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Everyone’s talking about…

Yesterday’s exchequer returns provided more good economic news with a surge in tax revenues by over €900 million compared to the same period last year. Perhaps that most startling figure was that the budget deficit – the gap between what the State spends and takes in – was €205 million at the end of last month, compared to €1.7 billion a year ago.

Mark Stedman / Photocall Ireland Mark Stedman / Photocall Ireland / Photocall Ireland

And yet, the most-recent opinion poll from Red C has Fine Gael steady and Labour down two points with the coalition not currently on track for re-election. Indeed as the economy has surged over the last year or so, the government’s ratings have fallen amid various damaging controversies.

Everyone in government is sticking to the old Bill Clinton campaign mantra that ‘it’s the economy, stupid’ and is banking on the recovery in people’s incomes fuelling a surge in poll numbers ahead of the election next year.

But until that happens there remains a distinct possibility that despite turning the country around on the economic front this government won’t be re-elected. The next Red C opinion poll at the end of this month will be crucial.

The agenda

• 9.30am: Alan Kelly is taking Environment Questions in the Dáil. 
• 9.30am: The banking inquiry hears from Dr Peter Bacon on his reports into the Irish housing market. 
• 11.45am: After Bacon, the inquiry hears from Professor Alan Ahearne, a former advisor to Brian Lenihan. 
• 12pm: Enda Kenny takes on Micheál Martin and Gerry Adams at Leaders’ Questions. 
• 7.30pm: The Dáil will vote on Fianna Fáil’s insolvency bill with the government opposing the law while acknowledging the new regime needs to be ‘energised’.
• The Fine Gael and Labour parliamentary parties hold their weekly meetings this evening. 

Inside Leinster House

We’ve reported before about the ongoing problem of TDs and Senators parking on the grass at back of Leinster House (the Merrion Street side). Yesterday, we noted that shrubs have been erected along the kerbs in the car park in what appears to be another bid to stop Oireachtas members from going on the grass.

What the others are saying 

• The Irish Independent, Irish Daily Mail and the Irish Examiner report on a leaked C&AG report which reveals HSE managers claimed “excessively” for five-star hotel stays and alcohol on trips.
• Joan Burton has told the Irish Times that the recovery in the public finances means more money can be used to invest in education and roads, as well as tax cuts. 
• The same paper reports that Sinn Fein TD Peadar Tóibín won’t be backing a motion on fatal foetal abnormalities at the party’s Ard Fheis this weekend.

In case you missed it 

• On the day a law to introduce plain packs was passed, we revealed that the government has paid €4 million to Big Tobacco since 2013. 
• There could be no more throwing around the tricolour by Sinn Féin representatives after this week’s Ard Fheis. 
• Mary Lou McDonald accepted Joan Burton’s debate challenge. 
• Senator Averil Power spoke to us about her views on abortion.

• Fine Gael TD Gabrielle McFadden spoke about the painful death of her sister
• We asked who you’d be voting for in the next election and the not-so-scientific results are:

On the tweet machine

We’re just gonna leave this here.