Opportunism seen in Irish election move

from Donal Mooney in Dublin
1 lie all etnmeetnent hv the Irish Prime Minister. Mr Jack Lynch. that there would be a General Election on February .28 came as a surprise to many. But it was not perhaps entirely surprising to elOse observers of the Irish political scene which has received so many shocks in recent weeks.
Mr. Lynch's calculation of the political odds has all the trap pings of opportunism. The main opposition parties. Fine Gael and Labour. have been caught in disarray. Tentative plans tor a coali don front, mooted constantly over the past months. were still uncrystalised when Mr. Ly rich dropped his bombshell.
Moreover both parties. but particularly Fine Gad. were gearing themselvc for the Presidential campaign scheduled for late spring Eamon de Valera is due to retire in June after 14 years in the Republic's top post and were thus wrongfooted by Mr. Lynch.
Mr. Ly itch has timed his election move brilliantly. once again belyine the once held image of ineffectuality. He has ahnost certainly guaranteed that his Fianna Fail party will be returned to power. Mr. Lynch himseil is possibly the greatest vote drawer in Irish history. His personal pop.
ularity more than compensates electorally for the lack lustre performance of his cabinet over the P'51 three years.
The timing of the election has an import:ince other than Mr. 1.ynch's personal ambitions. however. An election would have to be held by 1974 in any event and the signs at the moment arc that, Whatever Ireland's current troubles. they pale by what is expected in the wake of the British Government's W hite Paper on .Northern Ireland.
Gloomily it is being predicted in Dublin that a blood•bath is almost certain to Ibllow the in trodudion of the paper. Should the sectarian violence in the North continue at its current scale or escalation. there will almost certainly be a revival of popular sympathy in the Republic lot the Poo isional
I.R.A. :ilthough this would still constitute a minority of the NIT dation. if a highly vocal one.