Dail dissolved

Well, it was getting embarrassing.

First telling our unelected President to cancel all appointments for Friday afternoon, then bottling it at the last minute.

Then hapless Bert gets a quick graft of backbone from the party, who are fed up at watching their coalition lead erode in the polls.

And it's a dash to the Aras this morning to get La McAleese's autograph before she goes walkies abroad again, as is her wont.

So the Dail is now dissolved. A pity that couldn't be taken literally. Every five years, we could douse the lot of them in a strong hydrochloric acid bath for being useless, pocket-lining chancers.

It would certainly winnow out the less altruistic candidates for election, that's for sure.

Well, folks, you now have until May 24th to decide which chancer running in your neck of the woods is less likely to shaft the economy and you personally than the other chancers.

Don't let apathy win. Your vote counts. Quiz them on the doorsteps, question them on the issues that matter to you. Tell them about your shoddy health service, overpriced public-private partnerships on what should be essential infrastructure and your concerns about the housing market.

Demand costed plans for their manifestos. Seek evidence that they are not the corrupt, pocket-lining time-servers that we have so long suffered in this country in place of public representatives.

Consider voting for candidates that highlight issues you believe in, even if they won't form a government. People who espouse green issues, father's rights, a united Ireland, the preservation of your local hospital.

But make sure to give a preference high up to the candidate of the government of your choice.

Make your say count. There's no mandate for moaning if you didn't vote in the first place. This is your opportunity to hold politicians to account. It only happens once every four or five years. Use it.

Drug Test the Dail

Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny wants to see random drug testing introduced into Irish schools. I would direct his attention towards Dail Eireann first.

On three separate occasions in the past two years, Irish newspapers have found evidence of cocaine usage in the Dail bar toilets.

First Ireland on Sunday discovered that cocaine had been used in the Dail toilets on Budget day. Then a year later, the Irish Daily Mirror repeated the experiment with the same results. Most recently, the Irish Star tried again, and discovered once again that cocaine had been used in Leinster House.

That's a 100% hit rate for a class A drug. Clearly evidence that if there is one location in Ireland outside of certain Dublin nightclubs that badly needs a randomised drug testing regime, it's Dail Eireann, not Irish secondary schools.

Simon of the Dossing Times has launched a petition calling for Irish politicians to be drug tested. I urge everyone to go and sign it now.