Meals on wheels

JUDGING by the latest campaign photo, the days of €250 water taxis are well and truly over for former Ceann Comhairle John O’Donoghue. In a cunning move that must evoke happy memories of those working lunches at Shanahans, the Bull chooses wisely when he hitches a lift.

Daddy of all elections

YES, baby! Did somebody just hear Barnardos’ state that every child in Ireland is paying €11,000 to bail out the banks? Or has Enda got off to a flying start in the first of a series of live debates against hand-picked constituents?

So good they do it twice

THE plight of suffering Irish people was always uppermost in Micheál Martin’s mind while Minister for Foreign Affairs. Sure, you only have to look at one of his final letters in that portfolio.

The letter was bound for Cork City Hall rather than some ambassador down Shrewsbury Road and it outlined Mr Martin’s objection to a planned Lidl supermarket in concern for the traffic problems facing residents in estates off Cork’s Skehard Road.

Just the kind of parish pump politics he vows to eliminate in his party’s political reform package.

But shouldn’t these matters be taken care of by councillors instead of people elected to national parliament, anyway? Fear not, Mr Martin’s local lieutenant Cllr Terry Shannon lodged an objection on the same date — bearing almost identical wording. Heartening to know the ethos of duplication in the public service is being eradicated.

Too shy shy

SIZE isn’t everything; at least that’s the Fianna Fáil line. With the so-called “Mickey Lift” quickly turning a little flaccid, yesterday we saw Micheál Martin manage to omit the words Fianna Fáil entirely from his first party political broadcast of the campaign.

Now, the Breakfast Show on Newstalk 106 has conducted a poster survey that confirms what we all suspected, Fianna Fáil is just as bashful in print.

On Fine Gael’s national posters, the party’s logo is printed at a relatively proud 20 inches x 5 inches with Labour’s branding coming in around the same size.

Fianna Fáil’s campaign gurus, however, have opted for a rather more discrete 14 inches by 3 inches. Suppose the party’s ambition to be poster boys for change after 14 years in government might confuse a few people.

Tweets

Much more of this and Twenda and co will end up looking like a bit of a twit.

@EndaKennyTD I just visted the FG Twitter Twolicy for Jobs at finegael2011.com/twitter/index.…via @FineGaeltoday

Say what?

Remember the feeling of those rare school mornings you’d pull a sickie and your mum would believe you? That’s Enda Kenny, tonight.

Allan Kavanagh on Twitter