What next — will the Government decide to ban elections altogether?

IT is hard to believe that anyone with any intelligence was surprised by the High Court ruling this week that the Donegal South-West by-election should be held without further delay. The existing delay, since the election of Pat ‘the Cope’ Gallagher to the European Parliament in June 2009, has been the longest in the history of the state.

Of course, the implications of the ruling clearly indicate that two of the other Dáil vacancies should also be filled because each of those has already been delayed for more than six months. The vacancy caused by the resignation of George Lee would be the fourth longest delay in history, if the by-election were called at this time.

Ironically, the third longest delay of 331 days was in the same constituency, following the death of Séamus Brennan, during the lifetime of this Dáil. The constituency has therefore been without one of its deputies for more than 600 days during the current Dáil. That is another national record.