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

Now that there’s a deal in Brussels on the drafting of a new EU treaty and confirmation from Bertie that it will require a referendum, it’s worth taking a look at the Green manifesto position on the EU.  There’s enough wiggle room to allow them to play along with the Brussels deal, although there will [...]

Friday’s Irish Times reports on a potential hurdle in coalition formation that while not fatal, will deal a blow to the credibility of several of the independent TDs if/when a dodge is found around it. The issue is that some of them signed a pledge not to participate in any government that allowed the [...]

Back in February wanted to drug test children. Yet now in May I find no mention of it in their manifesto. Not one mention. Why the change Enda. Finally come to your senses? But what I did see in the manifesto
We will scrap the charade of Budget Day and replace it with a modern [...]

Having spent so long giving out and setting himself against the Sunday Independent, Fine Gael, Labour and the PDs on this, it seems unlikely this was always in the plan for the manifesto. Some of the questions buzzing around my head on this this morning;

It’s not easy to think of a precedent for the PD’s promise today to have their stamp duty proposals at the top of the order of business of a next government of which they would be a part — a proposal with budgetary implications and yet having been not included in the recent budget to which [...]

With the auctioneer hoarse already, let’s take a quick look at one of the promises unveiled over the weekend: abolition of stamp duty on house purchases for first time buyers and graduated rates when it is payable.

With Fianna Fail telling us of the dangers of New nuclear power plants. What did they say in 2002 about Nuclear power. Lets check the manifesto
Use the OSPAR process, the Euratom Treaty and the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, to continue to challenge nuclear operations at Sellafield on economic, legal, environmental and [...]

The Fianna Fail manifesto is one of the most difficult manifestos to check: it is very ambiguous. It says things like “we will have better buses,” but how they will be better is left to our imagination.
Fianna Fail supports the idea of lower pricing for public transport around the peak travel times. We will examine [...]

Here’s the PDs’ 2002 Manifesto. I know what you are thinking: this should be funny. And you would be right; it does have some humorous moments.
Take their timetable for opening the metro lines:

Sandyford-City Centre-Dublin Airport: 2007
City Centre-Blanchardstown: 2007
Sandyford-Shanganagh extension: 2008
Dublin Airport-Swords extension: 2008

This has, of course, not been done.

Fianna Fail’s Measures for Childern
We will work to end Child Poverty, with, at a minimum, a reduction of the rate to below 2% within five years.
The relative poverty child rate in Ireland is 15.7% according to UNICEF. But I don’t particular like relative measurements.(until some one can say to me why 60% of median [...]

Sorry for the delay in getting back to the manifesto checking but better late then never. I would also like to thank the reader who sent me on the Fianna Fail manifesto. The Fianna Fail manifesto had the by line A lot done More to do. So how much more is left to be done.

In the run up to the election we are going to get loads of manifestos promising the sun moon and the stars. But do they actually deliver. In the first of I hope many I will try going through Fianna Fail and PD’s manifestos to see what they have promised and delivered and the other [...]