大選活動已完成三分之一，各大政治人物正忙著分發奶油，以及來自「蘋果派」的數十億美元

奇怪的是，不久前我們還不會動用歐盟裁決帶來的資金。現在，它是不斷贈送的禮物。

A third of the general election campaign has passed and the main political parties are dishing out billions in promises, having been given a third of the money from the EU ruling.

大選活動已經過去三分之一，主要政黨從歐盟裁決中獲得了三分之一的資金，並做出了數十億美元的承諾。

The world of science can rest easy as it will not have to adjust Newton’s laws of gravity. However, in politics even golden windfalls must eventually descend, no matter how long they have been kept suspended in mid-air. But the seemingly endless largesse has left voters a little bewildered.

科學界可以高枕無憂，因為它不必調整牛頓萬有引力定律。然而，在政治上，即使是橫財，無論懸在半空中多久，最終也一定會降臨。但看似永無止境的慷慨讓選民有些困惑。

The attitudes of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael towards each other are also baffling. The latest opinion poll, conducted by The Irish Times, still gives an edge to Taoiseach Simon Harris’s party, but predicts a close-run thing.

共和黨和統一黨對彼此的態度也令人費解。 《愛爾蘭時報》進行的最新民調顯示，愛爾蘭總理西蒙·哈里斯（Simon Harris）領導的政黨仍具有優勢，但預測結果將很接近。

In government, the two main parties were presented as two sides of the same coin. Now they are vying for votes and need to convey an illusion that the gloves are coming off.

在政府中，兩個主要政黨被視為同一枚硬幣的兩面。現在他們正在爭取選票，需要傳達一種假象：手套即將脫落。

But so far, it has just been a case of replacing the velvet with calf skin. The “hold me back, let me at him” routine is not fooling anyone.

但到目前為止，還只是用小牛皮取代天鵝絨的案例。 「阻止我，讓我攻擊他」的套路騙不了任何人。

The simple truth is, it is hard to see a pathway to government for one without the other.

簡單的事實是，如果沒有其他人，很難找到一條通往政府的道路。

Yet Fianna Fáil’s Jim O’Callaghan wanted to get a dig in, with the charge that Fine Gael could no longer claim to be the party of law and order. Fine Gael has held the justice portfolio for 14 years, but no progress has been made on crime, he claimed.

然而，統一黨的吉姆·奧卡拉漢卻想要挖苦，指責統一黨不能再自稱是維護法律和秩序的政黨。他聲稱，統一黨執掌司法部門已經 14 年了，但在打擊犯罪方面卻沒有任何進展。

In response Justice Minister Helen McEntee said: “Women all over the country will understand what it feels like when men try to claim credit for women’s work.”

對此，司法部長海倫·麥肯蒂表示：“全國各地的女性都會理解當男性試圖為女性的工作爭取榮譽時的感受。”

So yes, we have seen some theatrics, but for the real pyrotechnics we may have to rely on the independents.

所以，是的，我們已經看到了一些戲劇性的場面，但對於真正的煙火表演，我們可能必須依賴獨立人士。

Meanwhile, Sinn Féin has been following a “steady as she goes” approach. Party leader Mary Lou McDonald said she was “in it to win it” and that if a week was a long time in politics, two weeks is an eternity.

同時，新芬黨一直遵循「穩紮穩打」的方針。該黨領袖瑪麗·盧·麥克唐納(Mary Lou McDonald)表示，她“致力於贏得勝利”，如果說一周對於政治來說是很長的時間，那麼兩週就是永恆。

The poll shows that Independents have made the biggest gains, up to 20pc. Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin are both on 19pc, while Fine Gael leads with 25pc support.

民調顯示，獨立人士漲幅最大，達 20%。 Fianna Fáil 和 Sinn Féin 都獲得 19% 的支持，而統一黨 (Fine Gael) 則以 25% 的支持率領先。

As for the outcome, at this point, we are crystal-ball gazing. Or, as former football manager and pundit Ron Atkinson once put it: “I’m going to make a prediction – it could go either way.”

至於結果，目前我們正在拭目以待。或者，正如前足球經理兼專家羅恩·阿特金森曾經說過的那樣：“我將做出一個預測 - 事情可能會發生任何一種情況。”

It is always worth hanging a question mark on things we take for granted, and never more so than when it comes to the will of the people.

對我們認為理所當然的事情總是值得打個問號，尤其是當涉及到人民的意願時。

We should also keep in mind that of the 160 TDs elected to the 33rd Dáil, 36 are not running this time, and of those, 66pc are from the ranks of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil. So it is all to play for. Or, more pertinently, given the amount of taxpayers’ money being bandied about, it is all to pay for.

我們還應該記住，在當選第 33 屆眾議院的 160 名 TD 中，有 36 人這次沒有參選，其中 66% 來自統一黨 (Fine Gael) 和愛爾蘭失敗黨 (Fianna Fáil)。所以一切都是為了玩。或者，更恰當地說，考慮到納稅人的錢被亂花錢，這一切都是要付出代價的。