In today’s Irish Independent, Philip Ryan is reporting that “children under the age of 16 would be able to legally change their gender under plans being discussed by Fine Gael.” Ryan goes on to note that: “A Fine Gael policy paper drafted for the government formation talks recommends changing laws to allow all children change […]
The coronavirus in Ireland has claimed the lives of 1,650 people, a large majority of whom were those confined in nursing homes and unceremoniously left to meet their fate. For the rest of us, the last several months have been about making unprecedented personal and collective sacrifices in order to save as many lives as […]
A stunning report from Pat Leahy in the Irish Times this morning: “The future of a proposed ban on the importation of Israeli goods produced in Palestinian territories has emerged as a sticking point in the talks on government formation. The Occupied Territories Bill 2018, proposed by Independent Senator Frances Black and supported by Fianna […]
There are several ways by which a person might illegally immigrate to Ireland. They might, for example, come here on a temporary work visa that entitles them to be in the country for a period of time, and then stay here long after that visa has expired. They might simply sneak in on the back […]
Trouble in, well, not paradise, but certainly trouble in whatever lifeless room the negotiations for a new Government are taking place in: A senior Fianna Fáil negotiator involved in the talks to form a government has accused Fine Gael of selfishness and of putting their party before the country. Barry Cowen made the charge after […]
Statistical evidence has played a central role in our society’s response to Covid-19. We gather and publish data on so many aspects of this epidemic – the number of deaths, the number of cases, the number of tests, the number of intensive care units available, the recovery rates among hospital admissions, the number of clusters […]
This article is co-authored with Dara J Clooney Since the foundations of the state, our country has been ruled by two dominant parties. These parties are historically distinguishable only by their loyalty to two different men in the bitter division over the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921 and many often say, Fine Gael and Fianna […]
The Covid-19 pandemic has revealed startling failures of leadership across much of the Western world but could the increasingly harmful strategies abopted by various Western nations be redirected to achieve a sustainable response? It is perhaps time to accept that the proverbial horse has bolted, with the near certainty that tens of thousands having […]
If you’re lucky enough to be well off, please take a moment and think about the poor, and the unfortunate, among us: Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe tells @PatKennyNT that Ministers won't be taking a pay cut for #COVID19. He says Ministers haven't had the pay increases that other sectors have had in recent years. — […]
Cards on the table: I think criticising him for this is nuts: On the front line – Taoiseach @LeoVaradkar at Morgans Place site in Blachardstown where he he help with #Covid19 testing of residents. This sends out a really positive message 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 pic.twitter.com/neqoZ817dZ — Mayor of Galway – Cllr. Eddie Hoare (@EddieHoareFG) April 27, 2020 […]
An absolutely astonishing report in the Irish Times this morning. No, scratch that. A report in the Irish Times that really should be astonishing, but of course, isn’t: Senior figures in Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil believe they can progress to negotiations on a coalition government with the Green Party on the basis of the […]
One of the most remarkable achievements of the Irish government in the Covid-19 crisis has been its ability to avoid almost any hard questions for any of its actions, even when they’ve made clearly terrible decisions that would end up costing lives. Most media outlets have simply fallen into line and become mouthpieces for the […]