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

From Phantom 105.2. Is it April already?
Young Fine Gael are refusing to comment on speculation that they may be releasing a Christmas single. Excerpts of the likely track entitled ‘The Ballad of Enda Kenny‘ have surfaced on youtube.
View it here.

Will someone over in Fine Gael HQ simply tell people to shut up. Just stop talking. Seriously. Again today we have another crack pot anti-drugs idea.
Fishermen alienated by Govt could help in fight against drugs - Creed
Please stop the hurt.

What is it with Fine Gael and random Drug testing and searches. Do they have shares in it of something. Their usual hobby horse drug testing is schools has been around for about a year which has very little research supporting the notion that it works. But now they have moved on to clubs. Gardaí [...]

Speaking in the Dail Enda Kenny brought up his old chestnut drug testing in schools. (Considering the recent allegations that drug taking was happening in the dail you can sigh our petition to drug test Dail Eireann here)
I made a suggestion previously based on analysis of works done in other countries where a voluntary code [...]

It took me a while to realise there was something very odd about the latest RedC poll in the Sunday Business Post. Sure, Fianna Fáil has dipped precipitously. Well, after the month they’ve had one would think they’d better be down, at least a bit. Provisional Licences, pay increases, the latest noises from the Tribunal [...]

I dispare sometimes I really do.
Fine Gael Education Spokesman, Brian Hayes TD has described Mary Hanafin’s decision to distribute a book on Eamon de Valera to schools nationwide as a blatant attempt to politicise education.
Two thousand copies of ‘Judging de Valera’ were sent to 720 schools by the Department at a cost of €36,000 to [...]

James Reilly is calling for the Minister for Health Mary Harney to resign after it was revealed that the misdiagnosis scandal in Portlaoise continued to claim more unfortunate victims. I think the problem is getting beyond the Minister in this case though, Professor Brendan Drumm is also getting roped into the politics of this scandal [...]

The Tribunals of Inquiry Bill (2005) has been put back on the order paper. The bill was introduced in late 2005 and resurrected again last year following the original leaks to the Irish Times about Bertie Ahern’s payments. The bill gives government power to rationalise the tribunals, including closing them down and comes back on [...]

Simon Coveney in today’s Examiner following the not so wonderful RTE expose on high-society drug use.;
“It’s a running joke on the corridors of Leinster House: which minister is the cocaine user. Mr Ahern needs to sort it out.”
An answer is ready made, drug test Dail Eireann. Rather than continue with the farcical behaviour and finger [...]

Rough details here, more as it comes out. Its mostly as you were, FF unchanged, Greens at 7%, FG unchanged while Labour loses 1%.
I suppose that it will come as a bit of a surprise to both sides as both Labour and Fine Gael could not have been happier with 1)their start to the Dail [...]

His cup overflowing with goodies, Bertie Ahern is nearly at the end of post-election patronage and reward for those who propelled Fianna Fail back into Government Buildings. Some interesting committee appointments (well, for entertainment value anyway) as Jackie Healy Rae will chair the Social and Family Affairs Committee although Beverly Flynn loses out on a [...]

The report of the 2007 Consituency Commission is out, some would say a little bit too late but how and ever. Kerry is to remain split, with Kerry South a 3 seater while Kerry North joins to West Limerick in also remaining a 3 seater. Dublin Euro is a 3 seater, Dun Laoghaire is a [...]

Video from yesterday’s Save Our Slots Rally
I am unable to embed them here, but they can be found at the below link
Link.
Update Simon. Video added below

This morning the pensions green paper was announced, with its own fancy dandy website. At the moment I am working through the executive summary. Its interesting that they went with a green paper on this one, this government has not been the best at consultation and has a very low record of consultation on policy. [...]

Harry McGee reports in today’s Examiner (also reported in the Irish Times) that Fine Gael have succesfully negotiated for double the number of Committee seats.
In addition to the two committees it already chairs — the public accounts committee and European affairs — FG TDs will also chair the potentially important committee on energy, security [...]

He didn’t do it on the Late Late so can he really do it now?
(If the Mail bothered putting Oirish Irish stories up on their website, I would have posted this sooner)
Edit: The Irish Times cover it and to be honest as heresay goes its fairly weak stuff and there was little more in the [...]