Darragh O’Donoghue previews the NBA Playoffs 2009 for Yellow Roman Candles. 

Western Conference

The stronger of the two conferences in the last few years, the West’s iron grip on the NBA title has slipped in recent years, with first the Detroit Pistons, Miami Heat and then last year’s Boston Celtics denting their decade-long dominance.

Despite the resurgence of the East though, the West looks likely to feature the closest 1st round battles, as only 6 games separated the 2nd and 8th seeds after the 82-game regular season, with the scintillating Suns slipping out of the play-off picture. 

The dominant force this year has been Kobe Bryant’s Lakers, and they look like a good bet to take home the Western title once again, having finally found enough strong role players to satisfy their star. After that though, it looks like a dogfight.

The experienced Spurs have lost Manu Ginobili and any realistic shot they had at the Championship, while the Nuggets and Trailblazers are still not entirely convincing. The Rockets have an outside chance, while Chris Paul will do what he can for the Hornets, but it looks unlikely that the Mavericks or Jazz will make any waves.

Here’s a breakdown of the 1st round match-ups in the West:

LA Lakers vs Utah Jazz

The Lakers are the no.1 seed for a reason, and they are unlikely to let any complacency creep into their game as they prepare for this series against the dangerous Jazz.

Bryant has been in imperious form this year, averaging nearly 27 points per game, and has clearly benefitted from last season’s late addition of towering Spaniard Pau Gasol. Along with explosive 7-footer Andrew Bynum, now fully rehabilitated after knee surgery, and the experienced Derek Fisher, the Lakers finally have the right personnel in place to complement Kobe.

The Jazz, on the other hand, will do well to take this series the distance. With the precocious Deron Williams prompting from point guard and Carlos Boozer back in harness, they would cause problems for anybody, but won’t have enough t oust the Lakers.

They should be able to make things uncomfortable for their opponents with Williams having another stellar season and solid pros like Mehmet Okur and Andrei Kirilenko also in the rotation. They also have two emerging stars in Ronnie Brewer and CJ Miles, but the Lakers should have enough to send the developing Jazz home early this May.

Lakers in 6

Denver Nuggets vs New Orleans Hornets

The Denver Nuggets were a team on the slide last year, with the wayward Allen Iverson running the team and star forward Carmelo Anthony looking like fading into irrelevance. 

Fortunately for them, they persuaded the Detroit Pistons to part with super-cool veteran Chauncey Billups in exchange for Iverson at the start of the season, and they’ve never looked back. With the talented Kenyon Martin and Nene providing the muscle, the Nuggets have found a focus and intensity this year which has propelled them to a 54-28 record and 2nd seed in the West.

Their reward is a 1st round series against the tricky Hornets, powered by one of the league’s premier point guards, the gifted Chris Paul.

The 23 year old Paul has been their star again this season, averaging 23 points, 5.5 rebounds and an incredible 11 assists a game this regular season, but he lacks the support he needs to really damage opponents in the post-season. 28 year old power forward David West has been dominant, but the soft Peja Stojakovic has stumbled, and the Hornets lack the firepower to advance.

Nuggets in 5

San Antonio Spurs vs Dallas Mavericks

These two bitter rivals know each other all too well, both having slugged it out in the shark tank that is the South West division. That division has contributed half of the West’s play-off entrants, and any series between them is invariably going to be a war of attrition.

The Spurs have a fearsome recent reputation to protect, as they walked away with the Championship three times between 2003 and 2007, but this is a great chance for the Mavs to pull out the upset.

The Spurs dynasty was built on the robotic shoulders of power forward and future Hall of Famer Tim Duncan, with Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili providing the firepower and Bruce Bowen and a team ethic shutting down opponents. This season though, the 32 year old Duncan has finally started to slow down, while Bowen has been limited to a mere 19 minutes per game. They still would have had a big say in the destination of the Championship, but Manu Ginobili’s season ending ankle injury is a horrific blow that even this tough team of seasoned vets will struggle to overcome.

