The carnage of Fianna Fáil will be the only interesting facet of the election results next weekend. Maybe along with the disappointment of Labour – a Fine Gael government without them and little chance ever of ministerial preferment for the Labour wise owls, writes Vincent Browne.

Despite what it says in its manifesto, Fine Gael in government will not have the power to defy the ECB, writes Vincent Browne.

Fine Gael has been serious about policy over the last several years because there are several people in Fine Gael serious about policy. People such as Richard Bruton, Leo Varadkar, Phil Hogan, Simon Coveney, Brian Hayes and others.

Two dates haunt this election campaign: 30 September 2008 and 28 November 2010. The first of these was the date of the bank guarantee. The second was the day of national shame, the day of the EU-IMF rescue deal, writes Vincent Browne.

The bank guarantee represented the most spectacular single transfer of wealth ever in the history of this country, from society at large to a financial elite. The elite being depositors of more than €100,000 (depositors up to €100,000 had been guaranteed previously) and bondholders who had lent money to the banks.

Despite the total lack of discussion from all the parties, this issue is not just a fixation of loony-left mavericks, writes Vincent Browne.

There is a consensus that the big issue in this campaign is jobs and, in a sense, it is. Jobs are crucial for income, the means to support one's family and oneself.

Jobs are crucial also for identity, for developing and maintaining a sense of self-worth; one of the cruelties of joblessness is not just the loss of income, but the loss of self-esteem.

On Thursday morning last Eamon Gilmore said at the Labour Party election headquarters in Golden Lane, Dublin, that he was seeking a mandate in the general election to renegotiate the €67 billion rescue package with the European Union and International Monetary Fund. He said the challenge facing the electorate was to accept the rescue deal or to trust Labour to change its terms.

Brian Cowen is a man of integrity, but he was unable to question this society's sacred cows. All our parties and their leaders have this flaw, writes Vincent Browne.

Brian Cowen does not, and did not, lack integrity. Neither does he lack very considerable abilities. It is entirely credible that everything he did in public office he did in the interests of the country, as he perceived those interests.

Micheál Martin has scored the first goal in the election campaign – by exposing Fine Gael's nervousness over Enda, writes Vincent Browne. 

The issue of leadership is, for now, important for several reasons. It matters to the financial markets and to negotiations with the IMF and EU on the terms of the rescue package. It also matters to national self-confidence right now and it matters to international confidence in Ireland's capacity to govern itself.

Any new leader of Fianna Fáil risks being a captive of the neoliberal consensus the party has bought into, writes Vincent Browne.

Brian Lenihan is the most formidable candidate for the Fianna Fáil leadership, by many criteria. He is very clever, very articulate, has lots of personal courage and is likeable. He is based in Dublin, where the party is in danger of obliteration, and his election as leader might minimise the drubbing.

The resignation was the only dignity of the week. A week of blunder, chaos and finally pathos, writes Vincent Browne.

Last Thursday morning, I received an e-mail from Brian Cowen. Nice and personal, starting off with ''Dear Vincent''.

Fine Gael and Labour promise radical changes but they cop out on the big issues, writes Vincent Browne.

The most depressing feature of this coming election is that so little will change with it. Fine Gael and Labour have promised that.