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

Blink and you would miss it, a speech written to get traction with the press on how Cowen is ‘getting a grip of the campaign’ and taking it ‘by the scruff of the neck’ to bring his demoralised troops over the line kicking and screaming. Like when he intervened in the general election 2007, the [...]

Whether you are angry or calm, voters need to get on the register to vote at the June elections. Not only have we a local and a European election, we have two by-elections and the potential to send major political messages. Whatever your feelings privately on politics and leadership, you need to make them public [...]

From Labour Angry voters urged to check their electoral register So should people who are not angry possibly only slighty mift not check it? Anyway.  As the man says.  With the electoral register for the local elections, due to close at 5pm, Monday 18 May, it is vitally important that voters make sure that they are [...]

Fintan O Toole has an interesting article in the Times this morning from an electoral point of view. The thesis has been expounded before, at key points in recent electoral history, Labour has stepped forward to prevent the implosion of the civil war division and give either Fianna Fail or Fine Gael the kiss of [...]

It’s that time again with the European election nominations just closed that you might actually be interested in what your MEP has been up to for the last term. Want to check how they voted or how often they were in Brussel ? Thanks to http://votewatch.eu you can.

From the Corkman  Fianna Fail politicians have disclosed the highest proportion of donations at more than €94,000. The Labour Party declared more than €40,000 and Fine Gael more than 24,000, while the Greens disclosed just €1,200 worth of donations. Labour Senator Alan Kelly received the highest amount at more than €35,000, followed by former Taoiseach [...]

The German ambassador’s reply to inquiries as to his comments at an event in Tralee on Tuesday. The ambassador was there because of new cultural linkups between Tralee and Frankfurt, his reported comments were incendiary locally – consdiering the high number of ‘no’ voters at the last Lisbon campaign and the re-election of Martin Ferris [...]

John Bowman and Questions and Answers are to finish up at the end of its June 2009 run. Maybe it was all Suzy and Simon’s live blogging shenanigans or just the need to take a format that was running tired and get something in. For politicos it is probably a sad enough day, especially if [...]

Some intersting tweets coming out of the Ard Fheis, it is definitely boiler plate stuff so far. Perhaps it is understandable that the bulk of the non televised event would be run of the mill stuff. As it moves toward a midday lull, the good news is bloggers are fed and watered. GAvin is posting [...]

We don’t discuss the topic of electoral reform here on Irish Election, so I thought I’d throw out some crazy ideas I’ve had on how we can reform the process to fix some of the endemic problems in our system of government.

Its all below the fold.

Noel Dempsey followed up on his call to see those members of the Anglo 10 ‘nailed‘ with the quote that they had committed ‘economic treason’ yesterday. As Shane Ross noted back in April, this was not the way that the 10 saw it, an neither did the regulator or the politicians briefed by Anlgo. MINISTER [...]

Henry McDonald at the Guardian covers Eoghan Harris’ idea that the economic crisis is such as to demand the formation of a national unity government. Haven’t seen it anywhere in the papers this morning but Cynics, and in Dublin’s media class they are legion, will scoff at the notion of national government. But as Harris [...]

A good while back I wrote here about trying to invert the common political process as we know it in Ireland whereby the candidate comes to your home and seeks to impress upon you what it is they are really, really interested in. My idea was along the lines of the public challenging the candidate [...]

A few quick thoughts on the collapse of the fiscal adjustment talks.  We’ll know more in 90 minutes about the government’s next steps.