Will Michael D be facing a fine unless he gets this poster in France taken down in time?

Mixed Message outside Westport.

The national executive of the Progressive Democrats is meeting tomorrow to discuss the party's future following its general election meltdown.

Why?

Frank, Frank,

Who the hell is Frank? (McNamara)

Let's hope so. Actually who cares.

They are now an irrelevancy in Irish Politics. That is a fitting epitaph for their party.

McDowell once said they "had to be radical or redundant". The people have spoken.

"Hurray!"

another one bites the dust!

"Goodbye Hitler"

Many people took the time and trouble to present themselves to vote on Thursday only to discover Dick Roche had removed them from the register.

Make sure your voice is heard in the future. Download this form, complete it and post it to your local authority.

Westport Labour will be running a drive to ensure all voters are correctly included on the register. We want your voice heard locally and nationally. Contact me if you need more information.

BUGGER!

The Madeleine McCann, tragedy is turning into a circus, hyped by the media.

The idea of her family travelling around Europe to meet and talk to people is pointless and vague. Who will they talk to and why? They are desperate and they are being used by the media.

For examle read this extract from the Irish Times

"The press was allowed closer to the family over the weekend, as Mr McCann and his wife, Kate, appeared to accept that a certain loss of privacy was a price worth paying to keep Madeleine's case in the public eye. A press photographer was allowed to watch them playing with their twins, Amelie and Seán.

Yellow and green, the colours of hope, have become part of their everyday life. Ms McCann, as has become customary, had yellow and green ribbons tied in her hair while Mr McCann wore a green and yellow wristband and Amelie had her hair tied with a green clip and a yellow band.

In a nearby apartment, the self-styled "Team McCann", made up mainly of a small but determined group of friends and relatives, continued to try to build a global campaign to find Madeleine. The British government has provided a media relations expert to help the family."

It is getting silly and it should stop. Give the police all the money and manpower they need to do their job. That is how this case will be resolved.

It will not be resolved by

• David Beckham ads
• Ads at Wembley
• Media interviews with crackpots who claim sightings of the little girl
• wearing arm bands
• holding a minutes silence
• putting candles in the windows.

The family need support but instead they are getting a government supplied media relations expert.

This is a tragedy for a young family. It is being made into a horrific farce by the media.

It should be stopped.

Today's poll which shows a surge of 5% for FF is, frankly, as Albert Reynolds famously stated "Crap".



According to the Irish Times support for Fianna Fáil is up by five percentage points while support for Fine Gael is down one point and Labour is down three points.

The poll says Bertie Ahern was the winner of the television debate with 32 per cent deeming him the victor. Just 13 per cent gave victory to Mr Kenny, 14 per cent thought it was a draw, while the remaining 41 per cent either didn't watch the debate or had no opinion.

Labour are supposed to have lost 3% points over a weekend while FF is up 5%. This flies in the face of all the other polls conducted so far which show Rabbitte and Labour as gaining support steadily.

The poll was conducted last Friday and Saturday among a representative sample of 1,000 voters in face-to-face interviews at 100 sampling points in all 43 constituencies.

They have gotten their numbers wrong. Thursday will paint a different picture.

Looks like the pole climber's party's days are numbered as according to the Irish Times The Progressive Democrats will plummet to just two Dail seats on Thursday.

According to Sean Donnelly, an expert in these matters, "Mary Harney will be returned for the PDs with either Michael McDowell or Liz O'Donnell,"

The prediction means that outgoing TDs of the junior Government partner - Noel Grealish, Mae Leonard, Fiona O'Malley, Tim O'Malley and Tom Parlon will all be rejected by voters.

Dún Laoghaire councillors have voted against the introduction of clamping in their authority.

This is against the wishes of the County Manager, Owen Keegan.

Mr Keegan had intended to introduce clamping for "persistent offenders" - those found to have parked illegally on three occasions - from June 1st. He said he would be seeking a legal opinion from a senior barrister on the councillors' decision.

Fianna Fáil councillor Cormac Devlin last night accused Mr Keegan of trying to stall the council by introducing doubt over the legality of the motion.

Why does the manager even have the ability to challenge a decision of the public representatives? The decision of the councillors is democracy at work and if the County Manager doesn't like it then there is only one course of action open to him.

Resign.

Bertie Ahern explains his finances to younger voters. "Hands up if you have a bank account!" he cried.

News has just reached us that Ireland have lost in Helsinki. Out-fought on every front our Dervish forces were forced into full retreat and ultimately defeated.

Their commander John Walters has been captured and will be answering for War Crimes at the Hague later in the year while the Dervish have been interned to await execution at the hands of the victors.

According to the Government Press office Serbia's Marija Serifovic will be flying into Dublin later today to accept our nation's unconditional surrender which will take place on the deck of the LE Eithne in Dublin Bay.

An Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has urged the population to "co-operate with our new Serbian Overlords."

It always sends a shiver up the spine of this blog when it finds itself in agreement with the PDs.

Today they say they will bring in a directly elected mayor for the greater dublin area to replace the public service management staff system currently in place which dictates the day to day running of local authorities.

Dublin would be a pilot scheme for its extentsion to all local authorities.

Labour have gone a step further and promised a massive reform of local government that is much more sweeping and exciting then the PDs but it still spooky when Michael McDowell's lot come up with an acceptable idea.

No doubt under the FF-PD coalition a directly elected mayor would get as far as cafe bars did.

This is the gun McDowell shot himself in the foot with.

Flabbergasted.

Really Flabbergasted.

Totally, utterly Flabbergasted.

Grotesque, Unbelievable, Bizarre and Unprecedented

Bertie Ahern's finances have left this blog reeling. We never imagined that Bertie would be so dodgey. The man who took the high horse on Haughey over his corruption seems to have been receiving large gifts of money, left right and centre from "friends" all through his career in government.

It is Grotesque that Bertie portrayed himself as a man of the people while pocketing all that money.

It is unbelievable that he managed to keep it so quiet throughout ten years in power.

It is bizarre that he claims to have done no wrong.

However it is precendented that a serving Taoiseach would take money.

Worse again are all the Fianna Failers trying to portray Bertie's loose morals and lack of scruples as a plot against him. He is a disgrace and he disgraces his office, his party and his country with his behaviour.

"Anything I ever gained or anything I ever benefited - which was never much - was always done in proper circumstances. I've never misled people either. My records are there."

Bertie (Dirty?) Ahern on his finances

If there is one person who has behaved worse than Bertie it is Michael McDowell the self appointed watch dog of Fianna Fail who has wrung his hands like lady Macbeth whenever the truth about Bertie's finances is unearthed.

Bertie's finances are taking on Haughey-like proportions and the man is mumbling and bumbling his way around but the Minister for Justice is in hiding - again.

We all remember when in October Bertiegate broke for the first time. What did McDowell do?
He ran away.

He was radio silent.

He disappeared.

Then he came back to accept Bertie's explanation.

Now he saws that explanation of Bertie's finances was "selective". "No shit, Sherlock!" as Conan-Doyle once wrote.

So what is he doing in this latest scandal concerning Bertie.

He has run away to await another statement from Bertie. For Shame, McDowell!

Out and about canvassing is a fun if often unusual experience. political quote recommends that everyone gets out and canvasses for change.