Day 13 of the Campaign and we finally got a debate with all the party leaders on the telly and, you know, it wasn't terrible. Na, na, na, na, nah-na, Leader! The Irish political system is shaped by our voting system. And today's debate did something
Day 12 of the Campaign and everything seems to be in a state of uncertainty. Dismal Science As previously remarked, party manifestos are bunk. However, responses to questions about those manifestos can be helpful in assessing how parties go about dealing with the non-bunk bits of life. So, for example,
Day 12 of the Campaign and your author has taken himself to a Burns Dinner. As a result, today’s gist shall be shorter than usual- a mark in. It’s favour, I hope you will agree. Exile, though not always cunning Party leaders marched briefly in Drogheda against drug
Day 11 of the Campaign Trail and the early excitement has faded to be replaced by the hard slog of actually constantly talking to the general public. Manifestly useless Christmas Day comes, long planned for and anticipated. Eyes snap open early, mattresses are jumped up and down on, and there&
Day 10 of the Campaign and there are signs that cabin fever is setting in the central campaigns and the press pack alike. Are you all on Drugs? Yesterday's debate was such a non-event that the only thing that could be found to latch onto was the (repeated)
Day 9 of the Campaign and we had a few significant occurrences. Also, an opportunity to cheer on Saoirse McHugh, Green Party candidate in Mayo. Debatable Value There was a strange genre mash up on TV3, where a Sky Sports format (Pre and post-game analysis programmes) bracketed a strange fashion
Day 8 of the Campaign and nothing much of note happened. Taoiseach wears brown, leaves town Completely unrelated to the MRBI polls showing FG support crumbling in Munster, the Taoiseach took his FG roadshow to Mallow in Co. Cork, to be seen meeting “country people” and perhaps, to learn of
Day 7's Campaign Gist and we suddenly wake, blinking, into a new world. Turning and Turning in the Widening Gyre The Doldrums are behind us, the next polls are out and the metallic tastes of panic and power are co-existing in almost everyone's mouth. The efforts
Day 6 of the Campaign and there was no way I wasn't going to do one on that poll. The Poll It takes a special sort of genius to launch your election campaign by telling the public that they're juvenile for not supporting your Black and
As it’s a weekend, Campaign Gist takes a slightly different format. Doldrums The election campaign seems to be running in some distant, sealed part of the country. This isn’t necessarily from any lack of local effort by candidates. Doubtless, doors are being knocked on, hands shaken at shopping
Day 4. Your Campaign Gister has come down with a fever. Some of the below may, therefore, be be the product of an overheated mind. Death It is proving an unfortunate theme of this campaign that each day is accompanied with news of a terrible crime. First a 17 year
Day 3 of the campaign, which by some quirk has also always been happening. Brexit Merit Badges Today presented more evidence that, contrary to all that is sane and rational, Fine Gael are genuinely invested in talking about Brexit to win votes. A voter may say to themselves “Why should