Y’know, it’s a little difficult not to be in control of things. Or to share control of something that you think is solely yours. As the team has gotten more involved they’ve taken on more responsibility – more of a stake. They’ve had to: I can’t do this by myself. And now it’s as much their campaign as it is mine. Which is great. It’s just a little difficult, sometimes, because this is so personal for me. From when I had my first meeting about it, to standing in front of the party membership, to knocking on that first door. Now it’s personal for them too. And I’m still getting used to that, I suppose.
 
Met one of the volunteers, who is helping me with correspondence, yesterday morning in Buswell’s Hotel. Chain on my bike went on the way in. Find myself in jeans and a t-shirt covered in oil sitting in Buswell’s when a host of political hotshots comes in prior to a press conference. Not very professional.
 
Back in Sandymount later that evening. Great canvass. Only I spoke with one lady and I know I didn’t impress her. I tried to sell her something that wasn’t me (I don’t know why) and she called me on it. I was a bit rude too. Really just wasn’t myself. And again it was towards the end of the canvass and I was tired. Have to watch that as nights get longer, etc.
 
A meeting of the core four followed the canvass. Good meeting but it went on and we were all tired at the end of it and a bit fed up maybe. I went home and to bed but my mind was still racing from the meeting and the canvass (I replay the canvass in my head sometimes, the people I met, the things I said, searching for things I need to improve upon, formulating better answers in my head – it drives me crazy). Was still awake when housemate left for work at 4am this morning.

7 weeks to go. Though we thought we were up and running again last week, we jumped the gun a bit as people were mostly still away. So really back at it full tilt from yesterday.
 
My diet has gotten dramatically worse. I am always hungry but have little time to cook anything or do a proper shop. Relying on whatever I can find in Spar and the local chipper. Currently midnight and I’m mid packet of biscuits as I deal with some correspondence (is anyone ever really get on top of their correspondence?).
 
Have been down in Sandymount again these past two nights and the reception has been great (perhaps the sunshine helped?). Bumped into a lot of people I knew too, so a bit of fun – makes for a ‘feel good’ canvass, but not necessarily the most efficient. A few people making fun over the Phoenix article but that’s all part of it I suppose.
 
I had the briefest of moments this evening. We had a local daughter/national celebrity out with us. We were moving well enough from door to door. And as I powered down one driveway and out the gate, turning left to get as quickly as possible to the next open door, I saw myself. As I had always pictured it in my mind’s eye – the campaign I mean. Sunny evening, down on my home turf, out with a good team, going from person to person and not having time to stop. There was a real buzz to it. The next few weeks are going to be fun.

Coffee morning went well. Clearly a lot of effort had gone in to it. Weather affected turnout a little but this meant that those who came got to really spend some time with me and raise a lot of questions. We must have talked for an hour and a half about a host of issues and it was great. Great experience for me and I hope I gave people something to think about too.

Long canvass this evening in the locality. Covered a lot of ground, though not many were answering their doors due to the weather. Called in to a house where I used to live which was a bit of fun.

Finished on something of a bad note unfortunately. It’s amazing how some people can be so aggressive on the door and so negative. I kept my composure but my performance was quite underwhelming. While the person seemed like the type who would go out of their way not to be satisfied, I wasn’t very impressed with what I was saying. And I guess that’s what matters at the end of the day.

And back to it. Though really, everyone still seems to be in holiday mode with the short week again this week.

I’m in good form I have to say. Rest over the weekend was much needed. And just got a phone call from a resident saying that he and his wife had seen my literature and were going to give me their first preferences. To take their time out of their day to say something positive like that, especially given some of the negative callers in recent weeks, really makes a difference. I don’t think people understand how much a few words of encouragement can mean to someone in my position.

Another coffee morning tomorrow. A bit nervous about it, as I always am with these things. It’s a lot easier to speak from a podium to 300 than it is to a room of 30.

