Referendums decided - Vote does not resolve core issue

EVEN in the best of times a Government whose policies or candidates are endorsed three out of four times of asking by the electorate should be content if not happy.

In times as difficult as these such a strike rate should be deeply satisfying, but the fact that the defeat of the proposal on Oireachtas inquiries is of far more importance to this society than the three other votes combined casts a shadow over what should have been a very good weekend for the Coalition.

Though there must be considerable satisfaction in the Coalition that Michael D Higgins is our President-elect, and that Labour’s Patrick Nulty easily won the Dublin West by-election, Fine Gael’s mood will be darkened by the very poor showing by Gay Mitchell. This result seems particularly stark when compared to the party’s standing in the polls and will be dispiriting and divisive for Fine Gael. However, the rejection of the proposal to strengthen the Houses of the Oireachtas powers of inquiry is a far, far more significant defeat.