All politics are local, so with local elections upon us after eight years there is a frenzy of activity around the country. They throw up some odd scenarios - not least the number of former ministers standing on this, the first rung of the political ladder. Probably the most senior, Nora Owen, deputy leader of FG and former Minister for Justice, is running in Fingal. Not only was it considered that local politics were well and truly behind her but she said herself earlier this year that she had no intention of going back to the council. Other former FG ministers seeking council seats are Ivan Yates in Wexford, Phil Hogan in Kilkenny, Bernard Allen in Cork, Richard Bruton and Gay Mitchell in Dublin, Paul Connaughton in Galway East and Jimmy Deenihan in Kerry.
Former member Michael Lowry is standing in Tipperary but his motivation is obvious. Labour is also running big names, including Brendan Howlin in Wexford, Niamh Bhreathnach and Eamon Gilmore in Dun Laoghaire, Pat Rabbitte in Dublin South, Liz McManus and Liam Kavanagh in Wicklow and Joan Burton in Dublin. Of course they will all resign the seat if they make it into government again before the five-year term is up, or they might give it up sooner to train in an apprentice. So why are they bothering with such low-level politics? One former minister told Quidnunc he wished the Minister for the Environment Noel Dempsey would hurry up and ban the dual mandate entirely, as promised, and let them off the hook. Instead, the Government has gone in the other direction and done a U-turn on its dictat of last year that chairmen of Oireachtas committees couldn't run for the local authorities. That proposal didn't go down too well with one Jackie Healy-Rae in deepest Kerry and was quickly dropped.
Now that they can still serve in both Dail and council some of the high-flyers named above can't afford not to court their local bailiwick to keep the voters sweet for the next general election and scare newcomers off; others are being forced to run by party bosses who view names as essential to maximising seats. Anyway, the former minister said, it's a good way of keeping the hand in locally. It won't be so good if they don't win though.