MICHAEL D. said it 10 times, maybe more, even though voters and politicians dread such talk. We are entering a period when the European model of politics" applies, Mr Higgins declared, wearing his sociologist's hat. A bit like Italy, more like France.
There will be a series of elections until the votes eventually throw up a working combination. "Voters decide combinations" not parties.
He would like the next election within a month. As a hung Dail looked inevitable, he read the Labour vote as a "go into opposition" order.
Mr Higgins's term as Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht may have coincided with times of great benevolence for Galway West.
Galway may have become the Irish Hollywood with his blessing and munificence, but it was back to old times. Back to days of long, tortuous counts to secure the Labour seat in Galway West.
Any thought of repeating his 1992 poll topping performance soon faded into the realm of dreams. With his vote almost halved this time, Mr Higgins admitted to suffering, but rejected talk of collapse.
A £16 million television station, TnaG, may have come to the townland of Tully, Inverin, but not many locals were impressed. His vote in the area climbed from 14 last time to just 19 this time. Moreover, designating Connemara as, in effect, one large special area of conservation went close to eliminating the implementing Minister. The national vote was, in his view, "a grab" at tax cuts fuelled by the page one editorial of his not so favourite newspaper, the Irish Independent. "This election was about greed. It's pay back time set the tone." Senator Frank Fahey started campaigning the day after he lost his seat in 1992. He topped the 1997 poll thanks to hard work, establishing a presence in Galway city and articulating a strong anti crime line. With party colleague Mr Eamon O Cuiv, Fianna Fail took two seats on the first count.
An ebullient Mr O Cuiv talked of "the age of the big party" while Mr Fahey emulated Mr Bertie Ahern in the embracing stakes. Their victory jaunt took place twice, due to bilingual declarations.
The shadow of one Ms Moire Geoghegan Quinn hung over proceedings, as it will when Fianna Fail's national strategists meet to evaluate how June 6th panned out. With Ms Geoghegan Quinn on board and a modicum of vote management, the party could have won three seats.
Fine Gael's Mr Padraic McCormack occupied the middle order, leaving Mr Bobby Molloy (PD) and Mr Higgins to fill in the final placings.
In the fourseater Galway East constituency, Fine Gael pulled off a notable gain when a risky vote splitting strategy paid off and saw its two candidates, outgoing TD Mr Paul Connaughton and former senator Mr Ulick Burke topping the poll.
What became known as "the railway strategy" - dividing the constituency on the basis of the Galway to Dublin line - led to Mr Connaughton concentrating on the northern half and Mr Burke on the southern half.
They were facilitated by a sharp drop in the vote of Mr Joe Burke, the Progressive Democrats' candidate who, before the election, was tipped to take a seat. He was damaged by a strong performance by Labour's Mr Colm Keaveney.
