Election without a decision
When Ireland's parliamentary election campaign opened a month ago, Prime Minister Charles Haughey and his Fianna Fáil (Band of Destiny) party seemed invincible. The polls showed them comfortably ahead of their opponents; Haughey, 55, had sprinted into the lead like an Irish steeplechaser in a field of Clydesdales. But then the jumps got higher. Undercut by the tensions in Northern Ireland and voter discontent over inflation (21%) and unemployment (11%), Haughey saw his lead evaporate. A strong finish by the opposition Fine Gael (Family of the Irish) party,...
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