That said though, they will probably still have enough in the tank to take care of the frustratingly erratic Mavericks. 

When Dallas took a 2-0 lead over the Miami Heat in the 2006 NBA Finals, it looked as though they had finally answered all the questions which remained over their toughness. Incredibly though, they threw away Game 3 by folding down the stretch, and slumped to a painful 4-2 loss from which they never recovered. All their old faults returned, and this year looks like a case of same old, same old for Dallas and their colourful owner Mark Cuban.

Star player Dirk Nowitzki has had a great year, averaging 26 points per game, but has never convinced in the clutch. Veterans like Jason Kidd, Jerry Stackhouse and Erick Dampier are in the twilight of their careers, and although Jason Terry and Josh Howard will battle, they won’t make a lasting impression in this year’s playoff race.

Spurs in 7

Portland Trailblazers vs Houston Rockets

The Portland Trailblazers have had an excellent year, as their young stars continue to gel and develop. The addition of 2007 opening draft pick Greg Oden did not immediately have spectacular effect many predicted, but the 21 year old giant has emerged as a commanding presence in the centre. Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge have been the go-to guys on offense, while Travis Outlaw and Rudy Fernandez have worked hard off the bench.

In contrast, the Houston Rockets have relied on a solid core of veterans to earn them the 4th seed, and they needed all of their experience to combat the loss of injury prone dynamo Tracy McGrady early in the season.

McGrady will not feature in the post-season, so the Rockets will be relying on the suffocating defence of Shane Battier and Ron Artest to frustrate Portland’s young guns, and hope Yao Ming and the rest of a balanced offence to keep their noses in front.

This should be a tight series between two very capable squads, but experience and home court advantage just about nudges the Rockets through. Neither side will have enough to go all the way though

Rockets in 7

Eastern Conference

With three of the last five NBA Champions hailing from the East, there are three teams in particular which will fancy their chances of taking home the big prize in June.

Last year’s champions, the Boston Celtics, finished the regular season as one of the three teams with over 60 wins, but with news filtering through that Kevin Garnett may miss the post-season, their crown is slipping. The Cleveland Cavaliers will be waiting to pounce on any slip-ups, and Dwight Howard’s Orlando Magic will also be eager to assume the mantle of Eastern Champs.

Beyond those three, there really should be no legitimate threats to whoever is left standing in the West. The Miami Heat will always have a shot once Dwyane Wade is healthy, but they could only secure 5th spot, which leaves them a tricky assignment against the Atlanta Hawks. The 76ers will have their hands full against the Magic, while the Bulls aren’t ready and the Pistons have fallen apart. 

Here’s a breakdown of the 1st round match-ups in the East:

Cleveland Cavaliers vs Detroit Pistons

The fearsome Pistons team from a few years ago has come crashing down in Detroit, and after the dust has cleared, all that remains standing are the twin towers of Rip Hamilton and Rasheed Wallace. Big Ben was shipped out, Billups found himself traded, and his replacement Allen Iverson has gone into an almighty sulk, refusing to play for his new team.

They still have Tayshaun Prince and solid role players like Antonio McDyess and Rodney Stuckey, but with the man-child Iverson ruining team chemistry and squad morale, it will take a superhuman effort for them to advance.

Their opponents on the other hand, the high flying Cavaliers, have been having a whale of a time this season.

With Michael Jordan finally getting the nod to enter the Hall of Fame, his Air apparent LeBron James has led his side to a league best 66-16 record and probably earned himself the MVP trophy. With James playing like the superman he was always hyped to be, he has found solid support from the big men, Ben Wallace and Zydrunas Ilgauskas on both ends of the court. Mo Williams, Delonte West and Anderson Varejao have also chipped in with their fair share of points, and the Cavs heady cocktail should be enough to floor the sorry Pistons.

Cavs in 6

Boston Celtics vs Chicago Bulls

The Celtics have been awesome again this year, with their triple threat of Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett now ably assisted by the excellent Rajon Rondo at point guard and the reliable Kendrick Perkins at centre.

