MICHEÁL MARTIN’S willingness to consider entering into coalition with Fine Gael indicates his growing confidence as Fianna Fáil party leader and his maturity in recognising that inconclusive election results are becoming the norm here.

The most striking feature of the RTÉ and TV3 debates among the candidates for the European Parliament is the absence of anything substantive about the future of the eurozone and Ireland’s place in the single currency.