Opinion & Analysis

Election Opinion & Analysis

• Green wipeout made little sense in terms of payback13 Jun 2009The election was defined by the politics of disgust rather than any fundamental shift, writes BREDA O'BRIEN .
• The Greens, holding the balance of power, must show Machiavellian streak to survive13 Jun 2009The byelection results have given the junior party of Government bargaining power, but they must use it fast, writes GARRET FITZGERALD .
• Talk in FF is of poor selection of candidates13 Jun 2009Fianna Fáil’s process of selecting candidates is seen as a major factor in the scale of its losses, writes NOEL WHELAN .
• FG and Labour do not want an immediate election13 Jun 2009INSIDE POLITICS: There is a strong case that the best time for FF and the Greens to go to the country would be towards the end of this year, writes STEPHEN COLLINS .
• European poll's winners and losers13 Jun 2009WORLD VIEW: WINNERS AND losers. These terms are often avoided in analyses of European integration on the grounds that it is better understood as a win-win than a zero-sum process. Efficient rather than redistributive outcomes are best pursued by regulatory policies, ensuring everyone gains – or at least if some benefit others are not made worse off.
• FF has lost its self-proclaimed status as national movement13 Jun 2009ANALYSIS: Fianna Fáil has just lost dominance of local government, the bedrock of its political supremacy. To add to its woes, it has a leader who does not inspire grassroots devotion, writes DIARMAID FERRITER .
• Tour manager the next step for Lee as FG grassroots requests flood in10 Jun 2009A large group of Fine Gael TDs were whipped out in order to welcome George Lee on his first day in the Dáil, writes MIRIAM LORD atDáil Eireann
• Equality will require structural change10 Jun 2009The dinosaurs of Irish politics don’t go away easily. Fianna Fáil will be back, no later than 2017, eight years away, writes VINCENT BROWNE .
• Thrill of the election count a family affair for me10 Jun 2009Passing the seat down from one generation to the next is just the sort of thing that drives the apolitical public mad, writes SARAH CAREY .
• The parties take stock9 Jun 2009IT IS a time to take stock. The political landscape has been transformed for the Government and the Opposition parties but the overwhelming problems remain to be tackled. The major setbacks at local, European and Dáil level ensure that there is no appetite on the Government benches for a general election. That position is unlikely to change in the short term, in spite of demands from Fine Gael and the Labour Party. It would be an abdication of responsibility if the Government responded to this electoral rebuff by postponing economic reforms.

European Elections

• European elections9 Jun 2009IN THE European Parliament elections Ireland bucked trends apparent elsewhere in the EU by voting against ruling parties but supporting several candidates from the centre and hard left who did less well in most other member states.
• A high profile is key but it is not enough to ensure being elected9 Jun 2009ANALYSIS: The European election results here show the high value of name recognition, which worked well for Labour and Fine Gael, but didn’t help Declan Ganley
• Late surge of reality for Libertas as truth dawns9 Jun 2009Declan Ganley had grabbed the last warm, golden rays as the sun set on his grandiose pan-European project, writes KATHY SHERIDAN. 
• Barroso looks unstoppable after a great day for European centre-right9 Jun 2009The parliament’s centre-right party is celebrating ‘a major victory’ as the Socialist group nurses heavy losses
• Results leave anti-treaty players lacking clout9 Jun 2009FUTURE FOR LISBON: AS THE dust settles on the European Parliament election results, thoughts again turn to the Lisbon Treaty and the prospects for its approval before the end of the year.
• Robinson must hold his nerve as DUP supremacy challenged9 Jun 2009ANALYSIS: The Allister performance has turned up the heat on the DUP, writes GERRY MORIARTY, Northern Editor
• Prospect of Cameron election victory sends chill through Europe9 Jun 2009EUROPEAN DIARY: The continuing collapse of Labour’s popularity in Britain has an important European dimension
• Government parties suffer big losses8 Jun 2009ANALYISIS: A low turnout of 43% combined with rising unemployment has boosted fringe parties on the far left and the far right in certain EU states, writes JAMIE SMYTH in Brussels .
• European vote symbolic of the fall of fascism8 Jun 2009OPINION: THE BRITISH, the English in particular, have always well understood the threat of fascism in Europe. And the best of the English in this regard have been mainly on the left.
• Opening boxes behind closed doors gets resounding No vote from Ganley8 Jun 2009Libertas felt that excluding candidates and activists from process showed a lack of transparency, writes KATHY SHERIDAN at the North West count centre in Castlebar, Co Mayo
• List of substitute MEPs not subjected to much scrutiny6 Jun 2009In about 10 per cent of cases someone else will replace the person you voted for
• MEPs deny 'secrecy' claim over vote linked to expenses receipts3 Jun 2009ANALYSIS: The voting record of Ireland’s sitting MEPs on a number of recent controversies provides important information, writes JAMIE SMYTH 

