Political year ahead: Government has steadied the ship but Sinn Féin’s tide continues to rise

Important bills to be passed but banana skins of CETA, the mica scandal, and the rotating Taoiseach could see slippage among Government parties

Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald at Leinster House in Dublin.

While workplaces and schools have dispensed with the new year's greetings, 2022 is only beginning for our political representatives as sittings resume in Dáil Éireann this week. 

The new Dáil term brings with it some similarities to last year — the focus is on Covid and vaccines, though these are now of the booster variety and the country is not in lockdown.