At an annual party conference, Micheál Martin insisted that his party is fit for power as his rivals said Fianna Fail should spend another five years in opposition to atone for its role in the economic collapse. The ard fheis also heard a speech by Professor Tim Bale who last addressed Fianna Fail in 2011 when the party was recovering from the biggest electoral meltdown in its history. He told delegates that the party was correct to rule out a coalition with Sinn Fein but urged Fianna Fail to set “realistic goals”, suggesting that they are unlikely to be in a position to lead the next government.PDF available on requestAlso featured in The Irish Independent