Will expire after 9 months
Joy unconfined in media and political circles, yesterday, as Ursula Von Der Leyen and Micheál Martin posed for their photo opportunity at which it was announced that Ireland will receive an initial €989million from the European Union’s Covid Recovery fund to, in the words of Frau Von Der Layen, “support investments and reforms that will […]
The Hungarian Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Péter Skjiilstra, visits Dublin today for discussions with his counterpart Simon Coveney, and with Tánaiste, Leo Varadker. The visit is part of the lead into to Hungary’s Presidency of the European Council, which begins at the end of the month. It comes at a time of epochal […]
The rule of thumb in politics in the European continent is that domestic failure politically bodes well for promotion to the upper echelons of power in Brussels. After the last election for example, the government very seriously considered spiriting (since left) Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy to Europe to remove him as a political liability at […]
A Cork TD has accused both the Taoiseach and the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine of gross negligence and failing in their duty to protect the Irish Fishing sector. Rural Independent TD Michael Collins said that he had challenged the Taoiseach, the Minister and the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) on what he […]
There is, as Irish Catholic Editor Michael Kelly noted last night, a “glorious irony” to this: There is a glorious irony in the fact that the Irish Republic has now gone so rogue that Poland and Hungary are rightly raising concerns about the rule of law here. https://t.co/f6WlZnEiAV — Michael Kelly ن (@MichaelPTKelly) April 15, […]
Naturally, the announcement prior to Christmas that the Pfizer BioNTech and Moderna Covid vaccines were good to go came as a great relief to people who at last could see an end to the “new normal.” However, as Gary Kavanagh pointed out on this platform here, the initial optimism has been tempered, with many questioning […]
Prof Ray Kinsella has provided a succinct appraisal of what the Brexit deal means for Ireland – not so much in relation to economic matters, but as a reflection of where the Irish state and the island as a whole stand in relation to the EU as a political entity. He notes in particular how […]
The EU blinked. There’s no point in attempting to put a gloss on it. You know the kind of thing: “This is not a time for triumphalism…” On the contrary, yes, it is. Europe should celebrate the Free Trade Agreement negotiated by Boris Johnson because it is a vindication of what democracy is about, and […]
Fair warning: What you are about to read is not objective journalism. Declan Ganley has been my friend, and my colleague, for thirteen years, give or take. When it comes to this subject, I have a conflict of interest, and it is very important to state that right here in paragraph one, so that you’re […]
On Tuesday, Taoiseach Micheál Martin reported back to the Dáil from the weekend’s EU Council meeting in Brussels. The main issue of concern was the implications of the lack of an agreement between the Commission and London prior to Britain leaving the EU at the end of December. Martin echoed the Brussels line that the […]
Eel Fisherman, Seán Doherty of Cheekpoint, Co Waterford dumps thousands of Euro worth of fish in the Waterford Estuary as the state’s total ban on eel fishing continues. The Irish government introduced a total ban on eel fishing in 2010 in an effort to allow the stocks to replenish. Local fishermen say that they are being […]