Ireland

On Friday Ireland threw away a chance of victory against Bangladesh, losing a game their bowlers had put them in a position to win. Chasing 205 on an oddly-paced pitch proved too much. And that's often the way: anything much more than 4 an over is asking a lot. So when England reached 327 today it seemed pretty clear that even though they only scored 70 from their final ten overs the England total should have been more than enough to handle anything Ireland could throw at them. Time to rethink that theory. Time too to rethink the pecking order of the greatest moments in Irish cricketing history. Victories over the West Indies and Pakistan were grand affairs but not half so sweet or astonishing as this magnificent performance against the English.

They're still counting the results of the Irish election but it's clear that, as expected, the story of the day is Fianna Fail's collapse. Enda Kenny, who's not half as youthful as he looks (he's the Father of the House and has been a TD since 1975), will be Taoiseach but the election of 75 or so Fine Gael TD's should not be taken as much of an endorsement of Fine Gael's policies, far less as support for fiscal austerity or, frankly, much else. Fianna Fail has mislaid half a million votes since they won 78 seats on 41% of the vote in 2007. Fianna Fail's vote has collapsed to 17% of first preferences. Those votes have been more or less equally divided between Fine Gael, Labour and Independents (some of whom are lapsed or disgruntled Fianna Fail men).

Irish Policeman Ronan McNamara and presiding electoral officer Hugh O'Donnell carry the ballot box from the ferry on Inishfree Island, off the Donegal coast of Ireland. It will not surprise you that Myles na Gopaleen had it right: The majority of the members of the Irish parliament are professional politicians, in the sense that otherwise they would not be given jobs minding mice at the crossroads. Sadly Myles does not tell us if there would be comely maidens dancing at the crossroads too but there you go. Today's Irish election is a queer thing indeed. Many observers have commented on a surprising lack of fury given the scale of the financial burden that must be borne these next ten or more years.

Courtesy of RTE's The Eleventh Hour. As the lads say, "Mistakes have been made. But in the right hands the mistakes of the past can be a valuable asset in excusing the mistakes of the future." Thanks to the many friends and readers who pointed this out. More from Ireland to come. And sorry for light-posting here. This is due to a) idleness, b) the need to read a book I am reviewing c) watching Colonel Gaddafi and d) organising a trip to Dublin.

Who knew Sligo Town was such a cradle for logic and anarchy? If only more usually-pointless TV vox pops were like this. The Economist observed this week that regret is one of the prevailing moods in Ireland these days. Perhaps so, but there's resignation too. The election will prove momentarily cathartic but the deal struck with the ECB and IMF is unlikely to be reshaped significantly and, hence, the election is being held in a strange, make-believe land in which all agree to pretend it matters hugely despite a widespread suspicion that the game is rigged and has, in fact, already been decided. It's not quite just for show and decency but it feels as though it might almost be.

Today's entertainment in the Irish election is generously provided by Ned O'Keeffe who, thoughtfully, warns that the Irish army may be poised to take over the country. The outgoing Cork TD (Fianna Fail naturally) may be on to something. Perhaps there is a pro-coup constituency that, sure, wouldn't be thinking a military regime would be the worst thing. Couldn't do as much harm as the last lot, you know. Anyway: According to a report published in today’s Evening Echo, Mr O’Keeffe said “The situation has become so bad that an Army coup is a real possibility.

Gerry Adams, appearing on the Irish radio station Newstalk this afternoon, denounced the proposed Universal Social Charge (ie, tax) as being little more or less than "an act of gross terrorism". He also complained that Micheal Martin's suggestion that Adams's past membership of the IRA might prove a problem for some voters was a "slur". I suppose this is true since a slur is an insinuation or allegation that is likely to insult someone or damage their reputation. It does not, you will note, mean that the insinuation or allegation is untrue.

Most entertaining, this Gerry Adams business. He may deny that he is now the Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead but if he ain't then he hasn't resigned as an MP. And if he is a paid officer of the Crown he would seem to be playing fast and loose with the Irish constitution. This may not surprise you or anyone else. However the constitution plainly states: 40.2.2: 1: Titles of nobility shall not be conferred by the State. 2. No title of nobility or of honour may be accepted by any citizen except with the prior approval of the Government. Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead is probably noble enough to count as a title and certainly some kind of honour, even if mainly a ceremonial one.

At least in retrospect the Haughey era of GUBU governance had a certain measure of baroque absurdity which provided some amount of perverse entertainment. Mind you, that also followed a period of reckless mismanagement of the public finances. I think it was sometimes said on Wall Street that any time there came a cataclysm you could guarantee that Merrill Lynch would be there. So too with the Irish Republic: Fianna Fail is always there. But not, perhaps, for much longer. The present shambles must be the final unravelling of a once mighty party. Fianna Fail will elect a new leader - for whatever that bauble is worth these days - on Wednesday but Brian Cowen will remain as Taoiseach until the election.

Yesterday, Brian Cowen resigned; today his government has imploded. The Green Party, which was bolstering Cowen’s ruling coalition (if such a phrase is applicable in this instance), have left the government. The Fianna Fail-led coalition is now two votes short of a majority, and therefore the finance bill may not pass in its current form. If that is so, Ireland may return to the precipice on which it found itself a couple of months ago, and its principal creditors and trading partners with it. But there is more to this than balance sheets. In his statement, the leader of the Greens said that the people had lost confidence in the political process. It’s hard to demur.

...although this one is over in Ireland. After a turbulent week, Brian Cowen has stood down as leader of Fianna Fail, yet he staggers on as Taoiseach  until the general election on 11 March: Channel 4 have a useful summary of the contenders to replace him.