Electorate is fed up of political trickery and vote-winning tactics

IS THERE a danger that the legacy of Charlie McCreevy will go sour for the Government?

For most of the lifetime of this Government (the 10-year lifetime, that is), McCreevy wasn’t just Finance Minister, he was also the chief architect of the Government’s electoral success. Between himself and Bertie Ahern, they did a number of things — six in all — which transformed the practice of politics in Ireland. And in the process they designed a scenario that would make it difficult, if not impossible, to prevent Bertie winning three terms.

But the signs are that the steam is running out of the McCreevy/Ahern political miracle. If you want proof, just look at the headlines this past week, in the month when billions of euro — yes, billions — in SSIAs mature.