This article is from page 15 of the 2011-01-25 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 15 JPG
LIKE all high profile races, the runners and riders are announced well in advance but punters can’t be sure that injury won’t remove a contender or that a new contestant won’t be added before the starting lineout is complete.
It is with the same trepidation that The Clare People looks at the participants in the upcoming General Election, also keeping in mind that a week is no longer considered a long time in politics – it is now an eternity.
With the political ground changing every minute the affect on the riders and the daily change in the odds is huge.
With just weeks until polling day, time is running out for Fine Gael however to add a fourth candidate to the ticket if it decides to change its current strategy.
With just three candidates now in the race it will more than likely be hoping for two seats, with the third candidate used as a vote sweeper.
While many have questioned the geographical positioning of its candidates so far, the party should be confident of retaining two seats; the question seems to be which of the two candidates are likely to take those seats?
Fianna Fáil in Clare has come out fighting, and despite its dishevelled appearance two weeks ago, it is better organised than many constituencies that still have to hold their conventions.
Geographically its candidates are well placed, but while for now Dr John Hillery has north-west Clare to himself, Deputy Timmy Dooley could feel the pressure in the east.
Not only is he the sole face of the current administration in Clare, he must also contend with neighbouring candidate – Labour’s Michael McNamara.
Mr McNamara is untested on general election ground, but fared well in the European Election in Clare as the only Clare candidate.
The Green Party in Clare has not really been a serious challenger when it came to the last counts in general elections in Clare and it is unlikely this will change this time around, with the party likely to pay the price for being the small party in a very unpopular coalition.
The Independents are also on stand by to run the favourites off the field with former TD James Breen (Ind) the most likely to spring a surprise and come home in the first four places.