The League and the Championship
Deaglán de Bréadún
The Budget is out but the political fallout continues. People on monthly salaries will see the effect in their pay-slips at the end of May. That will be just a week or less in advance of the local and European elections – and possibly the Dublin Central and Dublin South by-elections – on June 5th.
The Two Brians: heading for a fall?
It might be argued that people should stand back and take the long view of the situation. The Government is in a difficult position trying to juggle the finances of the State. We enjoyed the good days but now it’s payback time.
That kind of Solomon-like wisdom (others would call it naiveté) is rather thin on the ground. The more likely human reaction when people feel the sharp sting of income cuts in one form or another will be to strike out and take revenge on those who inflicted the pain.
That’s where the would-be councillors and European representatives from FF and the Greens could well suffer. Are we looking at a massacre at the polls? Or will people take a more understanding view? Some will say that the Government got us into this mess with its policies over recent years and that Brian Cowen deserves particular punishment for his stewardship as Minister for Finance over several years.
But do the local and European elections count in the longer term? FF didn’t do so well in 2004 but went on to win the general election in 2007. Is it like the league and the championship in GAA?
