With General Election polling just days away the latest bookmakers odds reveal an interesting picture of who should be safe, who will lose their seat, the likely poll topers and in fact an extensive list of prices for a whole range of election bets for anyone interested in staking a few euro on next Friday’s outcome.
As far as Waterford is concerned, Fine Gael’s John Deasy (1/80) and Independent Alliance member John Halligan (1/50) appear to have the first two seats sown up.
David Cullinane has seen his price contract in recent weeks and the Sinn Fein Senator, who was available at 1/9 just a couple of weeks ago, is now a 1/14 chance to take the third seat.
The real battle in Waterford is for the fourth and final seat. Paudie Coffey’s (FG) current odds of 1/2 are only a quarter of a point shorter than those of Fianna Fáil’s Mary Butler (4/7) and so it certainly looks like a battle royal between the pair for the last seat.
Ciara Conway is another Labour deputy in deep trouble. The bookmakers appear to give Deputy Conway no chance of retaining her seat and are currently offering odds of 11/2.
The remaining odds for the Waterford constituency are Grace O’Sullivan (Green Party 35/1), Mailo Power (Renua 50/1), Una Dunphy (AA-PBP 50/1). The odds for the other three candidates, Edward Quilty (Direct Democracy), Sheikh Ahmed (Independent) and John D Walsh (Independent) range from 100/1 to 200/1.
An interesting contest is on the cards in Carlow-Kilkenny according to the latest odds.
Fianna Fail’s John McGuiness is fancied to take the first seat at 1/14. Sinn Fein’s Kathleen Funchion is (1/7), John Paul Phelan of Fine Gael (1/5) and Fianna Fáil’s Bobby Alyward (2/9) should all be in line for a seat while the fifth seat looks like being fought for between two Fine Gael candidates Pat Deering (8/15) and David Fitzgerald (8/13).
In Wexford, Mick Wallace (Ind) and Paul Kehoe (FG), both trading at 1/14, look likely to be elected while Brendan Howlin (Lab) probably won’t be too happy with his current odds of 1/7, given his high profile.
The odds for the party to win the most seats is all too predictable with Fine Gael at 1/10, way ahead of Fianna Fail (4/1).
The bookmakers expect though that despite all the posturing and denials Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil will make up the next government and are in fact so sure that they are only offering the very skimpy odds of 11/10 on such an outcome.
A return of the current coalition partners is available at 7/1 while a Fine Gael minority is trading at 8/1. Fine Gael/Labour/Renua/Any other party comes in at 10/1, the same price as a Fine Gael/Labour/Social Democrats coalition.
