There is little idea at the moment of what’s going to happen at these elections. Nobody trusts anyone. They don’t trust the politicians or the parties, or the Independents. Usually the polls are bang on by about 3% one way or the other. However they all got it wrong last October for the Seanad Referendum. There was barely a poll out of scores which suggested that Seanad Eireann would remain in situ. Yet that is what happened after Ireland had its say when a majority of more than 42,000 people extra voted for the Seanad to remain open.

At the moment, we have three elections coming in a fortnight’s time. The Council’s. The European. The by elections for Longford/Westmeath and Dublin West.

Three papers will go to people in some regions, but two papers will go to people in most parts of the country.

Nobody knows what’s going to happen, or what the general population is thinking.

Fine Gael have their entrenched voters for the most part, as has Sinn Fein despite the arrest by the PSNI of their President Gerry Adams. Fianna Fail voters have still not, almost four years later, returned home to the fold. Forget about Labour, they are mostly gone and mostly forgotten. Only the really impressive hard-working Labour candidates have a hope, but most of their members will be lost. Independents are there, and they are an alternative of sorts. However nobody knows what sort of alliances will be formed after the election, i.e. will Independents bring forward a new political party? Or will most of them stay on their own, and be limited in what they can achieve? But signs are good for most with an Independent tag.

It’s all to play for! The latest Red C poll, which is generally the one which the political people pay heed of goes something like this: Ind 25%, FG 25%, FF 21%, SF 18%, and Lab 11%.

The countdown begins, and the elections are on Friday, May23rd. In previous times you would have a fair idea what was happening. But austerity, broken promises, and a more questioning and assertive electorate has left them all having to work their fingers to the bone for votes.

All candidates are saying that they are getting on well on the doors, but we know for a fact that Labour are getting ate alive. One Labour candidate was followed and verbally abused in Dublin, and another had their literature torn up in front of them in the midlands. So it’s safe to say that it’s not looking well there. However this is the one which changes everything, maybe, or maybe it’ll be all back to the two and a half party system, in which Sinn Fein will be the half. But nobody has voted yet, so it’s still all to play for.