Election 2007 – Page 6 – Slugger O'Toole

Prime Time Election Debate: the wee four…

Mick Fealty on May 16, 2007, 7:26 pm

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The first of two instalments of head to head debates in the Republic’s election is on RTE Prime Time tonight. Tonight the smaller party leaders do battle: The Greens, The Labour Party, The Progressive Democrats and Sinn Fein. Whereas in Northern Ireland, election time is generally good for spreading attention around the smaller parties, in the Republic the dramatisation of the battle between the big two (they are on tomorrow night) often means that the little four have to scrabble …

The second Irish Election ‘bookies Poll’

Mick Fealty on May 15, 2007, 3:59 pm

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If you want to keep up with the election in the Republic, Irishelection.com is doing a good job of crunching numbers and punting out an mix of sound analysis and blog round ups. Adam Maguire has just produced an analysis of the betting at Paddy Power, and how the election would work out, if the real numbers stack up the same way. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on …

Sinn Fein’s southern breakthrough on the cards?

Mick Fealty on May 15, 2007, 1:15 pm

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It looks like Sinn Fein has timed it’s breakthrough moment to perfection. At ten per cent in the current poll they would appear to be a bouyant position. Some reports suggested a doubling of their Dail representation would indicate substantial progress. Fionnan Sheahan notes that the party reckons that there are eight key candidates that we should keep an eye on come election night. If all came over the finish line, that’s a nice crop of 13 TDs, which would …

Skies darkening over Bertie…

Mick Fealty on May 15, 2007, 12:22 pm

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If the sun shines on Bertie Ahern in Westminster this morning it’s decidedly drizzly in Dublin. The extent of his electoral misery is hard to gauge since any potential losses are likely to come well down the card. But the effect of a lacklustre campaign in which the opposition has made most of the running, is compounded by a string of polling results that give Fianna Fail little comfort. The latest has Labour and Fine Gael pull ahead by one …

From the sublime to the ridiculous…

Mick Fealty on May 10, 2007, 3:20 pm

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Spokesman reckons that a Fianna Fail/Sinn Fein government in the Republic will be “the best ever in the history of Ireland in tackling poverty in Ireland”. SK at Sliabh however laments the quality of all the parties on offer. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty

On the path to a long peace?

Mick Fealty on May 8, 2007, 3:10 pm

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A few weeks ago my colleague David Steven went back to the Long Peace report, and extracted a few passages are probably worth repeating ‘in the day that’s in it’: That battle ended yesterday, it seems, as the DUP’s Ian Paisley and Sinn Fein’s Gerry Adams sat next to each other for the first time, and then agreed to serve together in government. Four years ago, we were optimistic that this might happen (other commentators were sure that the marginalisation …

Keep old people out of politics..

Mick Fealty on May 3, 2007, 10:31 pm

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Another marked by bloggorah. Half decent effort from Rock the Vote… Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty

Bertie: one man election monster…

Mick Fealty on May 3, 2007, 10:22 pm

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Is he being followed, by the guys at Blogorrah? Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty

Do the English really want the Union…

Mick Fealty on May 3, 2007, 8:19 pm

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Simon Heffer in yesterday’s Daily Telegraph has some interesting ‘anti Union’ thoughts… As a colleague here today pointed out, there is a natural Tory majority in England, float Scotland off, and it could be the coup some Tories are looking for. And as Michael White points out, Alex Salmond is making a better cut at being a statesman than his erstwhile Labour rival Jack McConnell. And Alex Bell wonders why, with a strong showing for the SNP, no major Scottish …

Weird blogging ahead…

Mick Fealty on May 1, 2007, 7:25 pm

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I’m heading to LA for a few days, ie from tomorrow through till next Monday. I’ll be speaking to a mixed audience at the University of Southern California’s School of Communication on New Media and the Peace Process. I’m not sure how much time I will actually have for blogging, but it struck me that I could be in a position to follow some of the Scottish and Welsh results late on Thursday night/early on Friday morning. I’ll do what …

