Mildred Fox remembers when she was first elected as an Independent TD and her support in the Dail was rarely needed or sought. Favours from political parties were few and far between. That was in 1995, after her success in the Wicklow by-election which followed the death of her father, Johnny. There is, she says, a big difference between then and now.
"I'm the only one of the four of us who now support the Government (and who) has experience of being an Independent with no role to play. At the start, I used to wander around the place like a lost sheep. I didn't even know where to vote, but this time around I am much more clued in," says the Wicklow TD, who, at 29, is still one of the youngest deputies in Leinster House.
Thinking back to June 1997, following the general election, she says Fianna Fail came looking for her and she had not gone "cap in hand" to them. Meetings were held with the Minister for Finance, Mr McCreevy, and the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern. She presented a list of what she wanted in return for supporting the Government. Each item was agreed to, bar one or two which she now accepts would not have been possible for various reasons.
Rather than seek a signed document, she says she took the Taoiseach's word that what she wanted would be done. At times progress has seemed very slow but she has generally been pleased with the results.
"People seem to concentrate a lot on the list. But it was drawn up three years ago - some of it will never happen, some things that were not on the list at all have happened. The list was just a guideline to start off with. The constituency has received increased allocations in a lot of different areas which would be as a result of my representations since then."
The four Independents, she says, are very involved in all aspects of Dail business. "Our vote is required for practically every piece of legislation." Ms Fox does not believe in spreading herself too thinly and while she likes to keep abreast of all that is going on, she does not need to have an involvement.
"There is no point in trying to put my fingerprints on everything. But if I do have a problem now I am able to say, `No sorry, I'm not happy with that', and we can have a chat with the Minister involved."
It is a great help, she explains, that the four TDs are from similar backgrounds; conflict between them is rare.
"We are the same type of people with the same type of personalities, some more colourful than others. We get along pretty well. There is quite a lot of interaction between us - even though Tom Gildea never did tell us that he was getting married," she says, smiling.
News of her own wedding at the end of July did leak out. It took place in St Patrick's Church in Rome, and she and her husband, Daryl Tighe (24), who works with the Office of Public Works, were joined by family members. They spent a few days in Rome and then Venice. The couple decided it would be easier to get married abroad rather than organise a wedding at home.
"We didn't get to meet the Pope, as most couples who get married in Rome do, because he was sick that Wednesday. It's a lovely city. The night before the wedding the priest who was going to perform the ceremony told us that it was the same church that Catherine Nevin got married in. Afterwards he said maybe he shouldn't have told us."
Like her colleagues, Ms Fox is reviewing the basis of her support for the Government and is due to begin negotiations before the Dail resumes. "We are taking a fresh look at things and what needs to be done. We will be meeting with the Taoiseach's office individually and collectively."
Meeting as a group, she feels, is an effective way of negotiating for the Independents, something they discovered during the original negotiations in 1997. The bond has grown stronger, with weekly meetings with Government chief whip, Mr Seamus Brennan.
"We operate better as a unit of four because we get on so well together and we want to make sure that we are taken seriously. When the three of us were negotiating at the beginning [Tom Gildea came on board later] we agreed that we would back each other up."
How much power does she feel they have as a group?
"It's hard to answer that. I know that some of my Opposition colleagues indicate that we are in a pivotal position and should be gaining more than we are and should not have aligned ourselves.
"I see no difference between what we do and any other coalition. We have not sought positions for ourselves. I am not interested in feathering my own nest, what I am interested in is issues and it is not just local issues. Every time we take a vote in the Dail we are concentrating on national issues.
"I'd say our biggest critics are from the Labour Party. Who knows what will happen after the next election - the Government could well be a Fianna Fail/Labour coalition and it will all be perfectly acceptable then."
The two issues which interest her most, and which she has campaigned against, are the Sellafield plant and abortion. She wants the abortion issue to be sorted out as soon as possible through a referendum. "This issue is crucial to me. It is very important that the Government comes out and states what they are going to do. We had a meeting with the Taoiseach a few weeks ago and as far as I can remember he advised us that the report from the committee on the Constitution would be published in September and then go to a Cabinet sub-committee, and (he) acknowledged there would be no reason to delay the process any further.
"Whatever they decide to do, a referendum or legislation, they would announce it. I want a decision to be made. I have already indicated that if they decide to legislate I will go my separate way and I get the feeling that some of my Independent colleagues will do the same thing."
The anti-abortion lobby, she says, is conducting a campaign by writing to TDs saying the Taoiseach promised a referendum, and asking them to ensure it is delivered. A number of TDs have privately expressed disquiet over what they see as relentless bombardment, but Ms Fox does not see it this way.
"If they are going to be that easily offended they shouldn't be in politics. The pro-life campaign run a very genuine, level-headed campaign. You will always have campaigns where there are a few who go off on their own. Maybe they are trying to intimidate TDs but it is certainly not the pro-life campaign.
"I'm opposed to abortion, defined as the intentional destruction of a child. I would obviously never want to put the life of a mother at risk. I think the current medical guidelines we have in this country are fine, and if they could be incorporated, that's just fine. As regards liberal abortion - no way."
Series concluded.