Over the next couple of days many people will definitively make up their mind about who they will vote for next Friday. That is not to say that the final week of campaigning next week won’t matter, but by and large the die will be case by Sunday night.
What started as a process-driven, policy free election campaign has been transformed into a real debate. That debate saw the parties discuss the economy, perhaps at the expense of all else. Such is the state we are in that tax, jobs and the public finances are dominating the agenda.
Labour’s Tesco ads, Michael Martin’s Rip Van Winkle impression and Sinn Fein’s fantasy economics have not, I feel, played well. Fine Gael is not perfect, but I am proud of how we have focussed squarely on policy and our plans for the future. The voters may reward us next week. Or they may not.
But with a week to go, I know I am on the right side.