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

Everybody is talking about the outburst. The PD/Green one, of course, today it hit Parlon country. Mary White is very mad claiming that Tom Parlon is “blustering” over live exports. Parlon suggests (and quites the policy from which it comes) that “The Green Party does not promote or support live exports of animals..”. Mary called [...]

Press release of the day without doubt to the Progressive Democrats for this effort “PDs launch Arts and Culture policy with piano recital by Frank McNamara. What is likely to be his best talent, to be quite honest about it.

Sorry to those of you expecting Suzy, she will return for tomorrow’s stint on the roundup. First up this evening is not our famous press release of the day (although parties are now competing for the title, we are informed), is a post worthy of press releasing. Eoin at Cearta makes a great case for [...]

Michael Reade of LMFM has a cracking new service whereby candidates from Louth, Meath East and Meath West who enter into debate each morning on LMFM’s Loose Talk programme can be heard online at Michael’s homepage www.loosetalkmichael.com.

Press release of the day, of a sort, is likely to be of interest to bloggers. RTE will be exclusively web-casting a debate between the Communications spokespeople of each of the four parties. Live online from 14:00-15:00 and I know someone chomping at the bit to watch this showdown. If you are desperate [...]

Twenty four hours is indeed a long time.
Last night, the imminent demise of the Fianna Fáil / PD coalition was assumed by many a blogger, including myself. alas, the PDs have decided to struggle on in government, according to Michael McDowell, in order to “look after the health service.”
so, what’s the reaction today?

Perhaps Jim O’Keefe has had an impact on McDowell for a change. Not over his Criminal Justice bill (as he would have hoped) rather his approach to the unfolding crisis in government, “act in haste, repent at leisure”. Gormley certainly thinks there done in one of the funnier pieces of gloating today (were about to be kingmaker, your lot are dead). 
It [...]

Press release titles of the day? For the chuckle factor anyway. Kenny’s appeal goes down the YouTubes in video views stakes - Ambrose. Councillor Siobhan Ambrose, Fianna Fáil candidate in Tipperary South thinks that because more people have seen her youtube video than a version of Enda Kenny’s party conference speech [...]

I set out tonight to focus in on blogs from left-wing candiates, but first a quick mention of
Thomas Byrne, FF candidate for Meath East, who got into a bit of a tizz with Mary Hanafin over the issue of education and autism. His comments were reported in the Drogheda Indo, while Thomas gets to grips [...]

Tonight, breaking with tradition early in the campaign-only to begin another, we begin with the oddest press release of the day. It seems that the PDs have forgotten who their leader is. They issued a bombast today by Party Leader Michael McDowell at the muesli-eating, sandal-wearing, wealth-hating commie Greens. Only as you’ll see from the [...]

So at the end of day three while some of us figure out how one can pay stamp duty on your rent or whatever the latest explanation is - a look at some blogging and non blogging from the campaign trail. In what will be a nightly round up of the best of the blogs, [...]