The Minister for the Environment today announced the establishment of a Commission to review the electoral constituencies. This is exactly what he said couldn’t be done a few weeks ago, before the constitutional challenge to the current state of the constituencies was launched as the ‘final census figures weren’t in’.

The figures that were available were good enough though to form the basis of funding allocations under the Local Government Fund.

So after weeks of denying there was a problem that needed to be sorted out, Minister Roche as convened a commission to sort out the problem. I wonder if he will have to “bash some heads together” like he did when he went to Galway to part the waters?

The even better news

The even better news is that there could now be a full 6 months for Fianna Fail and the Progressive Democrats to club together and push through all those reforms they had promised as part of their election manifestos policy statements about things that might be important in an election. They’ve costed them all and were just looking for a fresh mandate to do them.

Sure, hasn’t the constitution given them a few more months to deliver the goods.

53 promises from Bertie equates to about 10 a month. I wonder if they’ll start with the promises in FF’s Economic policy manifesto document ? Or will the PDs get their way and tinker with stamp duty?

Will they put something in place in the next 6 months to address the flaws in the processes underpinning the Electoral Register (look for posts earlier than 18th April on this one!)? After all, Minister Roche seems to be getting into his problem solving, head-bashing stride.

Come on gang… a lot done, more to do.

…or will they still leap lemming -like into the arms of the Electorate before the end of June?

The Constitutional challenge to the Electoral boundaries will be heard next week. This isn’t really news to those of us who have been keeping an eye on mcgarrsolicitors over the past few weeks.

What does it mean? Well it means that any chance of calling an election this side of the middle of May is shot to hell – rumours of emergency legislation not with standing.

I wonder what Noel Whelan of Irish Times fame makes of this attempt by citizens to exercise not just their right of free speech but also their right to have a proportionally representative election? As a barrister, political pundit and a former political organiser with Fianna Fail (see his biog at this LINK) I’m sure he’d have an opinion to express.