Garnett is their leader though, and if he misses the playoffs then his team could be in trouble. Pierce has the athleticism, and Allen has the experience, but without Garnett’s fire driving them on, things could get sticky for the defending champs. They also took the gamble of picking up the disaffected Stephon Marbury down the stretch, and the damage he can do to any team’s chemistry cannot be underestimated.

Chicago won’t be the team to trouble them though. The rebuilding Bulls have earned their ticket to the playoffs with an underwhelming 41-41 record, and have a battery of talented youngsters, but this is too soon for them. The experience of leading a team in the playoffs will stand to youngsters like Luol Deng, Derrick Rose and Tyrus Thomas, and they will be back next year stronger and more experienced, but the Celtics should have no problem with this series.

Celtics in 5

Orlando Magic vs Philadelphia 76ers

The Magic have been irresistible all season long, powering their way to an impressive 59-23 record in the regular season. Their engine has been the dynamic Dwight Howard, who has been a monster all year. Howard is the kind of player who can dominate a game, and the Sixers will have trouble containing him. If they do get a handle on him though, the problem will then be trying to stop Rashard Lewis from dropping bombs on them from 3 point land.

The Magic have a very balanced roster this year, and have just the right mix of youthful athleticism, precision shooting and experienced old heads to be a major player in this year’s Eastern Conference.

They won’t have things all their own way against the dogged 76ers though, who have confounded the critics by shrugging off the loss of star forward Elton Brand to cruise into the playoffs.

With Andre Miller pulling the strings from point guard, the Sixers have a tough young squad packed with talent and aggression. Andre Iguodala can do everything, Thaddeus Young and Lou Williams are dangerous scorers, and the erratic Sam Dalembert can dominate on defence when he’s in the mood.

Expect a strong Magic to take this series, but they’ll have to work for it.

Magic in 6

Atlanta Hawks vs Miami Heat

This is the closest 1st round series to call, and the only one in either division that is likely to go against the seeding.

Led by the excellent Joe Johnson, the Hawks have been the surprise package of this season, scrapping their way to a 47-35 record with no big stars on offense. It’s very much a team effort with the aforementioned Johnson leading the way in scoring with help from Josh Smith and veteran Mike Bibby.

Their advance to the playoffs has been an inspiring story for the beleaguered franchise, and with home court advantage, there’s no reason why they can’t advance to the second round.

No reason that is, apart from Dwyane Wade.

Wade has always been one of the best players in the league, but this season he has put the Heat on his back and carried them to the 5th seed, starting 79 of the 82 regular season games and averaging a league high 30 points while doing it. While Jermaine O’Neal and Michael Beasley will take some of the slack on offense and Udonis Haslem should hoover up off the boards, this team will stand or fall by Wade.

He should be able to squeeze them past the Hawks, but not much further

Heat in 7

Of all the titanic battles which have taken place in MMA, the ongoing fight for respect and acceptance among the public has been the toughest. It could finally be nearing an end though, as MMA blossoms from its beginnings as a cult freakshow to its current status as a legitimate and well-respected sport. As it stands, professional events are being hosted in front of enthusiastic crowds all over the world, television networks are beaming events into living rooms free of charge, and fighters are being recognised by mainstream journalists as the dedicated athletes they are.

While some will always be repulsed by the physical and sometimes brutal nature of MMA, the number of people who were once so quick to dismiss it out of hand are rapidly dwindling. As the sport outgrew its original teething problems and began to evolve throughout the 90s, regulations were necessarily put in place. The days of seeing a 180 pound Royce Gracie taking on someone twice his size at the first few UFC events were necessarily ended and the official Unified Rules were introduced in 2000. These rules were recognised by various State Athletic Commissions and allowed the UFC and other organisations to market themselves as a ‘real’ sport. 

