A lame duck Taoiseach, leading a dead duck government, floating in a pond of water charges, going nowhere. Fair comment ? Well let’s examine the evidence. Fine Gael is now locked in a leadership battle, whilst the Taoiseach is behaving like the Duracell Bunny putting arrangements together for his U.S. shamrock tour and burnishing his Brexit credentials. Significantly he still hasn’t spelt out his departure date, and the schedule of E.U. Brexit meetings that he might well argue he just has to attend is stretching out. In conclusion, Enda looks like he is going to take his time ambling off the stage. Leo Varadkar must be chomping at the bit. The longer this goes on, the more it is likely to harden support for Simon Coveney. Meanwhile everything starts grinding to a halt. The Civil Servants are naturally asking how long will their Ministers stay in place.
Now to the water charges. Are we back to this ? Will the government really fall on this issue ? I’m afraid the hypocrisy of Fianna Fail makes my stomach turn. They bought into the principle of this years ago and their current stance smacks of opportunism and being worried by being outflanked by Sinn Fein. Confidence and Supply Arrangement. Yeah right. I think it would be more than amusing for Simon Coveney to stick it up to them and ask them to supply the legislation and then see who is confident of the result. So the effect of all of this ? Starting to see the image of dead ducks floating on a pond of uncertainty.
Now to the opinion polls. Fianna Fail and Fine Gael neck and neck. Sinn Fein on the up and Labour becoming irrelevant and, most interestingly, the support for the Independents dropping. I hardly see Shane Ross being too enthusiastic about pulling the plug and even if Fianna Fail fancy their chances in being able to cobble an administration together, they certainly don’t want to be blamed for causing an election. I’m beginning to feel that these dead ducks are turning into headless chickens. Gosh, do you remember all the talk about New Politics. How the Dail would creatively control the executive and all that hazy nonsensical stuff. Well, I’m tired of it. This inertia can’t go on for much longer. Let’s for God’s sake get a new leader of Fine Gael. That would be a start. If that necessitates an election so be it, because it would clear the air. We need hope, we need direction. Dead ducks no more.