Fianna Fáil has launched a major recruitment drive in advance of next year's local and European elections.
It hopes to increase its current membership of close on 60,000 people by 20 per cent. Women and young people will be among those targeted in a high-powered campaign throughout the State, backed up by media advertising and the distribution of brochures. The theme will be "Help build a better community."
The Taoiseach and party leader, Mr Ahern, it is known, has been concerned for some time about the lethargy of some sections of the organisation. Launching the recruitment campaign yesterday, Mr Ahern reiterated Fianna Fáil's goal of building a more prosperous and fair society.
"Our view is simple: politics matters because it is the bridge to a better future," he added. "In every local community across Ireland, we need people who are committed and want to make a difference."
Party sources said that a closely-monitored database of Fianna Fáil members would be drawn up to prevent the creation of "paper cumainn" which can surface in some constituencies in advance of keenly-contested selection conventions. "We will have a full and accurate list of members," said a source.
Every unit of the organisation in each constituency will be asked to play a role. With a clear eye on next year's elections, the brochure contains a voter-registration form as well as a membership application form. It also contains a personal message from Mr Ahern and a list of Fianna Fáil's achievements in office.
All parties are now gearing up for the elections, with selection conventions planned for the autumn or early next year. The Fine Gael leader, Mr Enda Kenny, has been visiting constituencies to galvanise the organisation. The Minister for Justice, Mr McDowell, has been spearheading a PD recruitment drive.
Labour, which will hold its national conference in Killarney next month, has already had a number of selection conventions to replace sitting TDs on local authorities in line with the end of the dual mandate. The aim is to provide the co-opted councillors with a year to build up an electoral base in advance of the local elections.
The established parties are also concerned about the growth in Sinn Féin membership, particularly among young people. With the local and European elections a major testing ground for Fianna Fáil, the party's recently-appointed general secretary, Mr Sean Dorgan, who takes up his appointment in June, will have the task of ensuring that the organisation is in strong shape by the summer of next year.