Its been a busy week here and I have managed to miss to polls that were published last Thursday, the 6th of October. The first poll was in the Irish Times and was carried out by Ipsos MRBI. The figures were as follows: Higgins, Michael D (Lab) 23% Gallagher, Sean (Ind) 20% McGuinness, Martin (SF) 19% Davis, Mary (Ind) 12% Norris, David (Ind) 11% Mitchell, Gay (FG) 9% Scallon, Dana Rosemary (Ind) 6% In the second poll by Red...
RTÉ reported last night that a party whip was being applied to Fianna Fail TD’s and Senators to stop them individually nominating Independent candidates. Speaking in an interview aired on RTÉ’s This Week In Politics, Seán Ó Fearghail, The Fianna Fail whip, said the party would act collectively if it chooses to support an independent candidate. This is seen as a blow to the possible return of Senator Norris to the race for the Presidency. The Irish Times today...
The Sunday Independent is reporting that David Norris is to re-enter the race for the Presidency. After withdrawing from the race over the summer I am surprised at his re-entry to the race. His reasons for re-enter seem to be because of the support being shown, but his reason for withdrawal has not changed. Those who withdrew their support for Mr Norris have not changed their mind, though there are talks that some Fianna Fail TD’s and Senators may help...
I have a feeling we will have a few polls this week as in we enter the last lap and the Irish Times have an Ipsos MRBI poll in tomorrows paper. The topline figures are: Fianna Fail 16% (+1) Fine Gael 37% (+4) Labour 19% (-5) Greens 2% (+1) Sinn Fein 11% (-1) Others 15 (nc) This poll confirms the results of the polls in Sunday’s papers. Labour seem to have made a massive mistake in their camapign and...
Image via Wikipedia Although they made sound like turkeys voting against Christmas, two Senators have made good arguments in favour of keeping Seanad Eireann. Yesterday speaking to the Irish Times, Independent Senator Joe O’Toole had the following to say, Speaking this afternoon, Sen. O’Toole acknowledged the existing arrangement was “undemocratic, unfair” and “unrepresentative” and described voting arrangements for the Upper House, where it does not have a universal mandate, as “indefensible”. However, the independent senator said the abolition of...
Image via Wikipedia So Fianna Fail have done a U-turn on the Seanad according to the Irish Times, they along with Fine Gael, Labour, the Green Party and Sinn Fein no longer want an upper house in the Oireachtas. Is this want the people of Ireland want? Do we want an unfeathered Dáil whos only check on power is the President, who’s powers at that are very limited. While I agree with those in favour of abolition that the...
Image via Wikipedia I didn’t see this coming, but Green Senator Deirdre De Burca has resigned from the Green Party and the Seanad! This is the second high profile resignation this week. De Burca has left due to not being able to support the Government, in a statement she said: “I have written to my party leader, John Gormley, explaining to him the reasons for my resignation. I believe that we have lost our way as a party and have gradually...
The above is a quite from Dr Fiona Mulcahy, consultant at St James’s department of genito-urinary medicine and infectious diseases. It is her view on how the Government is tackling the HIV/AIDS issue in Ireland. This year will see Ireland’s rate of infection increase by 20%. This is all reported in the Irish Times. Dublin’s St James’s Hospital has reported the highest number of new HIV cases in one year since records began, with a 20 per cent increase...
The headline figures for the Irish Times TNS/MRBI poll are circulating on twitter. The figures are: Fine Gael: 36% (-2) Labour: 23% (+3) Fianna Fáil 20% (-1) This poll sees yet another fall in the support for Fianna Fáil and a re-adjustment in the support for Fine Gael and Labour. I think the current figures are slightly more accurate as Labour were being under estimated by the polls in my opinion. If this was to happen on polling day,...
But what about the straights?
Image by gelinh via Flickr A lot of the talk surrounding the Civil Partnerships Bill is concentrating on the aspects concerned with the rights of gay partners. For a change it is the consequences for hetrosexual (and homosexual may I add) of the other part of the bill to do with cohabitation is being largely ignore. Carol Coulter had a very good analysis is yesterdays Irish Times about this. It is well worth reading. This bill will affect more...
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