EVERY WEEK, TheJournal.ie casts its eye over events inside and outside Leinster House that have got people talking.
As the saying goes: ‘You win some, you lose some.’
So here are our winners and losers from the past seven days:
1. Labour
The junior coalition partner has got a win in ensuring that the Budget adjustment is €2.5 billion and not the long-planned €3.1 billion. There were numerous welcoming statements from Labour backbenchers on Tuesday after Michael Noonan confirmed the news.
But it will be the Budget’s impact on ordinary people and not the scale of fiscal adjustment which will be the ultimate test for both parties in government.
2. Senators
After the long battle to save their skins Senators got a rest this week as they spent just two days in the upper chamber. But it wasn’t their fault, they insisted.
3. Priory Hall
Finally, with the help of politicians, residents appear to have a resolution to their two-year nightmare. Enda Kenny and co may have dragged their heels but this week’s developments appear to be the beginning of the end of the long, unnecessary and tragic saga.
4. Willie Penrose
The former Minister of State is back in the Labour parliamentary party after a two-year absence. Almost immediately Penrose has been installed on a number of committees. Perhaps he even got a hug from Eamon Gilmore.
The new presenter of Today on RTÉ Radio 1 has secured his first big coup by ensuring Ministers Michael Noonan and Brendan Howlin do the traditional post-Budget phone-in with him on the national broadcaster next Wednesday and not with Pat Kenny over on Newstalk.
6. The Dáil fly
Causing no end of hassle to Ministers and TDs:
1. Gerry Adams
The Sinn Féin president has a point about the politicisation of a family tragedy but that he is still answering questions about what he knew and when he knew about his brother’s abuse will be a worry for strategists in Sinn Féin. Ultimately Adams’ opponents will say that his judgement on family matters says a lot about his political judgement too. This one is set to run and run.
2. Cabinet ministers
No rest for the wicked as the members of the Cabinet meet today to discuss the final elements of Budget 2014. There will be plenty of tense discussions in government buildings in the hours ahead, we imagine. Did someone order pizza?
A poll this week found a large number of people completely fed up of conventional politics which is no surprise but party leaders will have been particularly worried to read that most people don’t think any of the main party leaders would fight for them.
4. The opposition and their budgets
Both Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin unveiled their pre-Budget submissions this week, both agreeing with the government on the need for a fiscal adjustment of circa €2.5 billion but both had problems with their figures.
Sinn Féin indirectly proposed a pay cut for nurses, teachers and gardaí, while Fianna Fáil couldn’t really explain how it would actually go about collecting €25 million in unpaid TV licence fees. The two parties also had a go at each other’s documents.
5. Enda Kenny
After his political wallop last weekend, the Taoiseach got an actual wallop of a rugby ball during the week from none other than Irish rugby boss Joe Schmidt:
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