Chuck Liddell v Tito Ortiz at UFC 66

As MMA began to find its footing and establish itself in America and elsewhere, the setup became more and more professional. Top class referees like John McCarthy, who trained and understood the fight game, were brought in to ensure the fighters’ safety.

Rather than being a bloodthirsty, no-holds barred brawl featuring street fighters with minimal formal training, MMA became a true test of skill and athleticism. With proper weight divisions established, fighters could no longer depend on a size advantage to make up for shortcomings in a technical area, and the importance of true ‘cross-training’ was established. The sport became a mix of stand-up fighting (the main disciplines of which include traditional boxing, kick-boxing and its variants, and karate disciplines like Tae Kwon-Do), grappling (Judo and wrestling, etc) and ground fighting (mainly submission arts like Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and catch wrestling). These days no fighter can make it to the top level without a moderate level of skill in all three disciplines, and any who are lacking will be quickly exposed.

Contrary to popular belief, the injuries in the first decade of sanctioned MMA have been almost exclusively minor. There has been one death in sanctioned MMA bouts to date, that of the unfortunate Sam Vasquez, who passed away in November 2007 following a fight for Renegades Extreme Fighting in Houston, Texas. Despite this tragedy, the image of barbaric ‘cage-fighting’ is hard to reconcile with the slick UFC, which has held over 100 events with no worse injuries to the participants than the odd broken bone. The sport, in statistical terms and on a professional level, is no more dangerous than cricket, horse-riding or hockey.

One of the reasons for this is the 4oz gloves which fighters wear. Although originally introduced to reduce the chances of the puncher breaking their hand, they paradoxically lessen the chances of damage to the cranium than someone being hit with a heavy, cushioned boxing glove. The reasons for this mainly come down to the fact that a punch connecting square on the jaw is likely to result in a straight knockout, or knockdown, and the fight will be ended. Boxers, on the other hand, may be subjected to perhaps 15 three-minute rounds of punishment at the gloves of their heavy-handed foe.

A reason for the surprisingly sanitised environment of the octagon is the professionalism of the fighters. No-one becomes a professional mixed martial artist without a serious amount of training and hard work, and very rarely will someone be dangerously out of their depth in the ring.

Another aspect of this professionalism is evident in the respect fighters afford each other. More so than in almost any other sport, the isolated nature of MMA results in a mutual understanding between the solitary combatants. They are all acutely aware of the dangers they face, and any unsportsmanlike conduct which could result in a career threatening injury would be seen in a very dim light indeed by the MMA authorities. This leads to a surprisingly clean and respectful sport, especially given its inherent nature. 

Rich Clementi v Anthony Johnson

Obviously, there will be exceptions to every rule. But the UFC laid down a marker in August 2007 when they cut one of their most promising fighters, Brazilian Renato Sobral, for holding a choke for too long after his opponent had submitted. Because of the priority which fighters’ safety is given and the (sometimes grudging) respect between the fighters themselves, the often jarring sight of two fighters emotionally embracing just moments after a ferocious scrap will still remain the norm.

With mainstream TV networks in the US and elsewhere belatedly recognising the potential audience which MMA generates, the sport has grown rapidly in the last few years. In the last 12 months alone, Setanta Sports have purchased the rights to broadcast every UFC event live in Britain and Ireland and organisations such as the ill-fated Elite XC and Strikeforce have found a home on popular US channels like CBS and NBC.

Although these organisations are augmented by the likes of Dream, Sengoku and the WEC, the big daddy is undoubtedly the UFC, particularly since the demise of Japanese behemoth Pride FC. As a consequence, the sport of MMA owes the UFC a debt of immense gratitude. If it wasn’t for their tireless promotional efforts, slick production and deep roster of fighters, the sport would not have reached a level where it is now pushing for entry to the Olympic Games. 

