Campaigns motto: It’s the economy, stupid

IT’S become a tired cliché now, but the phrase, “It’s the economy, stupid”, had its origins in the 1992 US presidential race, when Bill Clinton’s advisor, James Carville, coined the phrase to keep campaign staff focused on the central issue.

Economic issues have always dominated elections in every country. But this campaign has brought it to a whole new level — the arrival of the IMF in November saw to that. Rather than just dominate, economic issues have overwhelmed the campaign, leaving very little room for anything else. Here, political correspondent Paul O’Brien analyses the issues that were central stage during the campaign, the side-issues that were also touched on, and the issues that simply failed to get a look in.

- The bailout and banks: The terms attached to the EU/IMF bailout are too expensive — and every party says so. Even Fianna Fáil, which negotiated the deal, is talking up the possibility of securing a lower interest rate through talks at EU level — an implicit admission that something needs to change.