CIAN NIHILL's sideways look at Election 2011
Ó'Cuív name change ensures he's moving on up the ballot paper
WHILE FIANNA Fáil may have gone down in the opinion polls since the last election, one of its outgoing ministers is rapidly rising up the ballot paper.
Eamon Ó Cuív has dropped the Ó prefix from the spelling of his name on the ballot paper, moving him close to the top of the list which is done alphabetically.
Mr Ó Cuív told journalist John Fallon that he had established the correct use of his surname in a previous Circuit Court case and that he was not trying to secure an advantage in the election.
Mr Ó Cuív’s decision not to use the prefix moves his name from fourth bottom to fourth from the top on the ballot paper in Galway West.
Would his party Fianna Fáil possibly consider a name change in return for such a move up the polls?
UNFORTUNATE HEADLINE OF THE DAY: FINE GAEL PRESS OFFICE
"Pensions and penioners will be protected under FG"
An interesting heading to a press release from a party whose leader had to recently forgo a controversial teacher’s pension
Fine Gael hopeful a hot contender while Miriam gets taoiseach nod
THE YOUTH have spoken and the votes are in, Catherine Yore in the Meath West constituency is the “hottest” candidate in the general election.
The Fine Gael hopeful secured 42 per cent of a nationwide alternative opinion poll run by bookmakers Ladbrokes, which asked 18 to 25 year olds to choose between candidates based on “who was the hottest”.
Ms Yore, finished comfortably ahead of Fianna Fáil's candidate in Louth, James Carroll, who won 27 per cent of the vote. The poll also asked approximately 200 young people to choose between possible “celebrity” taoisigh with RTÉ presenter Miriam O’Callaghan emerging victorious.
ELECTION ONLINE: THE BEST BITS FROM YOUTUBE
Clearly Michael Lowry has gone above and beyond the call of duty in securing the young vote in Tipperary North. He has this toddler’s vote – if she had one of course.
http://tinyurl.com/6krs3ks
Did you know the digital revolution has begun? Well in case you didn’t, Fine Gael is letting us know that it has. Democracy 2.0 is what they call it in this up-tempo campaign video.http://tinyurl.com/6d3e8ow
Another election spat for TV3
TV3 HAS found itself at the centre of another election-related spat – this time involving Fianna Fáil and political editor Ursula Halligan.
Following Halligan’s interview with Enda Kenny on Vincent Browne (Mr Kenny had said he will not be interviewed by Browne) a Fianna Fáil statement suggested that TV3 had agreed not to ask the Fine Gael leader about his pension arrangements. The party retracted its statement later yesterday after assurances from the broadcaster it would never agree to such preconditions. The Fianna Fáil statement said: “If our inquiries about Fine Gaels tactics created any question mark over Ms Halligan’s independence or professionalism, we apologise to her and her team at TV3.”