The Irish Times confirms the speculation – “The Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, has set Thursday May 24th as the date for the general election.” He went to Áras an Uachtaráin this morning to seek the dissolution of the 29th dail from the President Mary McAleese. The President then left the Aras for a week-long trip to the US. Adds Before leaving, President Mary McAleese had just enough time to update the official website. Pete Baker
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 …
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 …
Bertie is to make a (triumphal?) address to the British Commons and the Lords in May… Just as President Prime Minister Blair steps down and Bertie seeks to get back in for a third bite of the cherry… H/T Seamus.. 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
El Blogador has the results of tomorrow’s Irish Times poll, which shows a significant rise for Enda Kenny’s Fine Gael, and a slip for Fianna Fail. Full results: FF 34 (-3) FG 31 (+5) Lab 10 (-1) Greens 6 (-2) PD 3 (+2) SF 10 (+1) Ind 6 (-2). 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 …
With Mary Harney still bogged down in the detail of reform and taking on powerful heath service unions, it’s not clear how the changes in the Republic’s Health Service are going to play for the PDs. Labour’s early attack ad on what they believe will be the outworking of an increased stake for private players nevertheless swings at Fianna Fail, presumably because that’s where the swing voters are. Zac Exley’s expert influence is all over this one! Mick FealtyMick is …
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern et al have been involved in the attempt to rebrand the ‘good’ UDA at various stages, now the PUP leader [and independent member of the Policing Board – Ed] Dawn Purvis, on behalf of the UVF, seems belatedly to be following a familiar path. The east Belfast Assembly member said she specifically wanted an assurance of the Government’s commitment to devolution under the St Andrews Agreement, and that it has no interests in joint authority. As she …
Over at Irish Election they are chewing over how Martin Ferris’ arrest on suspicion of drink driving might (or might not) affect his fortunes in the upcoming elections… 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
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has promised that, should Fianna Fail still be in government after the next election, he will allocate €5m [not personally, natch – Ed] to an international competition to design and construct a “monument to peace” to be located in the border region.. so much for the needle in the cathedral.. perhaps something straddling that border would be a fitting memorial monument.. Pete Baker
Usual caution applies, but of the two polls published today, one in the Sunday Independent, the other in the Sunday Business Post, the one with more value to observers is the long-running tracking poll in the Post, as compiled by Red C. The tracking poll confirms a continuing, if slight, downward drift in first preferences for Fianna Fail and a significant boost for Fine Gael which leaves the prospective coalitions neck and neck on 38% each. The other parties show …
One of the remarkable aspects of the Progressive Democrats under leadership of their controversial Minister of Justice, Michael McDowell is just how quiet things have gone for them since he took over last September – it’s almost reminiscent of what happened to the firebrand leftist Kinnock when he took over British Labour after Michael Foot. No time for barnstorming. A May election would leave a settlement of the dispute in the Heath Service a long way over the electoral horizon. …
By default Simon ably demonstrates the difference between good political PR and bad… Good is when things happen like you say they will, and bad, well, is when people remember if they don’t… 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
The housing market in Northern Ireland is clearly extremely bouyant at the moment. Yet as Maria Farrell argues on Crooked Timber, housing markets can grow equity and to a degree private wealth, it cannot drive the economy in the longer term. She reckons that a narrow focus on keeping the housing market in play could make the Fianna Fail/PD government vulnerable in the upcoming election: The whole country has lost sight of lost sight of the fact that house building …
A committee of the European Parliament is to examine a proposal today to cap the roaming charges that mobile phone companies slap on customers for using their phones in another jurisdiction. It will be considering a number of, as yet, unresolved questions. Sarah Laitner in the FT: First, what should the price caps be? Several figures have been suggested, which broadly point to maximum fees of €0.50 a minute to make a call and €0.25 a minute to receive. The …
The Republic’s health service is currently being convulsed by work to rule and threats of limited strike action by the Irish Nurse’s Organisation. But Marc Coleman, in today’s Irish Times, notes that the issue they are most vocal about is not the underlying cause of a bona fide grievance.In fact, he argues, that in comparison with work and conditions elsewhere in the EU, nurses in the Republic do exceedingly well: By comparison with most of their European counterparts and in …
The nine town councillors in Trim, County Meath have unanimously decided not to call a new street in the town Paisley Parade. The suggested name, previously noted here, had been made by local historian Noel French and would have seen Paisley Parade cross Emmet Street.. although Mr French admitted “It was a modest proposal”..From the UTV report But Trim Town Council moved swiftly and unanimously to put the controversy to bed by naming the street after a fondly remembered local …
According to Noelle Jennings in the Meath Chronicle, the suggestion that a street be named after Ian Paisley in Trim has met with widespread protest, not least from the local council. The idea originated with local historian Noel French: He added it wasn’t necessarily his first choice but did feel it was worthy of consideration. “It takes brave people to sit down across the table with somebody you dislike or even hate,” said Mr French. he felt it would be …
As Mick said, there’s been lots of good journalism recently, and here’s another example. At OpenDemocracy Fred Halliday, in a less polemic piece than Christopher Hitchens, firstly addresses the positive points of the ‘indigenous’ deal.. before noting the unaccounted for past and raising some still-open questions.While I’d encourage you to read the full article I’ll extract a few paragraphs.. Firstly, some of the good news The historic agreement on 26 March between Gerry Adams and Ian Paisley on the formation …
Andy Pollack with a sober and sobre way (subs needed) to spend this Good Friday in Dublin: …the congregation of the Dublin Unitarian Church in St Stephen’s Green reads out the names of the more than 3,500 people who have died as a result of the war there. To anyone’s knowledge this annual act of commemoration on Good Friday, now in its seventh year, is the only religious service of its kind in Ireland. From midday until mid-afternoon, members of …
This is too good to clip selectively from, so here is Miriam Lord’s sketch (for that it what it is) of the time Noel, Brian, Dermot got stuck in a lift (subs needed) with the three Marys!By Miriam Lord You couldn’t make it up. Lunchtime yesterday, and Ministers hurry away from their weekly Cabinet meeting. They pile into the tiny lift in Government Buildings. It’s a tight squeeze, but eventually, six of them pile in and the doors close. Brian …