Sinn Fein election blog…

Mick Fealty on May 1, 2007, 3:35 pm

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Much more cleanly executed than the confused offering from the Assembly elections. Some purists may complain (justifiably in some respects) that none of the candidates are actually writing the blog themselves. But doing interviews with the candidates themselves gives it more of the conversational feel a genuine blog has. Shame the guys doing the hard work in the background are not in the foreground. It gives it an anonymous feel, that’s distinctly off-putting. Still, big strides from March! Mick FealtyMick …

No sixway debate for Republic’s party leaders…

Mick Fealty on May 1, 2007, 2:03 pm

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A Rock the Vote blog is okay for public engagement, but not a chancey six way bust up on the tv? It seems the big three aren’t keen to get down and dirty with the wee three. Elsewhere, David at Politics.ie has the party campaign focuses for today. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across …

Election post round up…

Mick Fealty on May 1, 2007, 2:55 am

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Mamam Poulet notes the launch of the Gay Vote website, but complains it is almost devoid of content, and provides some content of her own. Mairtin reckons Sinn Fein’s stated target of ten seats has to be an underestimate. Green Ink asks, when is a blog not a blog? Answer when Rock the Vote give it over to the party leaders. Sarah Carey, a scion of Fine Gael on poster wars. Harry McGee, blogging from Lisbon with fat fingers on …

Betting on the British elections…

Mick Fealty on May 1, 2007, 1:40 am

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With several layers of elections in Britain this Thursday, Mike Smithson looks at where the punter should be putting their money. They have the odds on the next government on the Republic with Paddy Power and Betfair. As a footnote: Mike’s readers reckon Sarko’s a shoo in for the French Presidency… Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and …

Bertie in the Dragon’s Den

Mick Fealty on April 30, 2007, 11:49 pm

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Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty

Will mutual backscratching be postponed?

Pete Baker on April 30, 2007, 11:24 pm

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Mick had noted the prospect of Bertie Ahern addressing both Houses of Parliament.. in what is now to be the week before the Irish General Election. But some of the political parties contesting that election are not enthusiatic about it, for obvious enough reasons. Interestingly the BBC political editor, Mark Devenport seems to be suggesting that the event might be postponed. Pete Baker

Constitutional challenge still hanging over the election…

Mick Fealty on April 30, 2007, 1:28 pm

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There’s a number of questions hanging nastily open as the Republic begins it’s electioneering in earnest (a lot faster out of the gates than our little practice run a month or two ago – ed). One, is the question of what Judge Alan Mahon will do this morning about the Quarryville Two section of its enquiry, said to involve further questions about the taoiseach’s personal finances. But as Darragh O’Brien notes, the question of the validity of the electoral boundaries …

Election sidebar…

Mick Fealty on April 29, 2007, 6:09 pm

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We’ve got up out election sidebar fairly sharpish this time. It’s not comprehensive, but it should give readers an easy short cut to some best online comment on the Republic’s election. We retain our focus on things northern, but we hope to bring you a fair amount of the themes affecting all the parties in the south over the next three weeks or so, as well as our own busy schedule north of the border. If you hear of/know of/write …

Sinn Fein working harder, and better…

Mick Fealty on April 29, 2007, 11:48 am

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Given Slugger’s predominantly (but not entirely) Northern Irish perspective, it is natural that our coverage is likely to focus on the most significant northern player in the southern elections, Sinn Fein. If you want decent flavour of what it’s doing on the ground, Ben, at Irish Election, has an excellent analysis on its campaign in Wexford. Sinn Féin is gaining votes because, like Sunderland under Keane, it works bloody hard for them. It establishes branches and creates political activists. It …

Ahern to call election for 24th May…

Mick Fealty on April 29, 2007, 10:26 am

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After some toing and froing on Politics.ie, it sounds like Bertie Ahern is going to call a general election for 24th May later today. We await official confirmation, that Bertie is going to Mary McAleese to ask her to dissolve the 29th Dail. Now might be a good time to remind people that the Irish Elections Flickr Group is still open for photos of the southern elections too… Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on …