How things are falling

Over half way through the campaigning, still a lot to play for but here's how we see things going at the moment:

President:

Ruan Dillon McLoughlin has his posse out and they're hopping around houses and courtyards as though there's no tomorrow. Paddy Rockett's posse is doing likewise but they're being far more annoying about it and that tends to turn people off. People who have friends and talk to them. Which Rockett might be running out of by the end of the week, despite a few extra votes to be picked up from it. Nick Ryan's sticking in there but doesn't look like he's holding the pace, there just isn't the buzz around his campaign that he needs to hold the line. Sharon Brosnan and Louise Clohessy are beginning to look like also-rans by now. While Brosnan is apparently going to skydive on to the campus at noon tomorrow, she might be better off staying on the ground and asking people for a few votes. Clohessy is looking like a solid last. While both female candidates are likely to pick up a small number of women voting for women votes, some women just won't vote for their peers and men, especially UL men, are far more backward abot the notion of women being in power. It's beginning to look like Dillon McLoughlin's game to win or lose.


DP/Welfare:

Derek Daly is apparently making an effort to keep answering queries during this week as part of his current DP/Welfare job, which should place him at a bit of a time disadvantage. The way we're calling this one so far though is that he's so much more electable than Daniel Reid, who waited until the last minute to decide which job he was going to run for. Based on some of the postings over on the boards.ie UL forum from his supporters, we're surprised he isn't at home collecting funds for Haiti rather than campaigning. It's a Daly ball by the looks of things.

Education:

This match was over last Friday, remember?


CSO:

This one is likely to be tight. It depends on how many people are annoyed by the Rockett campaign and how swift they are to associate Vivion Grisewood with his clone friend. Sorry, ticket colleague. Sorry, coincidentally similar manifesto and campaign buddy. Grisewood's campaign team may look grumpy (and they are) but they're covering some good ground, even if they weren't appraised of the rules and tried to chalk the courtyard. Twice. The Lorcan O'Neill campaign is also solidly covering the bases and to be honest, at the moment this one's too hard to call. We'd put O'Neill slightly ahead. All to play for.


Communications:

Clever move by the McDuffie campaign in spreading the rumour that an Eoghan O'Brien win would see the death of An Focal. While it's not true as we read the manifesto, as most people still get their out of date news from the paper, people probably want to hang on to it, such as it has become. It's one of the major things putting McDuffie solidly ahead of O'Brien at the moment. We're not prepared to call it yet but it's looking as though McDuffie may have an easier battle than Ni Raghallaigh did last year, especially as the anointed replacement. Even despite the weakness of his campaign manager as O'Brien's is even less likely to make a difference. He may screw up at Hustings - despite being an auditor of the Debating Society, we're told that McDuffie didn't speak much and wasn't capable of holding a committe to task there. Then again, we've already pointed out his paper bag fighting weakness. Ball's still in play.