Readers' blog: What lies ahead after Áras election
So Michael D Higgins returns to the Áras with a strong mandate but a tarnished reputation. He will have to double down over the next seven years to ensure his legacy is not that of the Learjet president.
Peter Casey’s 21% represents a real shift. It indicates that the electorate and in particular those who “get up early in the morning” have had enough of the sense of entitlement of some elements in society. It is unfortunate for the Travelling community that the focus was on them, no doubt fuelled by six empty new houses in Tipperary. That situation was badly handled by the council. Those houses should have been handed over to the next six candidates on the housing list if the Travellers did not want them and then start again on a greenfield site for accommodation suitable for their needs.
It is entertaining to see the pundits scratch their heads and land digs and jibes at Sinn Féin. What is clear is that the ordinary worker is fed up of working hard for little or no return. Liadh Ní Riada held her own in all the debates and had she been unveiled earlier, perhaps there might have been a different story. She is now a household name and I’m sure we will see more of her in frontline national politics.
Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael will have to hammer out a deal pronto because if an election is called, their unholy union will suffer a bloody nose or perhaps a fatal wound. Casey’s rise will send shockwaves among the ruling classes and so Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil will hasten proceedings to ensure their survival. The only thing that is clear is that the presidential election 2018 will have consequences beyond the Phoenix Park!
Clare Village
Malahide Road
Dublin 17
