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

With ministerial compensation already an issue after the latest pay review, the latest irritant arrives: a special section inserted into a bill (see below) by Brian Cowen last week to allow former minister Michael Woods TD to retroactively recover pension money for which he had forgotten to apply within the required period.  Two quick defences [...]

There is a surprise in Dublin North-East as Terence Flanagan shades Martin Brady to join Michael Woods and Tommy Broughan in the Dail on SF transfers from Larry O’Toole.

Day 23
Photo originally uploaded by The Labour Party.
It’s voting day today. The sun is shining in Dublin. All over the country people are going to find time to put ones, twos and threes and so on down the list of names who want to represent them.
The last few days of the Election campaign [...]

A local election candidate from Fine Gael in Dublin North East (Brody Sweeney) is suggesting that people use public transport to reduce global warming. It is fine gael policy to have more PRIVATE buses on bus routes.
Also on Mr. Sweeneys website he is calling for the removal of a bus lane on the N32 as the [...]

We should have noted this before* since it’s been brewing for a while but Fianna Fail are in the midst of an increasingly high-profile selection row in Dublin North-East.   In a move dictated by HQ, they are going with just two candidates, Michael Woods and Martin Brady, leaving longtime local player Senator Liam Fitzgerald out [...]

The celebrities are coming thick and strong in the election race. We have had all-star GAA stars and famous children’s right activists. Now the PD’s have kicked the celebrity up a notch. They have managed to recruit a king among celebrities. They have recruited the guy from the Sensodyne toothpaste ad.
Is the slogan not Sensodyne [...]

Amidst the plethora of “2006-in-review” articles populating today’s papers, there is one very interesting piece in the Tribune. The way our electoral system works makes polls slightly unhelpful—ignoring particularity within constituencies and also the nature of transfers—but the Tribune have taken a look across the most contested constituencies to attempt to predict the likely election [...]

[originally posted to BrianGreene.com]

click to enrage enlarge. [both photos in or near Dublin North East mid-late May 2006(six)] is the election on? are the posters ready, are the plastic ties counted, the corry board booked? the ghost bloggers employed? the franking machine adverts booked? spat with junior partner organised? check. Go Go Go.

Here in CityWest for the Fine Gael Ard Fheis the latest news on the grapevine is that Councillor Terence Flanagan is set to join Brody Sweeney in Dublin North East on the Fine Gael ticket for the forthcoming General Election.

Today is probably the biggest off licence purchasing day in Ireland. As tomorrow is good Friday and by law all the bars have to close. This law is one of the last vestiges left in Ireland of the time when the Catholic Church ruled the country and said that all bars must be closed on [...]