No knockout blows, no clear points victory, there was nothing to detonate the Big Bang, which may have surprised some given Sinn Fein's background. Pretty much a damp squib sort of night.
Sinn Fein scenting blood, hoped that it might lead to a resurgence in its own fortunes. In the media it moved the dial more towards getting Fine Gael out of office. That seemed a pitch to the Fianna Fail grassroots that Sinn Fein would be a better partner in government for it than Fine Gael. A wise enough tactic for a party that now pays only lip service to progressive politics, but one which was over reliant on a hope that Simon Harris would have a Sean Gallagher moment. It didn't happen. McDonald's performance was nothing remotely like the 2007 debacle served up by Gerry Adams 'where he was judged a disaster' and which which saw him publicly eviscerated by Michael McDowell. Yet, she needed to do much more than stay on her feet and reach the end of the bout. Success for her meant flooring the men to either side of her. As she was unable to do that, in all probability she hasn't done enough to make her party a likely contender to be a coalition partner in the next government.
Not that it amounts to much either way. No matter who assumes office after Friday's election the rich will be no poorer and the poor no richer.
Watching Tweedledee, Tweedledum and Tweedleduh line up to out-Tweedle each other did not put me to sleep but when I eventually made it to bed around midnight, I slept undisturbed until 0700. A rare nocturnal occurrence in my life.
Given the woes of Fine Gael over the past ten days Simon Harris, who had lost more ground than his rivals, consequently had more ground to retrieve. While the polls have yet to indicate what the wider electorate feel, from where I sat it seems that he succeeded. His performance was the strongest of the three, even admired by my son who is still of an age to believe People Before Profit have all the answers. Because he was battling a self-inflicted deficit, whatever success Simon Harris enjoyed last evening just pays off existing debt rather than become profit to be banked as political and electoral capital.
The comment of the night that chimed with me most was from the Sinn Fein leader when she described Nazi Israel's war on the civilian population of Gaza as genocidal. While it was a much needed contribution to public discourse I feel it would have been better said face-to-face on camera to Genocide Joe in Washington on Patrick's Day. Then it would really have meant something. Last night, not nearly as much.
Fine Gael's woes have been accumulating. The Simon Harris exchange with the care worker, Charlotte Fallon, had the potential to be a defining moment in the campaign. Then it emerged that Hildegarde the Hypocrite campaigned for a councillor she knew to have sent pornographic images to a a female Oireachtas staff member.
Given the woes of Fine Gael over the past ten days Simon Harris, who had lost more ground than his rivals, consequently had more ground to retrieve. While the polls have yet to indicate what the wider electorate feel, from where I sat it seems that he succeeded. His performance was the strongest of the three, even admired by my son who is still of an age to believe People Before Profit have all the answers. Because he was battling a self-inflicted deficit, whatever success Simon Harris enjoyed last evening just pays off existing debt rather than become profit to be banked as political and electoral capital.
The comment of the night that chimed with me most was from the Sinn Fein leader when she described Nazi Israel's war on the civilian population of Gaza as genocidal. While it was a much needed contribution to public discourse I feel it would have been better said face-to-face on camera to Genocide Joe in Washington on Patrick's Day. Then it would really have meant something. Last night, not nearly as much.
Fine Gael's woes have been accumulating. The Simon Harris exchange with the care worker, Charlotte Fallon, had the potential to be a defining moment in the campaign. Then it emerged that Hildegarde the Hypocrite campaigned for a councillor she knew to have sent pornographic images to a a female Oireachtas staff member.
When Sinn Féin were facing scrutiny over how they handled internal party issues, Mr Harris and his Fine Gael ministers demanded transparency from Mary Lou McDonald, which resulted in her making a Dáil statement.
Trying to manage the optics and project an image of young vibrant Simon Harris too fleetfooted for old stale Mary Lou McDonald, was hobbled by a damaged projector. The flight back into government was now experiencing severe turbulence.
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