Election showtime

As we go to press, late November seems to be the date we can all look forward to. The current Government has performed well in some regards over the last four and half years. The rotating Taoiseach strategy worked effectively for both Martin and Varadkar with only the occasional gamesmanship on view.
The changing of the FG guard, with Leo Varadkar stepping down and Simon Harris taking over, has given Fine Gael a timely boost in the polls, while the Fianna Fáil poll numbers have not received, as yet, either a post-Budget bounce or a boost from Sinn Féin’s self-inflicted calamities.
However, with 17 sitting TDs not standing for Fine Gael, which includes several former government ministers, there is a real concern that a potential incoming cabinet comprised of Fine Gael and Fianna Fail would be weakened by lack of experience. Both Micheál Martin and Simon Harris need to manage their parties’ transfers, otherwise we may end up with both parties under performing and a host of independents to try and do business with.

It will be interesting to see how Sinn Féin will perform. They have some able TDs and Mary Lou is a very capable politician. They did not poll well in the June Local and European elections. However, history has taught us that the electorate can be volatile, especially as decision day looms and Sin Fein are far from a beaten docket. A high turnout would probably favour the government parties, apart from the Greens who could be the the big losers