A sign of the sport’s growth is the recent voting of French-Canadian Georges St.Pierre as Canada’s ‘Athlete of the Year’, and the emergence of the UFC’s newest challenger, Affliction. With promotional heavyweights like Donald Trump and Oscar de la Hoya’s ‘Golden Boy’ productions lending a hand behind the scenes and literal heavyweights like the world’s premier fighter (arguably), Russian Fedor Emelianenko, fuelling the pay-per-views, Affliction could start a new wave of competition which will further develop the sport.

With legitimacy now earned and mainstream popularity growing, this young sport is still developing as an art-form. The accepted blueprint of ‘kick-boxing, wrestling and submissions’ which emerged just a few short years ago is now being excitingly challenged by a new wave of unorthodox and exciting shotokan and sanshou karate stylists like Lyoto Machida and Cung Le.

It’s not often that we are afforded the opportunity to watch a sport grow from infancy, and the direction which MMA takes in the future is bound to be fascinating. Whatever happens, we will be given the chance to follow it closely from the comfort of our living room, as it looks as though ‘Ultimate Fighting’ is here to stay.

This statement has a couple of important implications. It would seem that Ganley wants a career in politics: he’s not interested in continuing to campaign on a single issue after being rejected by the electorate. Also, it means that the parties on the Yes side need to devote considerable time and resources into ensuring Ganley does not take a seat in the north west. The prize of removing him from the referendum campaign would make their lives much easier come October.

Ganley’s other interesting and possibly explosive comment concerned an alleged meeting between the Czech deputy prime minister Alexandr Vondra, Dick Roche and a number of Irish civil servants. Ganley claims Vondra told him (0ver dinner in the Four Seasons last autumn) that Roche and his officials said they wanted Ireland to be isolated by the rest of Europe. They also wanted the other EU countries to ratify Lisbon so Ireland would be isolated.

This statement was openly questioned by several people at the debate. Some were appalled by what they described as Ganley’s use of “hearsay”. (It should be noted that Ganley made this remark after first stating as fact that the efforts to isolate Ireland were happening in our own Government, and not in Brussels.)

Several people were up in arms (one described it as an allegation of “treasonous” acts) but the chairman Harry McGee decided to move on, saying the matter would be clarified in the near future, which no doubt it will.

It’s unlikely the contents of that diplomatic meeting are FoI-able, but I expect Mr Vondra’s office will be receiving calls from Irish journalists, as of course will Dick Roche. There’s a lot at stake for Ganley if Vondra does not confirm the story. The Libertas leader has been accused many times of being disingenuous about the treaty. But those always concerned fairly complex points of EC law, not straight forward allegations about what was said at a meeting.

The debate itself – hosted by NUI Galway’s Dublin alumni group – was fairly genteel. Pat Rabbitte seemed a little complacent, reading from a prepared script and answering questions with the air of a man jaded by and indifferent to the whole Lisbon debate.

Asked if Libertas were merely filling the void left by the PDs as a centre-right party, Ganley said they are “potentially a large centrist party”. He also believes they could win 100 seats across Europe if turnout is increased 11-15% on last time.

As McGee said in his introduction, Ganley is an excellent communicator. But the truth of some of his statements about new voting weights at the Council of Ministers and other aspects of the treaty needs to be publicly tested. Right now, I can see him taking the third seat in Ireland North-West – unless the pro-Lisbon parties finally take the gloves off in June.

Kenny tonight has a huge task to prove he can converse with the ISME voter, the person with whom Fine Gael want to be associated… Kenny is the dealbreaker. His performance tonight is a barometer of whether the party is moving toward power or standing in the midst of a dervish, unmoving while all around them are in flux. If he doesn’t pull it off Lucinda will be the tip of the iceberg.

I think we can safely say that Kenny did as much as he could tonight to seal the deal with voters, particularly small business owners and out-of-work professionals and ABC1s – what Cian termed ‘ISME voters’.

No income tax increases and the abolition of employers’ PSRI for every new job created should play to that section of the electorate. He also reiterated other populist initiatives announced by FG in recent weeks, such as reducing the number of junior ministers from 20 to 12. Of course, he hammered home the ‘jobs, jobs, jobs’ theme – 100,000 to be created by the end of 2013. All that will go down well with the ISMEs.