Local Elections

• Local election results understate scale of the shift away from FF10 Jun 2009ANALYSIS: If this had been a general election, the swing to the Opposition would have been much greater, writes GARRET FITZGERALD .
• Seaside tide turns to the left as reds crawl outfrom under the bed10 Jun 2009NEWTON'S OPTIC: THE POLL-TOPPING performance by Trotskyite Richard Boyd Barrett in the Dún Laoghaire council election is only the latest example of far-left success in Ireland’s affluent seaside towns.
• A new era of Irish politics as Fianna Fáil loses its dominant position9 Jun 2009The election results see Fianna Fáil in retreat as Fine Gael becomes the leading force in local government and Labour has its best ever local elections
• FF councillors angry with leadership for throwing them 'to the wolves'8 Jun 2009ANALYSIS: Fianna Fáil candidates hold the Taoiseach responsible for the party’s dismal showing at the local elections, writes MARK HENNESSY 
• Devastating result conjures unwelcome resonance of PDs' fate8 Jun 2009GREEN PARTY: With no local authority seats in Dublin the Green Party fears a Dáil wipeout in the event of an early general election, writes HARRY McGEE 
• Happy hunting grounds for Kenny8 Jun 2009FINE GAEL: Fine Gael has dislodged Fianna Fáil from the dominant position in Irish politics for the first time in three-quarters of a century, writes HARRY McGEE 
• Slick approach to campaigning pays off8 Jun 2009LABOUR PARTY: Labour has reason to be happy with a solid performance in the elections, writes DEAGLAN DE BREADAN 
• Shooting claims may have affected vote8 Jun 2009SINN FEIN: SINN Féin has suffered significant losses on Dublin City Council and elsewhere, but made strategic gains on some local authorities.
• Backlash takes out high-profile members of political dynasties8 Jun 2009Being closely related to an elected official can sometimes prove counterproductive, writes CARL O'BRIEN 
• Cowen's brother takes seat in Tullamore as compensation for greyhound's losing streak8 Jun 2009The Taoiseach survived a long dark night of results in Tullamore in the company of friends, writes FRANK McNALLY 

Dublin Byelections

• The Bull will go to the ball - but not until after George's grand entrance9 Jun 2009The coming of Leehas upset John O’Donoghue’s glam plans to launch the Oireachtas Family Day, writes MIRIAM LORD .
• Government's Dail majority has been reduced to three8 Jun 2009ANALYSIS: The combined Opposition has 81 TDs in the Dáil as against 84 for the Government, writes STEPHEN COLLINS 
• Dublin's newest deputies share little - apart from winning touch8 Jun 2009George Lee was all stardust and sound bites while Maureen O’Sullivan was resolutely low-key, writes MIRIAM LORD 
• Mass effort as FG's Enda and Paschal target churchgoers18 May 2009Enda Kenny is hoping his anorak-clad canvass will help emulate Bertie Ahern’s past successes, writes MIRIAM LORD 
• Dublin South could signal end of parish-pump politics6 May 2009It is right that ethical concerns are raised about George Lee’s entry into politics but the real ethical challenge may be for Dublin South voters, writes SARAH CAREY 
• George Lee was the real opposition - until now6 May 2009What a pity that such an incisive commentator is seeking to join the ranks of political wafflers, writes VINCENT BROWNE 
• Fine Gael hearts are raised . . . by their own lovely Lee6 May 2009Political parties have long lusted after the economic lustre of George Lee. FG landed the catch of the day