Post-election manovers

There seems to be a deficit of arithmetical skills among political commentators.

Even with the independents and PDs, FF would only have a bare majority. Even if they make an opposition TD Ceann Comhairle, there can be no "stability".

Presumably, Bertie is softening up the Greens. He remembers that Labour were able to write the programme for government in 1992. In a couple of weeks time, the Greens will get some offer from FF but Bertie won't let the Greens dictate the terms.

Even more bizarre is Enda Kenny's claim to be trying to form a government. That can only mean that FG will do a deal with SF!

Left-wing Government?

Vincent Browne put a PD candidate on the spot this Monday with a simple question. The PDs are warning that left-wing parties would destroy our economy: in that case, VB asked, how come the economy grew at an unprecedented rate under the Rainbow Coalition?

The PD'er, Ben Doyle from Dublin S. Central, had simply no answer. I think VB supplied his own answer by accusing all parties of abandoning left-wing policies.

No Change. What's new?

The media could not cover the election if they didn't have opinion polls. Much easier than trying to discern policy differences between the parties. Today, Fianna Fail got a boost with their best poll figures since the last election. The risk for Bertie is that people will start talking about single party government. FF had an effective majority without the PDs in the last Dail - 81 seats and a handful of Independents who were FF'ers without the nomination. Bertie was shrewd not to go that road in 2002 and he won't want any bold talk about that option in the next few days.

By the time the count is over, we'll feel we've had at least four elections in the space of three weeks with every conceivable combination of governing parties.

No consequences 2

The Eurovision fiasco was a spectacular humiliation. No one dares say we lost because we had the worst entry. The choice of Dervish to perform was the root problem and the choice of songs on the Late Late compounded the problem. There'll be red faces in Montrose but nothing of consequence will happen.

No consequences

Ireland is a land of no consequences where only the innocent are punished. Time and again, the "State" is held liable but the only consequence is that the taxpayer foots the bill. Look at yesterday's judgement on the autistic child - 60K for the child whose education was seriously impared. Will anyone in the Department of Education or elsewhere pay any price? Of course, the real bill is the 5M. in legal fees. They taxpayer, who had no part in the debacle, will bear the brunt.

How much "pro bono" work do Irish lawyers do? They have no hesitation is fleecing the taxpayer in these cases. Even if they lose, moral blackmail is used to get the State to pay for the privilege of being sued.

Welcome

As election day approaches, it's time to put my views out there with all the other messages flooding the Irish "bog-osphere". The traditional media in Ireland have set an agenda which does not permit the kind of debate we need if we are to make the right choices in the years ahead.

The "leaders' debate" tonight was a clear example: two look-alikes who were arguing about competence and performance, not policies. In the end, they both were willing to make promises based on rosy assumptions. The real test for any government is when the tough times come. Successive Irish governments failed that test miserably after the 1979 oil crisis and the consequences were extremely painful for a whole generation of young Irish people.