Over the past few months there has been much emphasis on political issues which do not directly affect the lives of the vast majority of our people. Our attention has been concentrated on these issues to the exclusion of matters of much greater daily importance to real people. We need to redirect our attention to the bread-and-butter issues.
Tus maith leath na h-oibre. As a Government we're only three years into our five-year term. We promised to cut crime, taxes and the dole queues and establish a framework for peace in Northern Ireland.
And we have done well on these issues. Nobody, even our most ardent critics, can refute this.
Yet there are problems, but it is the job of Government to work to solve these. Not for us the luxury of hurling on the ditch.
In three years this Fianna Fail-led Government has changed the face of Ireland. Irish workers today pay the lowest tax rates in the EU. Unemployment is at its lowest level since records began. Government investment in the social services is at a level unimagined a decade ago. This is the real story.
This Government has been proactive in building a prosperous, more progressive society. In the 1980s Fianna Fail stood for solving our economic problems, for creating the necessary environment for today's boom. In the year 2000 and onwards, Fianna Fail stands for bringing the fruits of that boom to all.
Unlike other parties, this Government is not one of disparate, meandering policies. We strive to ensure that all citizens receive an equal opportunity to realise their full potential. This is social inclusion, social partnership. This is republicanism, our core message, our ideal. This is the real story about Fianna Fail.
Past events have undermined confidence in politics, and it is clear that firm action is necessary. A true republic is built on the participation of the people - all of the people - in public life. The erosion of public trust in politics has a corrosive effect on our society, and everybody in public life must do everything we can to restore confidence in politics.
No other party has done more to try and ensure that the sins of the past are not repeated. And, with the recent publication of the Standards in Public Office Bill, we are determined to ensure that the corruption revealed in the tribunals cannot and does not happen again.
But people also want to know what we are going to do now on the bread-and-butter issues. How do we handle the politics of success?
As the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, said at our ardfheis, our objective is to create a better Ireland for all, one where we share the wealth created by the Celtic Tiger economy, one where people's quality of life is the key issue.
In tangible terms, we have already committed ourselves to reaching full employment and eliminating long-term unemployment by 2002. We have committed ourselves to reducing consistent poverty to under 5 per cent of the population by 2004.
But we have to go further and set targets for key quality-of-life indicators like education, healthcare and housing. Not the aspirational "motherhood and apple pie" targets of the Opposition, but real targets which we can achieve and which can make people's lives better.
Like building 100,000 houses over the next two years.
Like building an additional 10,000 childcare places.
Like improving maternity and parental leave arrangements.
Like halving the level of functional illiteracy in our adult population.
Like ensuring that all children stay in school until school-leaving age.
These are not aspirations. All of these issues are being addressed in existing policies or are being planned under the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness. We are putting in place the policies to achieve these objectives but we need to set clear targets so that we can measure our progress and so that people can see it, too.
If the last election was about cutting, the next one - in 2002 - will be about building. About building houses, building transport infrastructure, building childcare and, most important of all, building an inclusive society. Fianna Fail is ready to face the challenge.
Dermot Ahern is Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs Breda O'Brien is on leave