Can the PDs expand their base?

[Gladstone]

Now whos being the deluded populist?
Erm...no...its almost ONLY supply and demand

Compitition is not going to change the fact that oil is going to be harder and harder to get out of the ground, they can't afford to cut prices too drastically becasue they need the profits to invest in new equipment to get the stuff out of the ground as it becomes harder and harder to do, that will cost money as will any resarch they do into safer nuclear or fusion or any other new energy source.
They CAN'T have some Ryanair style price war over oil prices.
On the verge of a major energy crises giving up control over our energy supply is sheer lunacy.

We already lost billions due to the incompitance, lack of foresight and gross corruption of Ray Burke with his deal on oil and gas off the west coast, lets not make the same mistake twice.

[FutureTaoiseach]

Now whos being the deluded populist?
Erm...no...its almost ONLY supply and demand

Compitition is not going to change the fact that oil is going to be harder and harder to get out of the ground, they can't afford to cut prices too drastically becasue they need the profits to invest in new equipment to get the stuff out of the ground as it becomes harder and harder to do, that will cost money as will any resarch they do into safer nuclear or fusion or any other new energy source.
They CAN'T have some Ryanair style price war over oil prices.
On the verge of a major energy crises giving up control over our energy supply is sheer lunacy.

We already lost billions due to the incompitance, lack of foresight and gross corruption of Ray Burke with his deal on oil and gas off the west coast, lets not make the same mistake twice.

Yes we need to gradually replace our dependence on fossil-fuels on renewables (though not nuclear). I agree. Regardless of where we get our fuel though, we should not be oppressed with energy-taxes. VRT also needs to be scrapped. It seems to violate the Single Market.

[PaddyDevlin]

What a load of rubbish Hiding, for any number of reasons. FG people in Mc Dowells constituency love him (see his poll figures vs. Lucinda's). Mc Dowell is a smart guy. He's divisive in his role as leader of the PD's beause he has to be. He doesn't give a toss what 93-94% of people think, so long as he can secure support of the other 6-7%.

If he lead FG, he'd target 30-35% of the Irish people, and work on getting them. And he'd probably manage it.

ask yourself a question ..

who would you have preferred going into the Dail today to question Bertie about the events of last week

Enda Kenny or Michael Mc Dowell ?

Interesting point Rock about how McDowell would like to target 30-35% of the electorate.

If there's an FF/Labour government after the next election (with Rabbitte defecting to FG!) and the PDs still exist in opposition Michael McDowell is not going to sit back and not take advantage of the fact that FG has not won an election in 25 years - he will certainally try forge a new party in such an alignment (remember how he wanted to transform the PDs into "The Radical Party").

There would be rich pickings in such a scenario. Some of the centre-right middle class voters FF retained the loyalty of in recent years would be open to supporting a new centre right party (without the explicit FG "brand") with a Dave Cameron style Tory message (middle class Greens could "vote Blue to get Green"). They might be impelled towards such a new party if there's an economic downturn and FF/Labour was losing support to SF. McDowell could play on the fear FF would probably drop Labour for SF once SF replace Labour as the third party.

With the ever greater elctoral volatility out there a new party could be crafted out of the remains of FG & PDs. Such a hypothetical party would be more capable than FG of challenging FF for the No1 spot.

That said maybe the Mullingar Accord might pull it off.. this week can't have done it any harm