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

Edit at 14:00The full manifesto is available here. It is really hard to read the Irish Times report on today’s Fianna Fail manifesto launch and avoid thinking three, cynical thoughts. 1) All well and good, but you were in power for the last 13 years. Whither the new found reform zeal? 2) The Green Party [...]

Not sure if I buy @Cllrhumphreys interpretation but well worth reading the New York Times’ Friday Editorial on Ireland. Ireland’s debts are so large, and its interest rates so high, that it now needs 5 percent annual growth just to stay afloat. Because of the harsh austerity budgets Europe has demanded, it is generating no [...]

You can see FF’s here. Others to follow.

This year’s election campaign is less than a week old and already has jumped from the sublime to the ridiculous. Last night’s Nine News, case in point.

Via Neil Ward on Twitter SBP/Red C tomorrow: Change figures are from midweek RedC for Paddy Power. FG 35 (-2), Lab 22 (+3), FF 17 (-1), SF 13 (+1), Green 2 (-1), Other 11 (n/c) The bands are static for all major parties after 4 polls in the past 7 days.

The kindest thing that can be said about today, the second full day of election campaigning, is that everything passed off smoothly. No-one rocked the boat. There were no major changes in party results in the latest poll. The parties focused on heavily stage-managed events – policy launches, charity events, walkabouts – while candidates wrestled [...]

The Irish Times / MRBI poll gives significant succour to Fine Gael hopes of an overall majority. Headline figures of Fianna Fáil, 15 per cent (down two points); Fine Gael, 33 per cent (up three points); Labour, 24 per cent (down one point); Sinn Féin, 12 per cent (down three points); Green Party, 1 per [...]

“Even Irish banks aren’t too big to fail”.  Don’t tell the Dept of Finance, which used to gloat over Iceland-Ireland comparisons.

Joe Higgins versus Jose Manuel Barroso: Higgins (page 9), Barroso (page 13).

One of the over looked aspects of the last week was the calling of the election for the 11th of March. The significance of that date is that it is a Friday. Now traditionally Irish general elections are on a Thursday. Back around the time of the last general election we started a campaign called [...]

From the start, there have been questions about the government’s number10.gov.uk style website,  merrionstreet.ie.   Despite the presence of special advisers, media affairs units, and handlers in government offices, there’s supposed to be a clear line between political boosterism and the provision of taxpayer-financed official information.  Yet within an hour of the Taoiseach’s unscheduled Thursday statement [...]

The IMF Board is expected to approve Ireland’s loan on 16 December.  Is Brian Cowen sure of what he’s doing by having an approval vote in the Dail on the 15th?

Jolicloud Linux OS Very interesting looking OS designed for netbooks – will be tempted to try it out once it comes along.

Thanks to politics.ie. FG 31 (-2) FF24,(nc) LAB 23 (-4) SF 10 (+2) GR 3 (+1) Oths 9 (+3) Underlines volatility of Labour vote. Also public satisfaction with Brian Cowen is 19% to 64% dissatisfied and 17% undecided. 29% are more likekly to vote vote FF with Cowen replaced, including 21% of FG and Labour [...]

Dermot Ahern: Yes to consulting the Attorney General for a law that might modestly hurt property developers, No to consulting the Ombudsman for Children for a scheme that involves using youths as straw purchasers for booze.