inclination to be so accessible for the cameras or to have the desire or the stamina to live so much of their life in the public gaze. Mr Cowen's decision to begin his leadership by doing the kind of in-depth interview that Mr Ahern liked to avoid may also be an indication that he will cut the "doorsteps" down to the minimum.
He said he had no problems about the intense scrutiny of his public duties but expressed the belief that standards in Irish journalism were such that his private and family life would be respected.
In terms of how they run their political organisations, the two men are also markedly different. Mr Ahern built a personal political machine in Dublin Central, based on the so-called "Drumcondra Mafia", that provided him with a formidable and very well-funded power base.
The constituency operation based at St Luke's and the annual fundraising dinners since the 1980s were a product of that organisation.
Mr Cowen, by contrast, relies on the traditional structures of the Fianna Fáil organisation in Offaly. It is also an amazing vote-getting machine but it is more grounded in the party than in support for one individual.
Of course there are similarities between the incoming and outgoing leaders. The two men are enthusiastic sports fans but Mr Cowen's tastes are more traditional.
He is intensely loyal not only to the Offaly football and hurling team but the big events of the GAA calendar such as the All-Ireland hurling final.
Mr Cowen's grounding in the Fianna Fáil ethos is the key to understanding his approach to politics.
His father was a Fianna Fáil TD and his grandfather a party councillor. That tradition stretching back 70 years is critical to him. As Minister for Finance he introduced a shift in emphasis from the McCreevy days to more spending on social welfare and less on tax cuts.
When asked last Friday about what motivated him, Mr Cowen spoke of his deep attachment to republican values.
He said that true republicanism had for him always represented the alternative to paramilitarism and violence and he spoke of his passionate belief in an all-Ireland approach to the economy and politics.
"In his 11 years as Taoiseach, Mr Ahern never once came to the political correspondents room in Leinster House to give that kind of briefing