RTÉ date for leaders’ debate gave Cowen time to save FF campaign

FIVE MORE years? Maybe, maybe not. We’ve grown accustomed to long Dáil terms, and we seem to have forgotten that two to three years was always more usual.

One of the Taoiseach’s great skills is building a consensus, and no doubt if anybody can hold a government together for the long term, it is he. But it’s easier to build and maintain a consensus when the economy is going well, when there are no really tough decisions to be made, when tribunals are a distant cloud.

The next Dáil term will be a lot rougher, and whoever is supporting the Government will face a bumpy ride from day one. The opposition is going to be a lot closer to the Government in terms of numbers and there will be a wide range of issues to unite them, at least on a day-to-day basis.