Irish Election - Coverage of Irish Politics, News and Current Affairs

For the benefit of those of you not on Planet Government or subscribed to the Fianna Fail email update, a message from Brian Lenihan.
Continue reading ‘A Message from the Leader’ »

There is no doubt that the resignation of Martin Cullen, when taken with that of Willie O’Dea, presents Brian Cowen with a golden opportunity in the forthcoming reshuffle. The current travails of Mary Harney only adds to the list of ministers applying to be removed from thier post. In a political system such as ours where often the symbolism of a move like a reshuffle matters more in comment and analysis than substantive policy, what Cowen chooses to do and say on the reshuffle will set the tone for the government up to the next election.
Continue reading ‘Shuffling the Deckchairs on….’ »

Trying to cut some numbers to take account of the myriad comings and goings experienced in the current Dáil. Anyone want to poke holes? Sure am missing something. First draft looks like this:

Continue reading ‘By the numbers; 30th Dáil in 2010’ »

In today’s Irish Times 28 economists, academics and analysts have signed an op-ed attacking the Government’s failed economic strategies while providing an alternative way forward. In short, they argue that the Government’s deflationary policies are leading us to a low-growth, high-debt future with unacceptable levels of unemployment; in short, a joyless, jobless future.

Instead, we should embark on a substantial investment programme to address our long-term economic and social deficits (infrastructure, public services, poverty and inequality) which can not only ‘grow the economy’ but reduce unemployment. This can be financed through a mix of borrowing and a progressive expansion of taxation and expenditure.

This is the first sustained challenge to the conservative fiscal and economic consensus that has dominated the economic debate to date. It starts with:

‘The Government’s economic strategy is failing.’

It ends with:

‘Embedding investment, rather than debt, into the economy while restructuring taxation and expenditure in a progressive and expansionary manner to ensure a job-rich recovery – this, and not the current deflationary strategy, is the road to success.’

In between it shows where we are going wrong and where we can start going right.

The Dept of Finance has published new NAMA valuation regulations which supersede previous ones and in so doing, provide some insights into what specific changes the European Commission demanded under state aid rules.  A couple of things to note from what is a confusing document.

Continue reading ‘New NAMA regulations published’ »

There are days when Ireland is a dispiriting place.  Consider the following three seemingly separate issues.  The HSE report into the life and death of TF.  Niamh Brennan’s still under wraps report on the Dublin Docklands Development Authority.  And the latest delay in the Moriarty Tribunal.  They have something in common: legal sensitivities are being invoked to prevent the public from knowing what exactly went on in these cases. 

Continue reading ‘Protection Racket’ »

Ryanair boss, Michael O’Leary, once remarked he wouldn’t get elected as a dog-catcher. He doesn’t need to. He knows all he has to do is give politicians the sniff of a few jobs and they quickly become a man’s best friend. He can make them jump through hoops, watch them snap at each other’s heels in the Dail and on the airwaves, making themselves ridiculous as they dance to Michael’s Hangar tune.

At the height of Michael’s “one little hangar” furore, O’Leary gave the game away to Richard Curran in the Sunday Business Post. His purpose in raising the issue of his getting Hangar 6, an issue dead and buried since last September, was :

“…to ‘‘embarrass the government’’ .

Continue reading ‘‘One little hangar’ = 300 jobs and a load of political bull…’ »

Reports tonight on the pending reshuffle suggest that Green leader John Gormley might be set to step aside as Minister for the Environment to make way for Ciaran Cuffe as part of an ‘internal’ agreement among the greens made in 2007. According to the Irish Times and others, Green memebers were given to understand that Gormley would step aside as part of a mid-term reshuffle.
Continue reading ‘John Gormley Set to Step Aside for Green Ministerial Rotation?’ »

Via Neil on Twitter:

Tomorrows RedC/SBP: ff 27, fg 34, lab 17, g 5 (all nc), sf 8 (-1), ind 9 (+1). Greens should leave govt 53%

The carefully phrased European Commission approval of NAMA under state aid guidelines is only the beginning of the process.  Bank of Ireland and AIB will still need clearance for the specific balance sheet clearance (NAMA sales plus capital injection) that are still to come.   In that regard, it’s important to look at the seemingly separate state aid clearance given to Dexia, the France-Belgium-Luxembourg bank with retail banking and local government finance operations.  It’s a relevant benchmark because the government aid to Dexia includes a capital injection, liability guarantees, and impaired asset relief — all of which have been received by the big Irish banks.