But his the delivery of the speech is worth a mention. Such things are important – especially for Enda Kenny, who has always appeared wooden on television and in formal addresses. Tonight he performed to his best, which still wouldn’t touch Gilmore and Cowen on their good days but, hey, FG weren’t expecting miracles. For him, this is as good as it gets. Kenny has positioned himself well to look like an alternative leader amid the turbulence of the week ahead.

One final point: the Fine Gael membership were really up for it this weekend. This evening leader’s speech and warm-up acts received a rake of spontaneous rounds of applause and standing ovations – something I didn’t see at any other conference  this season. The TDs sitting behind Kenny were faster than ever in reaching his lapels at the finish. (Election hopeful Pascal Donohue literally ran to his side.) In contrast, Labour seemed serious and subdued last week. As Michael Ring said in his prelude speech that nearly brought the house down: they can “smell power”.

But Kenny didn’t spend long bigging up his own party and swiftly moved to attacking Fianna Fáil for its mismanagement of the economy and not forseeing the current turmoil.

However, his main theme this evening was the health service. He outlined three phases of a reform plan that will see more people treated outside hospital by their GPs and changes to the way doctors are paid (a ‘money follows the patient’ scheme). The third phase provides for a ‘Universal Health Insurace’ system based on what they have in Canada, the Netherlands and other countries. It would see everyone have mandatory private health insurance, either subsidised or fully paid for by the state.

All that jars with the policy of likely coalition partners Labour but nothing new there. Stay tuned for other clashes with Labour this weekend – maybe even a few swipes directed at them.

Other focuses of attention will be Lucinda Creighton and Ulick Burke, after they had words with Kenny at a recent parliamentary party meeting. Apparently, the air has been cleared but perhaps we can expect an awkward photo-op with Lucinda and Enda ‘casually’ having a cup of tea in the lobby tomorrow. Lucinda is centre-stage for the international affairs session tonight so the whole business might get a mention then.

Richard Bruton – roundly regarded as the party’s greatest asset right now – will be centre of attention for the televised session tomorrow morning. Let’s hope he offers something more interesting than last year.

Finally, Fine Gael brand new logo is on display everywhere this weekend. What do you make of it?

I thought the old one was grand.

More tomorrow.

UPDATE: Kenny kissed Creighton on the cheek after his speech. Don’t think she was expecting it. There’s yer photo-op.

Once again, no other Irish politician does empathy with human suffering as well as him (or his speech writer). Those early passages about the businessman, solicitor and bricklayer who lost their jobs will hit home with people: everybody has relatives and friends who have been severely affected by the recession but nobody can deliver those lines with the same authority as the leader of the Labour party which has been in opposition for the last 12 years.

But beyond the opening paragraphs, the speech faltered. There was little new in it and where there were attention grabbing statements, they were vague – such as to “keep universal access to third level education” (fees barely got a mention all weekend and Labour have yet to offer their proposals for funding the sector). Ditto the “three-year National Recovery Plan” and the “Graduate Work Placement Scheme”.

The focus on “crony capitalism” went down very well with members, as he used to the speech to set Labour apart from Fianna Fáil and their ties to bankers and developers. However, after similar fulminations by Adams, Dempsey and Gormley on similar platforms in recent weeks, hasn’t this particular vein of public anger been exhausted yet?

On Europe, his language sounded marginally warmer towards Lisbon, but when you look at the detail – “[that's] why the Labour Party was so right to back it, and why we will do so again, if the Government brings forward new proposals which are to our satisfaction” – there has been no actual movement.

In terms of language and style, it was a well crafted speech. He delivered well too. Better than the other party leader’s conference speeches this year. But in terms of content, it came up short. But the game was on over on RTÉ2 so, like last year, perhaps not that many were watching.

