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

And then backing away. A great sequence on RTE Radio 1 News at One just now. Brian Lenihan said his position has always been that there is no vacancy for leadership so the question of his interest in it did not arise. Right afterwards, John McGuinness said that Lenihan had encouraged him and other backbenchers [...]

This is the fifth in a series of posts looking at who would or would not keep their seats if an election was called now. With not much  local polling to go on this is entirely my opinion and probably wrong. If you have any ideas on it please drop a comment. Waterford

In Monday’s Irish Times, John McGuinness is now directly challenging the memory if not the veracity of Mary Coughlan‘s account of their recent conversations.  The fact that he was well liked in the media seems to be an underlying issue in the breakdown of his relationship with Mary Coughlan and Brian Cowen.  Another Coughlan reference [...]

John MCGuinness took his demotion to the back benches in a manner that makes all other parties pause in there poll support. The dynamic of Fianna Fail behaving as it’s own opposition kicked in almost immediately as McGuinness went on The Last Word Wednesday evening to defend his attack on the public service. [display_podcast]

The Oireachtas has today launched a detailed profile based on the 2006 Census of all the constituencies in the country. The information is quite interesting and comprehensive and details all 42 constituencies in the country.

IF you haven’t glimpsed the Sunday Independent, you can guarantee that the edited extract of a speech given by Junior Minister at the Department of Trade and Enterprise John McGuinness will be dominating discussion of the Social Partnership talks over the coming days. It remains unclear if the governmen is capable of steering a course [...]

The Prime Ministers of France and Spain pull their cabinets out of their August holidays for emergency meetings about the economy. Gordon Brown is back on the job while high profile ministers deal with messy dossiers. Even Belfast’s politicians are managing signals of their presence — if only to get involved in disputes about interpretations [...]

The Wall Street Journal has an article today about the referendum.  To the reporter’s credit, he avoids the usual style of foreign reporting — asking taxi-drivers on the way in from the airport to the 5-star hotel — and goes to Carlow and Laois to get the viewpoint of farmers.  Declan Ganley and Ulick McEvaddy [...]

When Gordon Brown took over from Tony Blair last summer, he was hit by the floods and then the foot and mouth outbreak — and went up in the polls. Brian Cowen might need a similar trend over the next couple of months. With Lisbon and the economy already looking like the hot potatoes of [...]

There are two small but interesting pieces in the Irish Times today concerning Labour and the PDs. The PDs are meeting in Galway today in a meeting organised by Noel Grealish to discuss future direction. Though the meeting is due to be “councillor-driven” and Mary Harney won’t be present it is interesting and symptomatic of [...]

MARY WHITE GREEN PARTY TO BE ELECTED IN CARLOW-KILKENNY IN AN AMAZING TURNAROUND AT COUNT IN THOMASTOWN, CO. KILKENNY. AS A RESULT FINE GAEL WILL TAKE ONLY ONE SEAT OUT OF FIVE IN CARLOW-KILKENNY – PHIL HOGAN FG ELECTED. Yes, M.J. Nolan re-elected against all media and political predictions – only Spokesman had it right [...]

White(green) and Phelan (FG) to contest final seat.

Carlow-Kilkernny: Elected, John McGuinness FF & BObby Aylward FF on the 1at Count. MJ Nolan FF (Carlow) and Phil Hogan FG. Dogfight for the fifth seat in progress with the elimination of Senator Fergal Browne FG (Carlow). Senator John Paul Phelan should beat Mary White (Green) on the inter-FG transfers. Mary White to lose out [...]

2 FF elected. Looks like another FF to be elected and a FG. Last Seat between Green and FG. No one elected in Dublin North Niall Collins (FF) elected in Limerick West

From the Green Party Green Party Deputy Leader Cllr Mary White has condemned the shocking thuggery that took place at her home in the early hours of this morning. A car was set alight and burned at a gateway blocking the entrance to her house in Borris, County Carlow, between the hours of 1am and [...]

Starting on RTE 1 now (10:20). Updates following. Its over now, watch it when it goes live here. Health: Interesting response to Caoimhghin O Caolain on health. Two out of fifty in the audience would like to see SF in government but in a head to head on health with Mary Harney the majority of [...]