As we face into the second week of the general election campaign we can expect many spending promises with the main parties due to launch their housing and health policies this week, as well as their manifestos.
Expect to see multi-billion euro pledges, and expect to hear the parties justify these by stating that each plan has been “individually costed”.
As we point out in our lead story, both Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil are set to roll out a series of proposals for first time buyers: Fine Gael will promise an extended Help to Buy scheme and Fianna Fáil will promise an SSIA-style savings scheme.
Fianna Fáil will on Monday morning promise an additional five million home care hours; a doubling in funding for the National Treatment Purchase Fund; a reversal of pay inequality for post-2012 consultants and the recruitment of an extra 4000 nursing staff over a five year period.
But even with the best will in the world, the political parties cannot dictate the direction that the campaign will go in.
To borrow an oft-used phrase from Harold MacMillan: “Events, dear boy, events” may set the agenda instead.
Election candidates, be they Ministers or councillors, are carefully listening to what is being said on the doorsteps and the increase in the qualifying pension age has emerged as a source of public anger.
And so party leaders Micheál Martin and Leo Varadkar yesterday found themselves announcing respective plans to offset the limbo some pensioners may find themselves in when they are forced to retire at 65 and not be eligible to receive a State pension for another two years.
Speaking at Montrose, Mr Martin said he would look to outlaw contracts that force people to retire at 65. He said if the state pension qualifying age rises to 67, "having people for two years in a limbo situation where they can't get funding after the first nine months is not sustainable or acceptable. We would review going to the 67 on the grounds it needs to be a level playing pitch all round for pensioners."
Within the hour, speaking outside Croke Park, the Taoiseach said he would continue with plans to increase the qualifying age but would move to address what he described as “anomalies”.
“What we’re hearing from people on the ground and at the doors is that there are some anomalies that need to be fixed. And one of those anomalies, in my view, is people who are required to retire before the age of 66, or even before the age of 67, and what we propose to do there is to bring in a transition pension or an early retirement pension like existed in the past for those who are contractually required to retire earlier.”
There are no costings for this yet, but Mr Varadkar said they would form part of the Fine Gael manifesto. Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe also spoke to reporters in Dublin on Sunday afternoon and reiterated the party line on pensions despite a telling comment from Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan on The Week in Politics, where he said the party was planning to backtrack on the issue.
Shock poll
The other hot topic that Mr Varadkar and Mr Donohoe were quizzed about, of course, was that shock poll released by the Sunday Times at midnight on Saturday. Word began to circulate among senior members of Fine Gael early on Saturday evening that the news was going to be bad, but even the more seasoned members of the party will not have expected to be 12 points behind Fianna Fáil.
While there are always caveats for polls, it was still extremely unwelcome news for the party. It has led to questions about the direction of the Fine Gael campaign for the next three weeks. Fine Gael, so far, has made Brexit and the economy the key planks of their campaign.
Asked whether the party would change tack, Mr Donohoe contended that Brexit and the economy were coming up on the doors but conceded health and housing were also major issues.
“We are going to be campaigning on every aspect of every issue that matters to voters and citizens,” he said.
But if future polls – expected in the not-too-distant future – show a similar result, then a rethink of strategy must surely be on the cards.
Election Diary: Monday 20th January
Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe, Minister for Social Protection Regina Doherty and Minister for Education Joe McHugh will set out Fine Gael's plans to "use our economic progress to make life easier on families and give children the best start in life".
Labour will launch its "Women at Work" policy with Ivana Bacik and Rebecca Moynihan. Party leader Brendan Howlin will be in Wexford to hand in his nomination papers at 10.30am at Wexford Court House and will return to Dublin later that day to continue campaigning.
Sinn Féin housing spokesman Eoin Ó Broin will publish the party’s housing policy on Tuesday.
Fianna Fáil health spokesman Stephen Donnelly and defence spokesman Jack Chambers will brief the media on their health plans alongside the party's Seanad leader Catherine Ardagh.
Aontú will also launch its campaign and manifesto "focusing on fixing a divided Ireland and calling on people to think outside of the political cartel".
The party says it will have at least 25 candidates and is targeting at least 4 seats.
The SocDems will focus on Biodiversity. Cllr Jennifer Whitmore will launch the proposals. Also, party co-leader Catherine Murphy will sign her nomination papers in Kildare.
Green Party leader Eamon Ryan will canvass Kildare, Kilkenny and Waterford.
Best Reads
A hair salon business owned by Waterford-based Fianna Fáil councillor and general election candidate Thomas Edward Mulligan and his wife, Dervla, was insolvent from the first year it began operating, according to the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement (ODCE).
RTÉ will not include Sinn Féin in second TV debate, despite legal threat.
Joan Burton objects to local housing development.
Our #GE2020 coverage
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