THE Government has sent out the strongest signals yet that it is preparing for a summer election. A number of decisions taken about its parliamentary schedule in the past few days suggest the decks are being cleared to go to the country in June.
The Minister for Finance, Mr Quinn, has decided that the Finance Bill will be published on March 27th, a little earlier than usual. But, more significantly, he has decided that it will have passed through both Houses of the Oireachtas by May 8th.
He has also decided that the broad contents of the Bill will be published before the end of February, to enable interested parties to make submissions.
In an apparently unrelated move, with a warning from the Government Chief Whip, Mr Jim Higgins, "not to read anything into it", the Dail is to start sitting until 10.30 p.m. to ensure priority legislation is passed. The first late sitting will take place on Wednesday, to be followed by late Tuesdays and Wednesdays for the remainder of this Dail session up to Easter.
The Government has ordered that the long-stalled Compellability, Privileges and Immunities of Witnesses Bill, 1995, will be debated next Tuesday and Wednesday and passed with the aid of a guillotine at 1.15 p.m. on Thursday.
The Bill, which could compel Mr Ben Dunne and a "senior Fianna Fail figure" to give evidence to a Dail committee, is an important tool in its election strategy to spread allegations in the payments-to-politicians controversy.
Mindful, as Mr Higgins put it, "that Mervyn Taylor would burst a blood vessel if the Employment Equality Bill is not in", the Government has ordered that it will be debated on Tuesday and pass through its final stage at 10.30 p.m. on Wednesday night.
"It's business as normal," said Mr Higgins. "Ministers are running their Departments, busy running the country. I think that is the impression they are trying convey. There's no decision on the date for an election."
But that was not the impression conveyed yesterday. The Taoiseach, Mr Bruton, a pint drinker himself, was the first Government member to announce that the 5p increase was not justified. He said it was the Government's intention "to pursue the matter with vigour".
And to stake out Fine Gael's position in a three-party Coalition, and take some credit away from that Mr Pat Rabbitte of Democratic Left, he said the Minister for Justice would also be involved.
He was also anxious to claim credit for Partnership 2000, inviting RTE to record his words outside Government Buildings only IS minutes before a prearranged sound-bite with the Labour Minister for Finance, Mr Quinn.
Fianna Fail's election alert has turned from amber to green-for-go. By coincidence, Mr Bertie Ahern starts his nationwide constituency tours with a trip to south Kerry today,
