Will FF and FG call off their civil war in our interest? Ah, forget it

IN any other country it would be obvious.

Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael as reasonably like-minded parties, certainly far closer in political and economic outlook than any other sizeable parties in the Dail, would form the next coalition government, benefiting from the comfortable majority a series of recent opinion polls suggests is coming to them.

However, as this is Ireland such logic does not apply. Instead Labour, admittedly likely to be the largest party although this is not certain, seems set to lead a government for the first time ever with either of the two conservatively inclined parties as its junior partner.