On Sunday last, North Korea shot a ballistic missile – the kind that can carry a nuclear warhead – over Japan. The missile crashed into the Pacific Ocean, having travelled some 1,900 miles, but not before launching North Korea back on the foreign policy agenda of Barack Obama’s administration.

This test was an improvement on North Korea’s previous missile outing, in 2006, which crashed 40 seconds after take off. Technically, though, it was still a failure: despite North Korea’s protestations to the contrary, the missile failed in its crucial, orbital stage, according to intelligence reports.

Politically, though, it was a striking success. This was never about North Korea improving their technical capabilities, or demonstrating their expertise. This was about optics. North Korea wants Obama’s attention. Now they have it, and they will squeeze it for all they can.

The US Administration was quick to state that the test had further isolated North Korea from the international community. In fact, it has done the opposite. North Korea is once more centre stage, and centre stage is the best place from which to manipulate those around you. Another movement in this long and elaborate dance has begun.

Multilateral talks on North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme are, once again, in limbo, and have been since just before Christmas. With every day that passes, the regime is losing out on potential food and fuel aid, and so it wants back at the table. North Korea has a lot to gain and nothing, really, to lose. As in the past, it knows that all it needs to do is break a rule and it will receive a prize for not breaking it again.

This time, the prize for not launching another missile (though it probably doesn’t have the capacity anyway) will be some form of concession from the Obama Administration, with the intention of getting North Korea back into negotiations on the disabling of its nuclear facilities. These negotiations have been protracted and North Korea has only benefited from them to date. So it’s a win-win for them.

Obama has said that he wants a strong and unified response from the United Nations Security Council and from the international community. American liberals will point to this as the essential new quality of the Obama era, one of multilateralism and consensus. The truth is rather different. This inclusive approach may sound like the responsible way to proceed, but it is the opposite. It is nothing less than abrogation of leadership.

The US Administration knows better than anyone that the Security Council has neither the capacity nor the authority to act on this issue, or others like it, and certainly not in a unified way. (The Security Council cannot even agree that this latest missile test was in breach of its previous resolutions, which specifically demanded no further tests.) Bush knew this. Obama knows this. The only difference is, the latter is happy to play the game. The message from Obama is: continue as is.

And that is what North Korea now knows. And it knows that, no matter what resolution is passed, or what statement issues forth from the United Nations, if any, the reality will be different, and it will be told as much directly by Beijing, their patrons in this process.

It took the American comic, John Stewart, host of the news satire, ‘The Daily Show’, to hit the mark: commenting on the missile launch, he addressed himself to North Korea’s notorious leader, Kim Jong-Il, and said, “this time you’ve gone as far as you usually go… This is another straw!”

The most telling piece in Stewart’s sketch was when he played his comedy routines following the two previous tests. They were the same.

Obama has stayed the course with North Korea, and the US continues on this front as it did under the Clinton and Bush presidencies. So much for “change”.

However, on Wednesday of this week, Obama tried a new tack with Iran, announcing that the US would sit down with the Iranians, for the first time since 1980, to discuss its own nuclear programme in multilateral talks. Now this is different. And yet, one cannot help but wonder, are we just few years down the line from another North Korea? Bush may have been wrong to invade Iraq, but might Obama be wrong to talk to Iran?

Weekend off, which is great. Bit of down time with the gang down in Ranelagh yesterday and today dinner with the folks.
 
Though it’s never really completely off. Had to take a few phone-calls on Saturday afternoon. One from Dublin fire brigade regarding a potential obstruction and health hazard near one of the local schools. Had asked them to check it out, which they did. And if they’re working on a Saturday then I guess I am too.
 
The Phoenix article wasn’t so bad in the end. Could have been worse. Nice way to cap the last few weeks of profile raising, and an affirmation of sorts that we’ve been noticed.
 
We’re steadily approaching the final straight. The coming weeks will see the final pieces being put in place for the campaign proper. Been thinking about just how quickly it has come up. Make or break time.

