Delegates arriving at the RDS in Dublin for the Fine Gael Ardfheis at the weekend were struck by the total absence of protesters on the street outside.

Noisy protests involving a variety of groups had become the norm when parties in power met for their annual get-togethers, even before the economic crisis struck in 2008.

This year, the gardaí were geared up for the usual assortment of groups expected outside the RDS to proclaim their opposition to Government policies and there was strict security around getting into the venue.

In the event nobody turned up to protest and the 3,000 or so Fine Gael members and supporters who gathered to hear Taoiseach Enda Kenny’s speech on Saturday night were able to enjoy the occasion without the usual background noise.

Road to recovery
The absence of protest was probably the biggest endorsement of the claims by the Taoiseach and the Minister for Finance, Michael Noonan, that the corner has been turned on the road to economic recovery.

Jobs, jobs, jobs was the recurring theme of the ardfheis as Ministers emphasised the overriding importance of keeping the focus on economic growth to crack the unemployment problem.

In his keynote address, Mr Kenny said that by the end of this year Irish unemployment would be down below the European Union average. He listed a range of targets that would culminate in the elimination of unemployment by the end of the decade.

The Taoiseach also dealt with the running controversy over the gardaí, which has persisted for most of the past month.

The reaction to his remarks on the subject indicated that Fine Gael is still, at heart, the party of law and order.

Mr Kenny stressed that public confidence in the justice system was critical, adding that Fine Gael would not allow important institutions of State to be undermined in the eyes of the Irish people.

“Our only interest is the public interest and the truth. That means having a Garda force that commands the respect of the public,” said the Taoiseach to sustained applause.

He went on to say that this also meant “having an ombudsman commission with the right structures to provide effective and independent oversight”. There was no applause for that.

Mr Kenny won renewed applause when he said: “Anyone who has tried to play politics with these issues should hang their heads in shame.”

Dig at Martin
It was clear from conversation with delegates later that they regarded this as a dig at Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin, and they loved it.

The mood of most of the Fine Gael faithful was also reflected in the reaction to Minister for Justice Alan Shatter who was given a standing ovation after he spoke on Saturday afternoon.

Mr Shatter has long been respected in the party for his intelligence and capacity for hard work, but glad-handling the crowd at a Fine Gael ardfheis would not normally be his style.

At the weekend, as delegates vied with each other to shake his hand and slap him on the back, Mr Shatter looked bemused but distinctly happy.

There is clear confidence among the Fine Gael rank and file that the inquiries now in train will not ultimately reflect badly on the Minister, whatever else their consequences might be.

However, there was a level of concern among party supporters that, since the exit from the EU-International Monetary Fund bailout at the end of last year, the political agenda has slipped out of the Government’s control.

The controversies involving An Garda and the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission are part of a pattern of the news agenda being filled by unwelcome distractions from the Government’s point of view now that the target of leaving the bailout has been achieved.

Election campaign
The hope in Fine Gael at the weekend was that the European and local elections will help to focus public attention back on the economic challenges facing the country and that that will help the party's candidates to a good performance.

The main objective of the ardfheis was to kick-start the campaign with candidates in both contests featuring in the televised speaking slots on Saturday morning.

The result of the elections on May 23rd will be the real measure of Fine Gael’s standing after three years in office.