Any profile of Micheál Martin in the years after 2011 invariably referred to him as the first Fianna Fáil leader who would never be taoiseach.

Martin himself never explicitly said that but he did not exactly demur either. The hand he was dealt was a lousy one. The Dáil representation was 20, an enfeebled, all-male group of TDs.

He himself bore the original sin of having been a leading member of Fianna Fáil governments that brought the State to the brink of ruin.

Fragmented

It is now almost four years into the Coalition term and that perception has changed a bit. Fianna Fáil has recovered some support but its poll ratings have been underwhelming. That said, the political picture is so fragmented that Martin is pointing to the possibility of Fianna Fáil being the biggest party after the next election, albeit marginally. He is also saying that his party will contest the next election ready to go into government.

Martin for Taoiseach? It’s not all that fanciful any more, certainly no more fanciful than Gilmore for Taoiseach.

“When that was said about me in 2011, it was said as a certainty not as a possibility. What is now the position is that anything is possible,” he has said.

In an interview with The Irish Times, Martin suggests the progress his party has made since 2011 is more significant than indicated by polls, citing the local election results earlier this year.

“We have made progress but there are significant challenges. It’s a very volatile and fragmented landscape.” He admits that the party has failed to make sufficient headway with the 25-35 age cohort.

Fianna Fáil will make a big play of its positioning in 2015, presenting itself as the only centrist party, with a strong focus on education and health, equality and political reform.

“Fianna Fáil wants in one sense to go back to its defining characteristics, what the party was good at,” he says.

Setting out his stall, he instances social solidarity, equality of opportunity in education and health. He puts particular emphasis on the needs of children aged up to three years, including those with special needs.

Shambles It is clear health will be a central issue. “Health services are in a shambles. The waiting lists far too long. GP morale is at an all-time low,” he claims.

Other specific issues for Fianna Fáil, says Martin, are restoring postgraduate grants, reinstating guidance counsellors in schools and substantially increasing research grants in third-level institutions.

“The Lemass-era philosophy of encouraging enterprise will be central. The vast number of companies in Ireland employ zero to five people. We have not done enough to encourage to help self-starters, for example by giving rewards in tax, reducing capital gains, or looking at regulatory frameworks.

"We need to look at companies that have not benefited from Enterprise Ireland or the IDA because they are involved with domestic activity. They tend to get ignored in terms of soft State supports."

Given what happened before 2011, though, why should anyone vote Fianna Fáil?

“Our policy platform will be realisable and credible,” replies Martin. “We are not going to promise the sun, moon and stars. We will be playing to our historic strength in areas where we have delivered in the past, including health and education.

“People want a decent quality of life in a society that is fair and gives decent opportunity. For example, can I get my children to second- and third-level education? People no longer assume that’s automatic.

“There a continuum between health and education that lays a pathway for the child. There are just too many obstacles and battles to get very basic things at the moment.”

Centre party

Martin also argues that the party is the only one at the centre. "Fine Gael has gone very right wing. They do not have an agenda except for high earners where they want tax cuts. On the other hand Sinn Féin, People Before Profit and the Anti Austerity Alliance seem intent on creating division in society . . . tearing things down.

“There is nothing wrong with earning wealth, creating wealth and being enterprising. They want to undermine that impulse. They would retard economic growth and development and retard the potential of the individual.

“There are choices at the moment. We are positioned in the centre of Irish politics. We want to give people a sense of reassurance in terms of consistency and in terms of policy.”

But how can his party give reassurance after its centrality in the economic collapse?

“There is still work to do in terms of bringing people over. They will need more persuasion,” admits Martin. He adds: “The door is open to us now. People are listening to us.”

He declines to state its target but it is generally accepted to be about 40 seats. That emphasis on the local election success ignores the party’s poor performance in the European elections and its failures in successive byelections, or the recent polls which show it lagging behind Sinn Féin and the Independents.

However, Martin argues that opinion poll findings might not reflect the true picture on the ground in a first-tier election.

It was almost an accepted political fact that Fianna Fáil would stay two terms in Opposition, but Martin no longer views it that way. “Going into any general election, we have a programme for government. I don’t think you can go to the electorate and say we don’t want to be in government.”

The options though are very limited, given that Martin has ruled out the other two parties who might make up the numbers.