Day 50 since Dáil dissolved and still no sign of government

With no prospect of a government being formed any time soon, yesterday marked the 50th day since the Dáil was dissolved and a general election called. It might not be too surprising if another 50 days were to pass before any deal is agreed to bridge the current political impasse.

The slow race to form a government continued yesterday as Enda Kenny opened up Government Buildings to 17 TDs in the latest round of talks.

A document with eight headings for discussion included matters such as housing; homelessness; rural affairs; and managing the economy. The latter also included a reference to “the future of USC”, which suggests Fine Gael may be open to dropping or tweaking its pre-election promise to abolish the much-hated charge.