"A little done, a great deal left to do", would be an accurate assessment of this Government's erratic performance in the three years since the general election of May, 2002. Great chunks of the Fianna Fáil and the Progressive Democrats' programme for government remain aspirational, but solid progress has been made in a number of areas.
Perhaps the greatest achievement was to reverse their own madcap spending splurge before the election and return the State's finances to a stable state. And, because of that and the absence of an alternative government, they are now well placed to challenge for a third term in office.
Cutbacks and stealth taxes initially impacted on the popularity of the Government. It could not meet its tax-cutting promises. A solemn commitment to devote 0.7 per cent of our GNP to overseas development aid was abandoned. But substantial benchmarking awards for the public service helped to mollify trade union anger. And, by the end of last year, Fianna Fáil had reinvented itself as a caring, socially committed party, while the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, reshuffled his Ministers.
Waste of public money on public works, road construction and an electronic voting system still rankles with the public, along with the Government's delay in taking difficult decisions concerning our aviation and commercial infrastructure. Its most outrageous scheme, however, involves a plan to decentralise eight Government departments, in a vote-catching exercise that runs counter to common sense and its own spatial strategy.
Efforts to reform the health service have become mired in disagreement and the threat of industrial action. The regionalisation of hospital services has been placed on hold while nurses, general practitioners and consultants fight their various corners. The Disability Bill has been found wanting by concerned parents. The rights of old-age pensioners have been trampled upon. And the number of needy families qualifying for medical cards continues to fall.
Progress has, however, been made in bringing change to insurance and financial institutions. Smoking was banned in the workplace. There were two steps forward and one back in relation to penalty points and road safety. The face of agriculture was transformed by the acceptance of a single EU payment system. And, at long last, the Luas began to operate. Legislation on libel and judicial misbehaviour is still awaited. And political progress in the North is on hold, pending an IRA decision to disband.
The Opposition parties, particularly Fine Gael, performed well in the local elections. But, in spite of many opportunities, they are still struggling to create the clear-cut image of an alternative government. Their failure, so far, is reflected in a resurgence of support for the Government in opinion polls. The Opposition parties must demonstrate that they will offer the electorate a viable alternative and, as yet, they have failed to do so.