The stunning result of the presidential election last weekend has delivered body blows to Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil, and the consequences will continue to reverberate when the Dáil returns next week.
Yes, yes, it’s a different election and, yes, history shows that the public mood in a presidential election is not necessarily transferable to a general election a few years later, when there is a different agenda, a different question (who do you want to govern?) and a different turnout.
But, but, but – remember two things: one, there is a tide in politics and that tide is now running fast and fierce against the Government parties; and two, there is at present no sign that the Coalition can turn this around by delivering on the issues that voters care most about.
So the Coalition is facing an emerging political crisis quite distinct from the questions about the short-ter
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