Special Features

FG/Labour offer potential for positive change in immigration legislation

When the 30th Dáil was dissolved, the previous Government's third attempt at legislation overhauling Ireland's immigration and asylum systems lapsed, a development widely welcomed by the NGO sector, writes Ruth Evans of the Immigrant Council of Ireland (ICI).

Despite being 10 years in the making, the legislation failed to spell out who can come to Ireland, for how long or with what rights and obligations.

 

Why has the Labour vote collapsed?

Last September, Labour was at 33% in the polls. On Sunday, Labour was at 20%. 'Labour support implodes,' concluded the Sunday Independent, in a front-page strapline.

Along with the rise of Fine Gael and the apparently growing credibility of Enda Kenny, the other big story of this election campaign has been this implosion of Labour.

So why has this implosion happened? The question should be, perhaps, has it happened at all.

Middle-class FG will defer naturally to wealthy elite

A vote for Fine Gael is a vote for the infliction of some hundreds of billions of debt on to the Irish people, writes Vincent Browne.

If you are voting Fine Gael on Friday, you had better know what you are voting for. Fine Gael could not possibly be as incompetent as Fianna Fáil and in that respect it will be better. Neither does it have loyalties to failed policies. Not yet. The party will be new to government (only three of them will have been in cabinet previously). Several of them will be younger, but there will be very few Fine Gael women in cabinet.

Dun Laoghaire

Dun Laoghaire

  • No of Seats: 4
  • No of Male Candidates: 11
  • No of Female Candidates: 3
  • Total number of GE11 candidates: 14
  • No of sitting TDs: 5
  • No of sitting Senators: 1
  • No of sitting Councillors: 3
  • No of sitting MEPs: 0
  • Population (2006) 102493
  • Population per TD* 25623.25
  • Average Population per TD* 25541
  • Variance (from average) 82.25
  • % Variance 0.32%

Dublin West

Dublin West

  • No of Seats: 4
  • No of Male Candidates: 9
  • No of Female Candidates: 1
  • Total number of GE11 candidates: 10
  • No of sitting TDs: 3
  • No of sitting Senators: 0
  • No of sitting Councillors: 3
  • No of sitting MEPs: 1
  • Population (2006) 105668
  • Population per TD* 26417
  • Average Population per TD* 25541
  • Variance (from average) 876
  • % Variance 3.43%

Dublin South West

Dublin South-West

  • No of Seats: 4
  • No of Male Candidates: 9
  • No of Female Candidates: 1
  • Total number of GE11 candidates: 10
  • No of sitting TDs: 4
  • No of sitting Senators: 0
  • No of sitting Councillors: 3
  • No of sitting MEPs: 0
  • Population (2006) 97989
  • Population per TD* 24497.25
  • Average Population per TD* 25541
  • Variance (from average) -1043.75
  • % Variance -4.09%

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