No election on the horizon – but no shortage of drama for all that

There are no elections on this side of the border in 2022 – besides one minor bye-election – but that’s not saying that the year will lack political drama. In truth – even outside of elections – we’ve had our share of drama on any number of political fronts, triggered by the Troika or Brexit and now Covid. Each in their turn dominated everything for a while, until they were normalised.

Right now it’s Covid. I don’t think people have exactly tired of the virus – more wishing that once this Omicron variant has passed through, that will be more or less that.

The Children’s Rapporteur was this week talking about the impact that long-term absence from school has had on children, especially those who live in poorer households, or face a vulnerable or volatile situation at home. At this stage, everybody wants it to come to an end.

Politically, the big event of 2022 will come right at the end of the year. For the first time ever, we will see the leader of one party relinquish the office of Taoiseach to give it to the leader of another party.

That those two parties are Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael has huge resonance. This year will see the 100th anniversary of the first Dáil and on the centenary there is something of a full circle going on when the two Civil War parties combine for the first time in their history.

Micheál Martin has maintained that he will stay on as Tánaiste after the changeover and continue as leader of Fianna Fáil. That is unlikely to happen. Fianna Fáil was meant to complete its recovery from the 2011 general election drubbing in 2020. That did not happen.

Instead it lost seven seats in the election and ended up the largest party by the skin of its teeth. That would not have happened if Sinn Fein had any idea beforehand that the election was going to be a bonanza not a blooper, and had decided to run a few more candidates.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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