Shane Ross: Whoever wins the general election will have to toady up to Trump

Last weekend, the general election was working, according to the Fine Gael-Fianna Fáil handbook. The polls were in broad agreement: a Fine Gael-Fianna Fáil coalition would be back in office; the Greens were toast and Sinn Féin would, as usual, take lumps out of the outgoing coalition, mostly on housing and health. The Government would choose the economy as its preferred battleground; the left-wing parties, once again unable to co-operate even in opposition, would be spectators; the Independents would have a good day out.

President Kamala Harris would be welcoming either Simon Harris or Micheál Martin to the White House on St Patrick’s Day..