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

If you didn’t see the big debate last night, you can pick it up here. Reactions on the blogosphere are mixed. Simon reckons, the taoiseach is feeling very pleased with himself. Harry, accurately describes it as “a tense defensive battle”, that Bertie shaded on points, but in which Enda manages to look like a future [...]

It looks like Sinn Fein has timed it’s breakthrough moment to perfection. At ten per cent in the current poll they would appear to be a bouyant position. Some reports suggested a doubling of their Dail representation would indicate substantial progress. Fionnan Sheahan notes that the party reckons that there are eight key candidates that [...]

If the sun shines on Bertie Ahern in Westminster this morning it seems decidedly drizzly for him in Dublin. The extent of his electoral misery is hard to gauge since any potential losses are likely to come well down the card. But the effect of a lacklustre campaign in which the opposition has made most [...]

(Courtesy Siobhansilke). After some toing and froing on Politics.ie, it sounds like Bertie Ahern is going to call a general election for 24th May later today. We await official confirmation, that Bertie is going to Mary McAleese to ask her to dissolve the 29th Dail. Now might be a good time to remind people that [...]

One of the remarkable aspects of the Progressive Democrats under leadership of their controversial Minister of Justice, Michael McDowell is just how quiet things have gone for them since he took over last September - it’s almost reminiscent of what happened to the one time firebrand leftist Kinnock when he took over British Labour after [...]

So Deputy Niall Blaney is back in Fianna Fail. After thirty five years albeit of a highly local existence, Independent Fianna Fail is now defunct. However pleased Blaney and his camp may be, there is a smouldering resentment at the perception that this was a central deal done without reference to the party’s local Ceantair. [...]

Apart from the startling figure of 400,000 foreign born residents, the preliminary census estimates released in the Republic yesterday could have some startling implications for the next general election, with constituencies in West Dublin and Meath growing exponentially, and rural constituencies falling.

Interesting developments, or rather non developments in the Fianna Fail Donegal North East story. According to Highland Radio there were ructions at a constituency meeting on Sunday night when the co-option of Niall Blaney, and the Independent Fianna Fail organisation into the mainstream party. A planned press conference for Blaney yesterday was cancelled, presumably because [...]

Despite the several valedictories written on behalf of disgraced former minister Jim McDaid it looks like he is facing pressure to stand again for Fianna Fail in the Donegal North East. Concern within the party arises over the possibilty of Independent Fianna Fail TD Niall Blaney joining the party in advance of the election. This [...]

Regarding the latest hiccup in Irish jurisprudence, I’m with Simon: the political consequences for election are hard to discern. If the coalition continues to take a battering on other things, this episode may weigh heavily on them. . But, as Fionna has argued, the issue should not go away. The law as it stands is a mess (if not an ass). This crisis, more than than anything else, reflects a general unwillingness to meet difficult policy issues head-on.