What is happening about the Seanad by-elections? Well, nothing actually. There have been two vacant seats in the upper house since Labour's Pat Gallagher resigned last August and FF's Paddy McGowan died six weeks later. As only members of the Oireachtas have the vote, Fianna Fail will win both seats easily. For the other parties it is a matter of picking likely general election winners and using the exercise for profile raising. Labour has selected Declan Bree of Sligo and Jim Townsend of Carlow and Fine Gael has picked Bernard McGuinness of Innisowen and J. J. Mannion of Clifden. Both are ready for the off - if not exactly anxious to give FF two more Seanad seats.
The party which previously held the seat traditionally moves the writ. Since Labour and FF agreed the two elections should be held together there was much selection activity in the run-up to Christmas, with the writ to be moved in the New Year. But there has been no movement since. FF says it has been too busy organising the ardfheis to select candidates but once Taoiseach Bertie Ahern returns from the US today, he will set his mind to the matter. The Labour leader in the Seanad, Joe Costello, says it is high time FF moved; normally these matters are dealt with more expeditiously. "I am puzzled that they are not anxious to contest elections that they have the votes to win. It is not in the interests of Labour to push the issue. They have the numbers to win, so why give them extra votes where they already have a substantial majority?"
The delay appears to be that FF can't make up its mind who to run. There is fierce competition for both seats since the lucky candidates will not only be a shoo-in to the Seanad but have a good chance of a Dail seat next time. The Taoiseach, as is well known, doesn't like offending anyone and creating enemies, so it's a very delicate operation. In addition, there is speculation that at least two of the late Senator McGowan's many relatives are keen to keep the seat in the family.