THE BROUHAHA over fund raising in which Michael D. Higgins got caught up doesn't seem to have caused undue concern in his Galway West constituency and probably won't harm him come next polling day.
By then, with every party and independent involved in all sorts of fund raising, open or surreptitious, devious or straightforward, the efforts of Michael D and Ms Eithne Fizgerald and their apparatchiks are likely to be forgotten.
In the case of Michael D, he'd need to be concerned about more local issues, such as the Mutton Island contretemps, in which Mr Brendan Howlin got ham-fistedly involved. He declared that, if necessary, it would be built with Irish taxpayers money even if a shilling never came from the EU, which it certainly won't now.
There are those who see Mr Howlin's action as a perfect example of the new arrogance of Labour. He did no favours to his Galway West ministerial colleague. Just about all Michael D's Labour friends in Galway vehemently oppose the Mutton Island site.
Furthermore, the Galway Labourites have no doubt whatever that if Michael D was not a Minister, he'd be leading the opposition to Mutton Island in his typical fire brand style. As it is, he's said little about the issue, although now he seems to be engaged in some damage limitation.
But then the other TDs in Galway West have also been strangely mute on Mutton Island, except Fine Gael's Mr Padraic McCormack, who makes no bones he's gung ho in favour of it.
Water charges will be another big local issue in Galway West, with a strong vein of resistance already in Galway city. Back in 1992, when he was on Galway Corporation, Michael D unsuccessfully moved a resolution to have water charges abolished.