Here, we take a look at the issues likely to dominate political discourse in the week to come.<\/p>\n
Ahern and Hutch comments a bad reflection on Irish politics<\/p>\n
Anti-immigrant comments have become the story of the Dublin Central by-election, a bad reflection of politicians trying to draw votes from the darker sentiments of a small pool of voters.<\/p>\n
One incident involved a former taoiseach, the other a figure who the Special Criminal Court has named as\u00a0the\u00a0head of the\u00a0Hutch Gang, a\u00a0Dublin-based, international\u00a0organised crime\u00a0group.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Both Bertie Ahern and Gerry Hutch<\/a> insisted their comments were not racist.<\/p>\n Hutch<\/a>, said \u201cillegal immigrants\u201d, including Somalis, who were \u201cmooching\u201d their way into the country, should be interned in the Curragh.<\/p>\n Responding to criticism over his comments, Hutch told\u00a0The Irish Times<\/a>: “If I said something that was racist, I apologise. We were in the club and I was talking to a lad and a few things came up.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not racist. I have friends \u2013 Indians, blacks, whites, all colours. I\u2019m certainly not racist.\u201d<\/p>\n He added: “I will say if you come into Ireland and you have no paperwork, you should not be put into a hotel and given a few quid… Listen, there are people coming into the country and we don\u2019t know who they are. I don\u2019t think they should be put into hotels and given money. I\u2019m not into that.”<\/p>\n After being met with an anti-immigrant rant on a doorstep while canvassing for Fianna F\u00e1il in Dublin Central, Ahern singled out Congolese immigrants and expressed fears over the “next generation” of Muslims.<\/p>\n \u201cThe ones I worry about are the Africans,” he said.<\/p>\n Speaking to the Irish Independent afterwards, Ahern said he rejects racism “in all its forms”.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is not who I am, and it\u2019s not what I stand for,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cMy comments were never intended to target or demean any group of people, and in particular I should not have singled out any one nationality or group of people. That was wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n The comments were certainly an unwanted distraction for Fianna F\u00e1il, with Taoiseach Miche\u00e1l Martin distancing the party from its former leader, adding they could not “physically stop” him from canvassing.<\/p>\n The comments from Ahern and Hutch highlight and ugly, and growing, side of Irish politics, with political figures faced with how to react to anti-immigrant and far-right sentiment among a small cohort of voters.<\/p>\n The best stance is of course to condemn these views. Ahern’s initial response was that he was not aware he was being filmed, but that reply leaves a lot to be desired.<\/p>\n Dublin Central Sinn F\u00e9in’s to lose?<\/p>\n Sinn F\u00e9in losing the Dublin Central by-election could put Mary Lou McDonald\u2019s leadership under pressure, according to a political analyst.<\/p>\n The TG4\/Irish Times Ipsos B&A poll found Sinn F\u00e9in councillor Janice Boylan leads the way on 21 per cent.<\/p>\n Daniel Ennis, the Social Democrats candidate, follows on 18 per cent, with Gerry Hutch on 14 per cent.<\/p>\n Political scientist Theresa Reidy told Newstalk that there is a lot riding on the result for McDonald, particularly given Dublin Central is her constituency.<\/p>\n \u201cThere really will be a lot of pressure if this doesn’t work out in her constituency,\u201d Reidy said.<\/p>\n \u201cDublin really matters; this is Mary Lou’s heartland and party leaders, if they’re going to be successful, if they’re going to take their parties into Government, they have to bring in running mates.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n ANALYSIS<\/p>\n Gerry Hutch and Bertie Ahern performed \u2018Lanigan\u2019s Ball racism\u2019<\/p>\n <\/a> Galway West by-election<\/p>\n Polling Galway West suggests Fine Gael Senator Se\u00e1n Kyne is the favourite, with 17 per cent support.<\/p>\n He is foloowed by Independent Ireland’s Noel Thomas who has 16 per cent. Galway City Councillor Helen Ogbu has the support of 12 per cent of voters<\/p>\n RT\u00c9 payments scandal<\/p>\n
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