One of the best-equipped candidates in the local authorities race this week surely must be Ms Christene Holohan, from Stradbally, Co Laois.
Ms Holohan is way ahead of her rivals in the race for the 25 seats on Laois County Council because she is a clairvoyant and describes herself as such on the ballot paper.
Her candidacy is also interesting because she is one of the three independent Fine Gael candidates running in the Emo electoral area, where there are only four seats.
This is an illustration of the problems facing Fine Gael in the county at a time when Fianna Fail is locally in disarray and the opposition party should be making capital.
There is dissension in Fianna Fail, which is split on the vexed question of cancer care facilities in the county.
Portlaoise Hospital had sought to be the cancer care centre, but the facility is now being placed in Tullamore, Co Offaly, where the Minister for Health, Mr Cowen, lives.
Fianna Fail TD Mr John Moloney supported the party line on this - at one stage he threatened to resign over the issue - and the other Fianna Fail TD, Mr Sean Fleming, opposed the centre being located in Tullamore.
With the two local Fianna Fail TDs leading opposing camps in the county, one would have thought it would have been an ideal opportunity for Fine Gael to win back control of the council.
But Fine Gael is experiencing grave difficulties, and the selection process alienated people like Ms Holohan, who is now running against her own party's nominees.
Fianna Fail has had control of the council and the two town councils of Mountmellick and Portlaoise since the last election. In Mountmellick, the party controls an astonishing 78 per cent of the vote.
Retiring from local politics is Ms Cathy Honan, from Port arlington, and her party, the PDs, are not putting up any candidates this time, signalling the collapse of the party in the county.
She is one of five sitting councillors who are getting out on the so-called "scrappage" scheme.