Politics

ALL PARTIES had candidates who canvassed personally in the election. But the worst such example we have come across concerns one Albert Reynolds, the Fianna Fail candidate for Longford-Westmeath. Mr. Reynolds had inserted in both The Longford Leader and The Longford News, which he once owned, a special election supplement, which appeared as though it was merely an editorial addendum to the usual coverage of the election. In the 8-page supplement there were 25 photographs of Albert. Page 1 trumpeted "Reynolds Ready for Return to Government".

THE GENERAL Election was a disaster for women, There are now even fewer women public representatives. Two of the best women deputies are gone. Women's issues played no role whatsoever in the campaign. The only women's group that managed to organise at all was the Women's Poliitical Association, and its effect was minimal. By Pat Brennan

Already, Charlie Haughey's scouts have been making overtures to Sinn Fein The Workers' Party for the support of their three TDs in the vote for Taoiseach. His brother Sean phonne,; SFWP headquarters and asked that a message be left for Tomas MacGiollla to phone Mr. Haughey. The reply to Sean Haughey was that if Charlie Haughey wanted to talk to Tomas MacGiolla, he could lift the phone and ring him himself.

The electoral balance is still on a knife-edge. A mere 2% swing in favour of Fianna Fail would give them an exxtra 9 seats, while a similar swing against them would lose them 7 seats. By Gordon Colleary

It has to be that the press conference is for Fianna Fail. Down the corriidor in the Burlington they're getting ready for the Fine Gael show in an hour's time - but all they have on the tables down there is coffee. Here the amber shimmers through the glasses like a warm· sun rising on a win ter's morning. Like Charlie says, things ain't so bad that we can't afford a little splash. by Gene Kerrigan

Charles Haughey's fate was sealed long before the votes were cast. It was Albert Reynolds who decided to remove his photograph from the newspaper advertisements and it was Reynolds who was the first to sense alarm at Haughey's headlong drive for power at that first wild press conference of the campaign on January 28.

Garret FitzGerald flew back to Cork last November following hIS summit meeting with the British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, in London. He attended a function in the Southern capital on Saturday evening and on Sunday November 8 he travelled to Kilkenny to a poverrty conference organised by the Council for Social Welfare. There he delivered a speech which was to set him apart from all other senior members of his own party and was, indeed, a departure from his own record as Leader Of the Opposition.

Paddy Agnew profiles Sinn Fein the Workers Party, Bernadette McAliskey, and Sinn Fein

The vulnerability of Labour threatens the return of teh Coalition in spite of the buoyant optimism of Fine Gael.

Martin stepped in and Charlie stepped out ..... " creative accounting" Part 2.

By Vincent Browne