Continue reading ‘Wards of Brussels’ »

The EU Commission this morning approved the government’s NAMA proposal, clearing the way for the transfer of bank debt to the state. The amount of debt to be transferred, the value of the debt (on paper and in market terms) and the value of the write-downs have still not been finalised.

It is perhaps not surprising that NAMA got the all-clear from the EU. What is perhaps surprising, or maybe saddening, is that over a year and a half on from the Irish collapse, the intended solution to the problem (whatever of its merits) is only getting going. It is going to be a long ten years for whomever is in power.

Trevor Sargent’s resignation as Junior Minister is a major blow to his party and to his Dublin North constituency, whose farmers feed the city of Dublin and amongst whom, irrespective of who they may individually vote for in general elections, he is both liked and well respected.
Continue reading ‘Sargent resigns: Whodunnit?’ »

The Green Party continues to move from one pot-hole to the next. This evening Deirdre De Burca is backing up her concerns about the DDDA, which she says she raised with the minister, with personal e-mails released on her website tonight. The email to Minister Gormley in August 2009. The DDDA report is going to be a massive headache for government once published, all indications are the contents are toxic.

De Burca has released a copy of an e mail (see below) that she claims she sent to Minister Gormley and Party Chairman Dan Boyle in August 2009 outlining a range of public concerns about the Dublin Docklands Development Authority.

“This e mail was sent to John Gormley’s private e mail address to ensure that it received his immediate and personal attention” says de Burca. “I had a brief verbal discussion with him about the issue and he encouraged me to send the e mail to his private e mail address. I had several further discussions with the Minister about the DDDA issue over subsequent months”.

The full e-mail is below the fold. I have removed Dan and John’s personal emails from my pasting below but they remain on Deirdre’s own site.

The Green Party had their response out on Twitter earlier.

Forwarding an anti-Nama email rant with a 33 word comment is hardly a smoking gun. @lexia @damienmulley @ChristineBohan @electionie

Continue reading ‘De Burca Reveals Emails to Minister Gormley about DDDA’ »

With a cabinet reshuffle in prospect and the need as advocated by Veronica that what is needed are people who are “competent in the business of job creation and enterprise generation and the stimulation of economic activity.” I reckoned I should sit down and do an update of a post from almost 3 years ago. But then I remembered that I had done this already when Batt O’Keeffe was saying that we needed more business people in the Dáil. So here it is in all its non-glory, the work history of the cabinet.

Continue reading ‘What have you ever done for a living?’ »

If last week’s drama was about two minor politicians falling on their swords, this week supplied the end of a major-minor political career. ‘Major’ in the sense that Willie O’Dea was a Cabinet Minister, ‘minor’ in that one would be hard-pressed to root out any achievement of national significance in his long political career since O’Dea arrived in Dail Eireann almost thirty years ago.

Intellectually smart, as his educational attainments testify; extremely witty, especially when such wit was directed at his political opponents; politically savvy, well he certainly had the pulse of his Limerick East constituency if 19,082 first preference votes in the 2007 general election are anything to go by, Willie had to wait a while before his front bench talents were fully appreciated.

Continue reading ‘Last week: Two Minors bite the dust. This Week : A Major-Minor. Next Week : Cabinet Shake-up?’ »

There will be days of digesting the implications of the Willie O’Dea resignation.  Here’s a few impressions of where we are; doubtless others have their own.

Continue reading ‘Sorting through the rubble’ »