In his Ard Fheis speech, Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny made it clear that as far as his party was concerned, there is only one choice to be made at the ballot box in the upcoming general election - that between recovery and risk.
The contrast is stark, the Taoiseach says, addressing party members in Citywest. The recovery the Irish people have "worked for, suffered for, and made so much personal sacrifice for" now lies in the hands of the electorate.
"A clear plan," he says, is what Fine Gael are offering to "keep the recovery going."
Newstalk's political correspondent, Páraic Gallagher reports:
Slimmer than the party's five-point plan from the 2011 elections, Kenny advanced a three-point plan based around developing a strong economy - more and better jobs, making work pay and investing in better public services.
For Fine Gael, Kenny says, recovery is "not a political prize or a global headline. It’s something to be felt and lived by every citizen of our republic."
Recounting the sad state of mass unemployment, collapsed banks and the Troika's arrival, Kenny reminded the audience of the situation he faced upon becoming Taoiseach in January 2011.
Five years later, Ireland has gone from "from economic wreckage to economic recovery [and] is now moving in the right direction," he says.
Kenny admits that the Government has not got everything right, but that public finances are under control, the economy is back to growth and we have exited the bailout.
However, he also acknowledges that many have not yet felt the benefits of a recovering economy in their own daily lives:
"Too many families and older people are still struggling to make ends meet. Too many families are still missing a son or daughter who has had to leave Ireland to find a job."
"That’s why the job is not yet complete."
More jobs
The Taoiseach claims unemployment is the "greatest cause of inequality and unfairness in our society," and pledged to create 200,000 jobs by 2021, with the aim of enticing 70,0000 emigrants home.
This would be achieved, he says, by protecting our 12.5% corporation tax rate, ending tax discrimination against the unemployed and and investing in infrastructure.
Making sure work pays
"Work, not welfare, is the route out of poverty," said Kenny, noting the Government's reversal of its predecessor's minimum wage cute, which it raised to €9.15/hr this month.
To "reward hard work and effort," he says Fine Gael will over five years phase out the Universal Social Charge, "a penal tax on virtually everyone at work."
The plan will limit benefits for higher earners and bring the maximum tax rate for middle income families to 44%.
A new Working Family Payment will attempt to get more people in to work and to support parents in the workforce, the Government will introduce a second free pre-school year and two weeks paid paternity leave in September.
Better services
Should the current Government be returned, Fine Gael would continue to reverse cuts in vital services, Kenny said.
He promised to increase home help hours and fund local GPs to work in all urban and rural areas, and hire an additional 10,000 Gardaí, teachers, doctors, nurses and other front-line staff by 2021.
Delivering on these plans requires money, according to the Taoiseach, and that requires a strong economy.
The recovery is not an end in itself, he says, but should be focused on the but the wellbeing of the Irish people.
To secure the recovery, Ireland must turn away from "the policies that wrecked an economy and ravaged a society," and instead vote for the stability offered by a Fine Gael-led government, he says.
Describing himself as "humbled, touched, and deeply privileged to be Taoiseach," he thanked the people of Ireland for giving Fine Gael and Labour Party their trust, and asked their permission to deliver the party's plan and "finish the job we started."
