The Economist has an unusually rambling article on the current Irish political situation concerning Sinn Fein/IRA. I guess given its brevity it couldn’t do much more than what it does: outline the current situation on who will or will not go into government with Sinn Fein. I did like this bit though:
Why—given that its IRA allies are supposed to have given up their arsenal and renounced violence—is Sinn Fein considered so untouchable? Mainly because of its wacky economic policies, and the sense that even a dash of Sinn Fein influence in high places would ruin Ireland’s image as a nimble player of the globalisation game. Sinn Fein favours higher taxes all round: on income, on capital, on the banks and on the corporate sector. It is deeply hostile to the European Union—a view that finds little sympathy in the Irish establishment. In the words of Mr Ahern himself, Sinn Fein is an “agent of poverty and disadvantage”.
They are pretty wacky alright, they could seriously damage the economy.
Curious that Harney is hedging her bets and saying she would be just as happy with Fine Gael as Fianna Fail. In other words the PDs will whore themselves with anyone as long as it means power.