Asked to choose between alienating Irish Times reporters and Labour Party TDs on one hand, and their own voters and activists on the other, Independent Ireland chose to ditch its own national chairwoman.
The whole point of forming the party was to build an organisation that could add more TDs and Senators in order to work towards entering Government. To do that, the party had to acquire a committed activist base. That is where Elaine Mullally came in.
At a stroke, and for no good reason, the party has just made itself untrustworthy to many of those who voted for it. It is a calamitous error of political judgement.
France
Good politicians share the same instincts, regardless of their views.
Yet such an event would immediately shift the political ground rightward in Ireland by several degrees, and be a much better situation than that which faces those of us frustrated by the lie of the political land as it stands.
There will always be those who put their names on a ballot paper out of ego, or spite, or a delusional belief that they can win simply by so doing.
Patrick Quinlan of the National Party has just taken a first seat for the party in Blanchardstown, in a recount which saw People Before Profit also gain. It reminded MATT TREACY of the detente that breaks out among political rivals a the count centre
It is difficult – but by no means impossible – to see such a scenario unfolding.
A general election is coming in short order.
Campaigns
In an election like this, it may take days for the full results to be known.