Election 2016: Only one thing left to do . .

So you’ve fact-checked your fiscal space, periscoped your red lines and sought traction for your particular brand of coalitionology.

Like the comically exasperated junior minister Ann Phelan, you are probably "sick of the whole bloody lot" of the buzzwords by now.

There is only one thing left to do. Perhaps you have already done it early this morning.

I have always loved the process of voting, ever since as a schoolgirl wearing my (green) uniform, I saw the man mountain that was the late Ian Paisley in his prime bearing down on a voting centre up North many moons ago.

But I have always maintained anyone who claimed to truly understand the Republic’s quirky system of proportional representation by means of a single transferable vote (PR-STV) in multi-seat constituencies was telling porkies.

However, our own Patrick Smyth really gets it. His piece, entitled 'Why it pays to vote all the way down the ballot paper', is required reading this morning.

I must admit I have always been an “all-the-way-down” voter, and every time I have chastised myself a bit for adopting a negative rather than a positive approach to the whole procedure.

Us “all-the-way-down” voters have been vindicated this morning, however, as Paddy explains how it pays to go right down the list to maximise the effectiveness of your ballot for and against individual candidates.

There has been much grumbling about the #ge16 campaign having been dull.

I have not found it so - but if you did, do not worry. Things will liven up pretty sharpish afterwards because it looks like the people are not going to stick to the script prepared for them by the various parties.

There will be plenty of recriminations about strategy in the coming days. There will be blood.