Elaine Loughlin: Ex-partners’ bad blood gives campaign a bit of bite
Outgoing Tánaiste Micheál Martin and Taoiseach Simon Harris could be setting themselves up for some very heavy lifting during possible government formation talks. File picture: Gareth Chaney/PA
A spat a day has bagged plenty of coverage for both Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, with the phoney war dominating discussions though the first week of what was promised to be a short, sharp campaign but which has so far been pretty lacklustre.
While it’s unlikely that the parties had a premeditated and agreed plan to launch attacks followed by counter claims against policies and promises, it very much suits both sides.
Unlike the last election, and indeed much of the political discourse since the 2020 poll, Sinn Féin has not been the target of criticisms coming from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael in recent days.
Whether in the Dáil, through press releases, or at media conferences, Sinn Féin feels comfortable being under political attack.
Mary Lou McDonald has at times almost relished the opportunity to remind Simon Harris or Micheál Martin that hitting out at Sinn Féin represents a meek attempt to divert attention away from Government failures.
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“If I was to listen to the Coalition parties, I wouldn’t get up out of bed in the morning,” McDonald said this week.
“They can’t pass a microphone without stating how appalled they are, and how they will never ever, ever speak to Sinn Féin.”
“A lot of people” vote for her party, she added.
For both parties, at least over the first third of this election campaign, speaking about Sinn Féin has not been the main focus.
Elections are notorious for throwing up controversies and this campaign got off to a juicy enough start when Michael O’Leary offended every teacher in the country.
But what sparked the most anger was the reaction to the airline boss’s comments by the group of Fine Gael supporters attending an event to launch the election campaign of Enterprise Minister Peter Burke.
Martin only fuelled the fury in staffrooms when he pointed out that the laughter and whooping speaks to an “ethos” in Fine Gael that is at odds with his party which “celebrates the role of teachers”.
But the jibes didn’t stop there.
Fine Gael’s proposal to introduce an 11% Vat rate for food-related businesses was criticised by Fianna Fáil as “regressive”, with claims that it would mean the tax on energy would have to increase.
