Irish Election - Coverage of Irish Politics, News and Current Affairs

There is that old saying I like. No Tax without representation. But despite the normal interpretation there is another way you can read it. No representation without tax. Basically why should people have a say in how we run our country if they don’t have any input to it or dependence on it. Now I [...]

According to a report on Newstalk, Bertie Ahern is still looking to press ahead with a Children’s Rights referendum prior to the next election. Beyond the purely electoral, there isn’t any really good reason why this referendum should be held separate from the general election, but that really isn’t here or there. What is though, [...]

Joe Duffy is talking about Dyslexia in the Leaving Cert. I have talked about it here before.

Before I say anything negative about the events of last Sunday, I’d like to make it perfectly clear that in the grand scheme of things I do recognize that the outcome was a good thing for the peace process.
I do, however, have some concerns, for what they’re worth.
Let’s remember that the Good Friday Agreement was [...]

Haven’t had a chance to read it yet, as I was in Uni all day. Focus seems to be on investment in beds and opening space (i.e. stopping private development). Download it here.  Some points below the fold, some analysis later hopefully once I’ve had a bit of grub.

What Party are you. Take the test. And post your results in the comments.
My results in order

I know It is a bit lazy to re-post something but I admit I am lazy. Some time ago around the time of the Irish Ferries story. I posted on my own blog (before Irish Election was born) about economic sense. But with the economy being used to justify everything these days I felt like [...]

Pictured Left to right. Liz McManus, Bredan Howlin, Pat Rabbitte, Michael D Higgens and Ruari Quinn.
Irish Election can exclusively reveal that in an attempt to “rock the vote” instead of doing the actually correct thing and not forcing the likes of Michael D Higgins, Breeda Moynihan Cronin TD out of retirement and replacing them with [...]

I dont quite have facts and figures to go with this but yesterdays RedC/Sunday Business Post poll suggested that there may be increased numbers of voters who would vote Sinn Fein if they decided to recognise the police. In the sidebar we are putting in a poll asking whether yesterdays decision will affect whether you [...]

From Ireland.com
Mr O’Gorman said he would work for the establishment of a university for the south east region. He said he believed the upgrading of the Waterford Institute of Technology was a “vital component to the revitalisation of County Wexford.
“County Wexford has one of the lowest levels of uptake of third level education in [...]

Oh my ears and whiskers, how late it’s getting!
Five months to go – maybe less – and Labour finds itself stuck in the mud of the Mullingar accord.
Trapped at 12 per cent in the opinion polls, surrounded on three sides in Dublin by Fianna Fáil, its only escape route has been blocked by Enda Kenny, [...]

It may not be as sexy as the debate over the Celtic and Christian character of Irish society, but the issue of endemic low-pay in the economy is one of the biggest ‘sleeper’ issues coming up to the general election. That it may not get an airing owes much to the personality-driven, issue-free nature [...]

 
Having this picture taken. (Hat Tip Blogorrah.)

So the immigration debate has reared it’s head again in Ireland. With Enda Kenny thinking he is TD for Tennessee (all be it a Celtic Tennessee) and McDowell being and it pains me to say this, an utter twat.

Enda Kenny tried to kick up some dirt during the week by trying to throw the immigration debate back into centre stage, something which could be seen as Fine Gael’s attempt to prove itself to the centre-right/right.
As everyone, especially Michael McDowell, knows Fine Gael’s number two priority (perhaps even number one) is to squeeze the [...]

I wonder with the new RED C poll (see here and p.ie) if the chances are increasing of a snap election (or perhaps a Spring election)?
I was watching the news and it struck me that the tone of Harney’s comments about the hospital consultants was the sort of thing that the government might use to [...]