Donegal SW

The global parish pump and benchmarking by-elections.

John Ó Néill on November 25, 2010, 12:46 pm | Readers 1

After days and days of posturing and throwing shapes in Dublin, none of the principle actors have changed chairs and all that has been issued is a four year plan that might have been written two years ago. For all the unachieved drama, all that seems to have actually happened is that whatever sovereignty remained to the Republic of Ireland has been outsourced to anyone with a cheque book (and deep pockets). Ironically, with no money in the budget to allow them to buy off the electorate, the …

Donegal SW: Tipping the Republic towards ‘regime change’?

Mick Fealty on November 7, 2010, 9:01 am | Readers 9

Three pieces well worth reading on the nature of the challenge facing Fianna Fail in Donegal. Two knowledgeable voices worth quoting at some length. First Fionnan Sheahan from his column on Thursday: Only when Sinn Fein senator Pearse Doherty took the strategically astute move of seeking to get the courts to force the Government’s hands did the Coalition begin to budge. Doherty succeeded in getting a hearing in the High Court, arguing there was a constitutional right to have adequate …

Donegal SW: Runners and (expected) riders…

Mick Fealty on November 4, 2010, 11:42 am | Readers 5

So today the Irish government will move the writ for the Donegal SW. Wikipedia already has a page up and ready to go, with three candidates already named and ready to go: Frank McBrearty for Labour, Pearse Doherty for Sinn Fein and Barry O’Neill for Fine Gael. Its widely expected that the Fianna Fail candidate will be Senator Brian Ó Domhnaill, when the party gets around to holding its convention. In terms of choosing winners, keep your money in your …

High Court judgement creaks government one step closer to the end…

Mick Fealty on November 3, 2010, 11:37 am | Readers 6

Interesting judgement in Pearse Doherty’s case in the Dublin High Court this morning. Although he stops one step short of confronting the legislature (that’s the Supreme Court’s job) Mr Justice Kearns, High Court President, said: “I am satisfied that the delay in this case is so inordinate as to amount to a breach of the applicant’s constitutional rights to such a degree as to warrant the court granting some form of relief. Far from the court ’tearing asunder’ the provisions …

Two Dail seats for Sinn Fein in Donegal..?

Mick Fealty on October 29, 2010, 11:33 am | Readers 12

There’s an analysis piece in the Donegal Democrat that backs some of the soundings I’ve been taking in and around Donegal in recent weeks, ie that Sinn Fein could/should take one and possibly two seats in Donegal in the next southern general election. The figures are an extrapolation from the last Red C poll, and based on an ‘independent’ analysis from Aidan Kavanagh at NUI Maynooth (who did a similar exercise in May): The national figures which were published at …