Good morning and welcome to Monday’s Inside Politics election digest.
One down, two to go. The second week of campaigning begins as some proper November weather gets into gear, with temperatures set to drop and wintry showers making their way across the country on Monday morning. Sleet, ice and frost are promised this week. Now, if that doesn’t make you want to leap out of bed and attack the week, how about the prospect of a few hours canvassing in that muck, followed by a freewheeling TV debate with no fewer than 10 party leaders scrapping for attention?
The weekend’s election coverage was dominated by polling, policy and personalities as general election candidates and their parties tore into each other’s record. Whether it was the legacy of a fracas outside a Louth pub (Fine Gael’s John McGahon), planning objections against housing in south Dublin (the Greens’ Francis Noel Duffy) or, er, assassination attempts in Lanzarote (Independent candidate and gangland figure Gerry Hutch), the past was front and centre for many. The Fine Gael-Fianna Fáil sniping continued, with Helen McEntee’s record again targeted by the latter - including a contentious charge from Willie O’Dea that she was the worst minister for justice in the history of the State. A charge some - but not all - his colleagues were disowning on Sunday.
The big narratives from the first week - a blizzard of policy ideas competing for attention, not-so-friendly fire between Coalition parties and polling that shows the electorate broadly unmoved by the campaign - were all present over the weekend, but there was also a sense that a shape is beginning to emerge from the frantic activity of the first days of the campaign.
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One such theme is the issue of spending: not that parties are shy about committing to it, but whether the electorate appreciates the prospect of being bought off with its own money. The three parties have all been at it - indeed, so have the smaller ones. One floating voter and experienced political hand griped over the weekend that they would be withholding their vote from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael “because of this BS - suspect I’m not the only one”. There are competing signals coming from the electorate - on the one hand, our polling shows that the cost of living is a prime concern; on the other, the credibility of campaign trail promises, if stretched thin, can damage voter’s perceptions of how seriously parties are taking them.
These tensions are front and centre of our lead story today, which sees Fine Gael’s manifesto branded a “McCreevy and Cowen tribute act” by Labour’s Ged Nash. Fianna Fáil was waiting in the long grass, too, burned by Fine Gael’s attack on its manifesto last week. Simon Harris is promising to cut taxes by €7 billion, part of a plan to increase spending by €52 billion between now and 2030. There were also questions about the costs of extra healthcare commitments and the adequacy of provision for new gardaí, as well as catering for public sector pay.
That balancing act and tension - between a headlong rush of ambition and credibility - will be a feature of the rest of the campaign.
Or, as Pat Leahy more bluntly puts it, someone should take away Simon Harris’ phone before he bankrupts the country.
Campaign diary
The main event will be this evening’s debate between the 10 party leaders on RTÉ's Upfront with Katie Hannon - that’s at 9.35pm.
Earlier in the day, Darragh O’Brien is out at 11am with an attack on Sinn Féin’s housing plan. That party’s finance spokesman Pearse Doherty will launch a six-step plan to end the waste of public money at 1.45pm.
Micheál Martin and Jim O’Callaghan will canvass Dublin Bay South at 11am, while pre-election arts hustings are being held at the Gate Theatre - our own Hugh Linehan is moderating. After this, Labour will launch its proposals for the arts and culture at the same venue.
Aontú is also targeting wasteful spending, at the National Childrens Hospital at 11am.
PBP is holding an event at Leinster House at 11am, where its councillor Conor Reddy will speak about the plight of renters.
The Social Democrats will launch their disability policy outside the Department of Health on Baggot Street at 1pm.
Green Party leader Roderic O’Gorman will be discussing proposals for a four day work week on Merrion Square at 2pm.
Best reads
Pat Leahy has billed this second week as “moving week” - when decisive shifts are likely to be keenly felt.
Miriam Lord reports from Blueshirt One, the Fine Gael (mini) battlebus, as the party laid out its manifesto on Sunday.
What the papers say
The Indo is going big on the John McGahon story - it seems like the pressure will come on over the next day or so.
Meanwhile, the Examiner is reporting criticism of Fine Gael’s move to put €1,000 aside for every child until they’re 18.
No fewer than three papers give their front pages over to weekend interviews with Gerry Hutch.
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