Irish Examiner view: No wriggle room left for FG

Cabinet in conflict

In the context of parliamentary politics, Ivana Bacik’s election was more symbolic than seismic.

Optimism is one of those nebulous but essential human qualities; it sustains and inspires. It can also delude. In that context, it might be overly optimistic to imagine that last week’s Dublin Bay South byelection was a harbinger of real, fundamental change. 

In the context of parliamentary politics, Ivana Bacik’s election was more symbolic than seismic. However, in the context of offering an insight into the public mood, it is the moment’s best metric. It showed deep dissatisfaction with the traditional parties of power. One was humiliated, the other may not have been so humiliated but its dismissal was just as emphatic.