Fine Gael can still shed lacklustre image by tackling issues head-on

The issues for the Government, which is essentially Fine Gael, are Brexit, beef and broadband. In the constituencies where that party must gain seats, beef and broadband are essential. The long phoney war on Brexit is ending. It will be make-or-break for Leo Varadkar.

A slowdown, and perhaps recession, is now in the offing. There is a faint feeling of the water going cold in the bath already. Abroad, Germany is about to slip into recession. The US may follow, and then there is Brexit. Paradoxically, if embraced rigorously, retrenchment could play well for Fine Gael among those who might actually vote for them.