Sitting in Bewley’s hotel, 2am. After canvass we decided to have a campaign meeting here. The current phase of planning is all about positioning: getting ourselves ready for the surge (in activity and volunteer numbers) that will come as the election date draws closer. Planning is really out of my hands now. The core of four are now completely independent of me and it’s great. Emails pass back and forth and I don’t even read them all. This evening the public meeting posters came down and I had no idea it was happening when it was. All good stuff. Can’t believe what these guys are putting in. How will I ever repay them?

We’ve had a very good couple of weeks. A new flyer dropped to the entire constituency, the bus shelter posters, two successful public meetings, the bikes, a TV slot at the Ard Fheis, mention in the Irish Times, and now the Phoenix. I haven’t read it yet though I know the front carries a picture and says “Eoghan Murphy: blueshirt in a hurry”. As they can be quite harsh, I’m concerned about the content. Though the team are keen to stress that it’s not about what they say, but that they are saying anything at all. They’re right, again, of course. But still.

I stayed on after to work on an article for the papers about North Korea’s latest missile test. Would have gone home only the internet, after having been fixed, is broken once again.

Looking forward to Easter weekend “break”. Have taken on some work from Vienna (a rather long and convoluted speech for the end of the month) which I have to get done asap. I wouldn’t have only I am now officially broke. The last few weeks of profile raising really ate in to my savings (devoured them in fact) and fundraising continues to be very difficult given the economic climate. We carry on regardless though. This election will be won on the ground, in meeting people and getting the message across.

I’ve just posted my submission to the Council’s Rathmines Local Action Plan here. The main street in Rathmines is now more akin to a high street in a cheap London borough than the charming urban town front it once was. Commercial premises need to shape up or ship out. This is the “dress for success” approach. If the main street in Rathmines looks better and is more attractive to shoppers, it will get them. So no more tacky plastic signs and neon lights, but a return to traditional looking shop fronts and signage in a bid to restore the old character of the area. What do you think?

Canvass in the rain today. Down in my old stomping ground of Sandymount. Not many answered the door, but those who did seemed to know me, or my family, which was nice. Called to my old house. Well, tried to. It now has big electric gates outside so you can’t even get to the letterbox. Just some useless buzzer. Not how things were when I was growing up.

Canvass was followed by dinner in Mario’s on Sandymount Green. It wasn’t packed but it was still busy, which was good to see.

Wind and rain kept us from taking down our meeting posters after the canvass. Not good that they are still up but nothing that could be done. Will try again tomorrow.

I don’t understand it. These are unique times for the country’s economy. So why a budget that is just more of the same, but to a harsher degree? Where was the progressive thinking, the new ideas – the solutions?! Increasing taxes is in itself not the answer. This is basic economics. You do not stimulate growth by taking money out of the economy.

Yes there are holes in the public finances that need to be filled, but were was the stimulus? Where was the innovative thinking needed to protect existing jobs and create new ones? Where was the lifeline to small and medium sized businesses so that they have cash to keep their businesses afloat? Where was the reform of the public sector?

This budget lacked any sort of vision. We are playing catch-up here. Grasping for ways to prevent what has already occurred. Instead of looking ahead and to how we climb out of this mess.

On balance, reform of TD allowances was something, if not quite severe enough. A reduction in the dole for under-20s shows the right thinking but is just a drop in the ocean of the kind of reform we need in the social welfare system. And the de-facto “bad bank” is progressive. It is new and it might just do the job. Time will tell.

In summary: an opportunity lost. We all know that these are hard times and the burden must be shared, and share it we will. But increased taxes – in fact, taxes at all – should be treated not as a fine on individuals for living in this State, but as an investment on our part in our collective future. Was there anything in this budget that pointed towards real change in how our money is spent? Was there any true reform of the way we do business in this country? No. Once again we fail to learn the lessons of the past and condemn ourselves to a bleaker future.