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

Summing up some of the issues that arose at the PDs conference last weekend, a commentator in the Irish Independent remarked that “when it comes down to politicking and jockeying for position, it’s more a case of compatible personalities than policies”. He argued that anyone who watched “the ‘laugh-in/love-in’ between [...]

Wexford is not my area so someone else can probably give a better prediction then this. The biggest problem for Colm O’Gorman taking a seat in Wexford will be the lack of a political organisation in Wexford for the PD’s not since 1989 have they contested a Dail seat when William Willoughby gained 1.1% of [...]

I have conducted an interview with the Polish Ambassador to Ireland Witold Sobkow which discusses how Poles are experiencing life in Ireland as well as the impact immigration will come to have on Ireland.
The interview can be read here.

Via Slugger(well done on the scoop!) comes the news that Colm O’Gorman of one in four is likely to be unveiled tomorrow as a PD candidate for Wexford. According to Slugger “Rumour also has it that he approached Labour, but that they were not interested.”

Health is one of the biggest issues in Ireland at the moment and I am not sure of the facts. So I am thinking that this will be one of a number of posts that will just lay out facts about the health service.

Jim McDaid has confirmed the not entirely surprising news that he will not seek the nomination to retain his Donegal North East seat at the selection convention next month.  RTE story here and Ireland.com (subs. req’d) here.   While he’s hardly the first TD who would have been on the ballot with legal problems in his [...]

“The politician is trained in the art of inexactitude. His words tend to be blunt or rounded, because if they have a cutting edge they may later return to wound him.”

Edward R. Murrow

“The media serve the interests of state and corporate power, which are closely interlinked, framing their reporting and analysis in a [...]

Tuesday’s Irish Times (subs. req’d) interprets the latest Economic and Social Research Institute commentary as a polite recommendation to the government to forsake any fiscal boost in the run-in to the next election.  But the recommendation comes with low expectations:
“We are also expecting Government expenditure to rise in the run-up to the general election although [...]

A heated debate on last nights Questions and Answers. You can see the rest of the show here.
Will the next election be won on tax cuts or the health services?
The panel and audience respond
Requires Real player.

I see Fine Gael yesterday launched a campaign on the issues they believe could lead them to success in next year’s General Election.
I figured I’d give my thoughts on their proposals.
Health, crime and the waste of public money will be the themes of posters and billboards appearing around the country in the next six weeks [...]

So Enda does not want to go into coalition with the Progressive Democrats. Anyone surprised by this.

Some weeks ago I posted Fine Gael in Dublin North about the rumour that former Former IMO President Dr. James Reilly was to seek Fine Gael nomination in Dublin North. Guess what. He is.

What is the deal with sandwich fillings in the forthcoming election. Michael McDowell said they were the meat in the sandwich. Now Labour are claiming that the PD’s are Jam.

What is next headline
“Greens education policies are as useful as lettuce”.
“Fianna Fail will devoid up councils like a Sliced pan”
“Sinn Fein as reliable [...]

So the PDs have gone back to first principles and have launched a massive tax cut strategy for the next election. Will it work? We at Les Gognards think it will, if only the French government would follow the PDs example.

PD Tax proposels
A couple (both earning) can earn at least ?100,000 at the standard rate (?50,000 for single worker)
o Credits will be increased so that couples (both working) earning up to ?40,000 will pay absolutely no tax (?20,000 for a single worker).
o [...]

Stephen Collins in yesterday’s Irish Times remarked that “the decision of the PDs to go back to the well for more tax-cutting policies suggests a belief that a significant number of voters out there are still in the market for more cuts”. This raises the question to what extent individual [...]