FIANNA Fail put one over on the Coalition by informing them on Monday that they would be moving the writ for Dublin West the following day - demanding, as agreed, that the Government also move the Donegal North-East writ. This means the two by-elections will charge ahead during Holy Week.
Government efforts to delay the elections until after Easter were quickly abandoned when FF threatened a vote on the matter which, with 29 Government TDs paired (the highest-ever, according to one source), the Government was certain to lose unless it pulled deputies back from the four corners of the earth.
FF is favourite to take both seats on April 2nd and wants short, sharp campaigns. Brian Lenihan Jr in Dublin and Celia Keaveney in Donegal are expected to reverse the trend set by the party's five by-election defeats in a row. Yet there are worries. Tomas MacGiolla of the Workers' Party and Joe Higgins of Militant Labour pose a threat in Dublin. Harry Blaney is a major threat in Donegal. FF activists are worried that despite topping the poll, their candidates won't get the transfers necessary for election. Indeed, in Dublin West they point out that last time, FF took only 30 per cent of the vote.
Democratic Left is not running a candidate in Donegal, and probably won't in Dublin West either, where the party fears an embarrassing defeat by former colleague MacGiolla. The PDs won't contest Donegal either, for fear of losing, but have local councillor Sheila Terry running in Dublin. FG is in disarray in Donegal and Labour is in a similar state in Dublin West, although Senator Sean Maloney should do well for the party in Donegal.
The Labour candidate in Dublin, Michael O'Donovan, got off to an inauspicious start. His car was stolen last week and used to ram a Garda car. He travelled to his first campaign meeting by bike.