Recovering from the use of the term ‘butt plug’ in the title of a blog post, a few links for you. (And unlike Miriam Lord I know the difference between a butt plug and a rampant rabbit but maybe she’s just given the former leader of the Labour Party a new nickname, I may never look at him in the same way again.)

– There’s a new political party in development, they describe themselves as centrist (which may mean they have not decided what they are.) The Irish Democratic Party are looking for new members and they invite you to find out more about them.

– The Chairperson of Cork South Central Ogra Fianna Fáíl has taken to blogging and writing posts in the third person condeming this and welcoming that. Is she thinking about running for office?

– Speaking of Ogra, you’ve seen their recruitment posters?

– I hear Cllr Laura McGonigle who won best blog by a politician in the Irish Blog Awards 2010 is contesting the Fine Gael Dáil Selection Convention in Cork South Central. Link to the blog post (well written in the first person) announcing it later.

– Lucinda Creighton T.D. wants everyone to put the country first. And that does not mean having an election now – well not with those polls out which might mean she would lose her seat. See Adrian Kavanagh’s excellent post over on PoliticalReform.ie discussing what might happen in terms of estimates of seat numbers in an election.

– Jason O’Mahony on Amateur Opinion Poll Spinners who are nothing like Adrian Kavanagh.

– Sinead O’Shea’s report on Ballydowd, the HSE and childcare in Irleand, recently shown on Al Jazeera. 23 minutes on Ireland and failing our children on Al Jazeera. (H/t Gavinsblog)