Campaign Gist: The Rentier Class

The day is long and the night is dark and our dreams are full of landlords. So, let's go.

Fianna Fáil: The Manifesto's Yoke

This is the Besto Manifesto. This was Micheál Martin's message as he launched the party's big pile of pointless paper and then tried to tell everyone what the main ideas of his party were for the future of Ireland. It was going to be good times brought about by very marginal wonkish tinkering around the edges of the current near-utopian society. The very model of institutional behaviour.

Some hours later, the party qualified their manifesto commitments by explaining that when they said they'd decriminalise possession of personal drug use, they didn't mean coke or heroin. Also, they clarified they didn't actually know what they'd decriminalise or which drugs or how often.

"We will look at the amount of drugs that should be decriminalised for personal use and the number of times that a person can be diverted to health interventions, among other issues.

“Fianna Fáil believes that it is time for a change in how drug use is treated in Ireland,'

I guess they'll let us know what that change will be later, when they've worked it out themselves.

Fine Gael: I appear to be on fire

It was a day of two halves for Fine Gael. They were both bad halves.

They continued to take hits from all sides for their on-screen guffaws at Michael O'Leary's digs at teachers (numbered at 121,405 voters at last count, not to mention parents). Just how difficult it is to distance yourself from a video of your own party members (dressed in branded Fine Gael jackets) cheering and whooping may be suggested by this video of Simon Harris saying random sentences in the hope that everything will just go away. Then he was questioned so hard by a small boy that it made the evening news.

Eager to turn the page on this, Paschal Donoghue appeared on RTE's Housing Debate to assure the public that, unlike all the other years where housing has been in crisis due to FG policies, if his party was re-elected things would be ace, this time.

Then, after being faced with a searing question from a homeless person, he explained why he had voted to end the ban on evictions which resulted in her family being made homeless. (see 1:16:00 onwards)

"I know it's a very complex argument to make regarding why I'm saying there should not be a complete ban on evictions. The reason for that is that I want more landlords. I want more private landlords"

The Fine Gael Campaign magic continues to sparkle.

Social Democrats: Good Governance Wizards

Meanwhile, the SDs relaunched their longstanding idea of a standing anti-corruption body and a number of other good governance proposals. While I'd be generally in favour of these at the best of times, it is possible that they may have unexpected currency over the next few days.

WhatsApp Whispers

Anecdotally, it appears that WhatsApp is being used to spread stories (true or not) under the radar about candidates. Even I, with my studious avoidance of WhatsApp groups have heard two so far. It is possible this might be just a coincidence. Or it might be the tip of an invisible mountain of unofficial samizdat rumourmongering that a standard media diet wouldn't even hint at. We'll see as the campaign goes on.