The Conference Hall, post Leader's Address

Gilmore’s address contained nothing entirely unexpected. There is little a party leader can say these days that has not been said before, be in in a party address or in the Dáil.

As expected the main focus of the speech was the economy, and – as echoed in the introduction by Senator Alan Kelly – a lack of leadership shown by Fianna Fáil and Brian Cowen. 

Kelly spoke of the knowing smiles of people turning into nods of recognition on his cnavassing routes. The public are all too aware of the economic situation, a shared anxiety Gilmore seemed keen to capitalise on in his televised address.

The film shown beforehand – available here - was of an Eamon Gilmore attuned to the needs of his constituents in his Dun Laoghaire constituency and the broader needs of the population. The Eamon Gilmore being sold by the Labour Party is caring but practical, resourceful and hard-working. The diversity of his knowledge, raised in a rural community on a farm yet living and working in an urban community, was stressed by the short film. The labour faithful were tonight left in no doubt that their leader not only understands, but identifies with his ‘comrades’ in the party. 

The speech itself was not awe-inspiring. Gilmore is a good speaker, he connects with the audience and is, in turns, relaxed, almost jovial and hard-hitting when needs be. 

Gilmore stressed that the economic situation in Ireland is not ‘Armageddon’, and that there is no need for ‘panic’. Name checking one of his predecessors he said that the Celtic Tiger economy was not a ‘mirage’ but was a thriving economy handed to the current government by Ruairi Quinn. 

That we need not panic was, however, qualified by a need for the public to ‘endure’ some pain, a shared pain that will not exempt the bankers, the members of the ‘Galway Tent’ elite and non resident tax exiles who make use of every loophole available to avoid capital gains tax. 

Gilmore’s rhetoric is positive, he discredited Cowen’s recent speech at the Dublin Chamber of Commerce as being too defeatist and said that the future ‘can and will be better for our children’. 

All in all, and not surprisingly, the blame is Fianna Fáil’s. Gilmore knew this would happen 10 years ago. The party knew that the boom could not last but were ignored by the voting public and the government. 

It is nothing the voting public have not heard before though there is every chance they might start listening now. Gilmore is an articulate leader, and seems capable of taking on the might of FF in the next election. It is comforting to hear of the Labour Party as one in itself, and now a tag along friend of Fine Gael’s. Whether or not they could possibly achieve the dreams of those waving the ‘Gilmore for Taoiseach’ signs in the hall this evening remains to be seen. With European Elections looming in June the party seem more confident than ever and Gilmore’s speech can only strengthen their resolve. 

For now the Labour massive are out in Mullingar celebrating a long day of hard campaigning and vote-winning. Expect lots of back-slapping and shouts of ‘comrades’ come dawn. 

Ciara

Paul Dillon, a former president of UCD Students’ Union was one of the most articulate speakers on the opposition side in Mullingar. He was joined by several Labour Youth delegates and speakers from the party’s Northern Ireland organisation. It was clear from the reception they received that many delegates sympathised with their cause.

As the debate came to a close and the vote on the recommendations drew nearer, there was some concern among party handlers. They produced two big guns as the final proposition speakers in Proinsias De Rossa and Ruairi Quinn, before Eamon Gilmore was invited to sumarise. All three spoke well and their popularity among the membership would have swayed many undecided delegates. In the end, the constitutional amendment passed comfortably.

But these type of debates are something you don’t see often at party conferences. They touch on issues that go to the core of members’ political philosophies, like how much say the grassroots should have in choosing candidates (that topic was one of the few sore points at Fianna Fáil’s Ard Fheis last month).

But, in the end, the support of Labour’s most popular representatives was decisive in securing the required two-thirds majority. Despite the news of tomorrow’s poll, Gilmore still has momentum because of his strong Dáil performances and his roundly praised speech to last November’s special delegate conference. He is very popular among the membership and many of the opposition speakers made a point of declaring support for his leadership. In the end, that sense of party unity put the outcome of the conference’s one truly contentious motion beyond doubt.