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

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Anyone interested in making an informed decision on the Lisbon Treaty would do well to read the Special Report by the Oireachtas Committee on European Affairs on the role of National Parliaments if the Treaty is ratified. Published on Friday, it is a straight-forward and relatively brief document which makes for [...]

Feeling oddly discomforted, as I am sure you will soon, I read the preview to the ‘hot’, ’saucy’ and ’steamy’ Eoghan Harris (!) interview in Hot Press. The though of Senator Harris holding forth on eroticism - among other topics - isn’t exactly making me run out to purchase but it is good to see [...]

I thought it couldn’t get worse. I was wrong. And now, due to Eoghan Harris, we see the Coolacrease situation become elevated to a semi-political issue, hence my posting this to Irish Election as well as the Cedar Lounge Revolution.
Eoghan Harris in today’s Sunday independent writes about Coolacrease (Tom McGurk also writes about it sensibly [...]

Mary Harney was quoted in the Independent today on her future as party leader and when she would like to have the job handed over to her successor;
“Obviously I will continue to assist the party in any way I can. But hopefully the party can now put a mechanism to have a leader in place [...]

Quite a day down at our second chamber, perhaps slightly less so in the first. Alex White and Pearse Doherty were uncontentious and professional. Perhaps a little nervous if anything. Shannon loomed large throughout the afternoon.
And it has to be said that there were quite a number of younger faces there. Which is probably good.
Eoghan [...]

Contrary to my earlier post it was indeed Moylan who was elected to the Chair in the Seanad, my own error in reading proceedings, thanks Keith.

Seanator Pat Moylan will be elected Cathaoirleach of the Seanad today when they meet for the first time. He beat off competition from Terry Leyden, Ann Ormonde and Jim Walshe. Loving the way senators return early while the house with all the power remains on a break.

So, I bought this month’s village magazine (pictured) because the front page promised me an in-depth intelligent look at Eoghan Harris and his nomination to the Seanad.
There are indeed four articles in Village in which Harris features. All written by Vincent Browne.

Originally posted at Associate Notes
The Seanad is an undemocratic, archaic, useless institution. It’s been that way since its inception but the Irish people have ignored it, mostly because it’s the most boring institution we’ve got. That is about to change.
Eoghan Harris has just become a senator.
No, you’re not dreaming. Your eyesight has not failed you. [...]

The whole country to choose from to fill 11 seats in the Seanad, and who has Mr. Ahern gone for? Well, it’s the usual story in terms of rewarding, compensating and back-scratching. Not that the opposition would have done it a different way, so Leo Varadkar may want to watch out lest his words about “independent [...]

Many people find it hard to find a well paid job, with not much work to do, nice expenses and a parking spot for life in Dublin. Others like Eoghan Harris don’t. I think we all should learn from Eoghan Harris. So the next Taoiseach nominations shall be in 5 years time after the next [...]

The Taoiseach’s 11 nominees are as follows:
Dan Boyle & Deirdre de Burca (Green Party)
Ciaran Cannon & Fiona O’Malley (Progressive Democrats)
Martin Brady, Ivor Callely, Maria Corrigan, John Ellis, Lisa McDonald & Brian Ó Domhnaill (Fianna Fáil)
Eoghan Harris (Sunday Independent columnist and Bertieaholic)
Link 

The Examiner reckon that Bertie will make the announcement in the next 48 hours, fresh from his soujourn in Ballybrit. The Greens get two, with Dan Boyle and Deirdre de Burca as the selections, as do the PDs with a plethora of options (politics.ie report they are Ciaran Cannon and Fiona O Malley). The FF [...]

UPDATE: The following letter was printed in the July 28th edition of The Irish Times denying links with Justin Barrett, and also denying - to the “almost certain knowledge” - his presence at the election centre count. Senator Mullen also denied the same on Newstalk 106 this morning. This to be welcomed. The original [...]

And so the counting has begun following the elections, such as they were, to the perennially ignored talking shop that is Seanad Eireann. The campaign to woo the electorate of a few thousand politicians and university graduates has largely been ignored by the media- and for good reason. No body of well paid and intelligent [...]

From Maman Poulet:
First Count announced before 11 pm tonight in the exam hall, TCD.

The Quota is 4230  - Spoilt votes 60
Total Valid Poll 16917
Bacik 2794
Conway 214
Douglas 183
Efobi 201
Gueret 1155
Hutchinson Edgar 330
McDonagh 684
Martin 223
Norris 5240
O’Connor 514
Ross 5379
Shane Ross and David Norris were elected on the first count and Bacik will be elected tomorrow when [...]