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

Conor made some interesting points on the nature of incentives to build houses pointing out the amount of empty houses that are in the country sighting.
The national average for unoccupied housings is 12.1% - and it’s 15% when holiday homes are added into the picture. For example, there’s 45,000 empty housing units in Dublin (25,000 [...]

John Gormley has come out with his new building regulations and fine regulations they are too. However since a lot of our housing stock has been built of late with Fianna Fail’s forward planning it is a bit late. One interesting point is the regulation for more energy efficient lighting. With CFL lamps made [...]

Here is my tip Brian Hayes of Fine Gael will be Taoiseach within 20 years. Watching him on Q&A he is simply very Bertie. Articulate and to the point yet not stuck up his ass. Which is rare among the oldies and trolly dollies like Lucinda and Coveney.

Well there was more explosive stuff in there today than perhaps the other days put together. Bertie arrived in to tell them that he doesn’t remember driving Celia to the bank to pick up the money, though he does remember getting it from her. Yet Celia seems to think he drove her. The problem for [...]

Bertiegate has been gone over again and again, particularly since Bertie Ahern has come before the Tribunal in recent weeks, so I’ll keep this brief.
I expect Bertie Ahern, a member of the Cabinet in 1994 and as the head Government that represents Ireland to the world, to remember every single detail of every single punt [...]

This post arose out of a discussion with Simon on Michael Taft’s C’mon Ye Know-Nothings, (18 September 2007). Fianna Fáil has produced an abundance of tax incentives to aid the construction industry. One of these schemes, the Rural Renewal Scheme 1999 (PDF FILE, 887KB), is set to run until 31 July 2008. According to the [...]

Thanks to WBS for drawing be up to Slugger today. Been quite busy and might otherwise have missed the very interesting Top 20 Irish Blogs. UK Blogger Iain Dale has compiled a list of Irelands top 20 blogs and published them on his blog. Personall I think it would have been silly to exclude slugger [...]

This weeks podcast is up over at Inside Out, this week the show takes a look at the future of Kosovo in an interview with Kristin Holtgen, European Program Analyst with the International Crisis Group. There is also some discussion of the nature and role of GM food in the future as Green Party Councilor [...]

For all your number junkie’s out there. More census data to look at Volume 8 - Occupations - Entire Volume .
With some interesting numbers like Gardai have increased by about 900 since 2002 and teachers by about 10,000, Health Workers by about 15,000 social workers by 5,500 ish  and most important of all 111 more [...]

Irish Examiner Headline
Drumm: hotels are future of our health service 

Labour Deputy Leader youtube video’s out. Under the fold. If you value your time don’t watch them very little beyond the normal PR spin. Extra points for Joan Burton for not using the phrase “lets have a dialogue with the people”. Even thought she repeats the Pat Rabbitee idea of getting those who think [...]

All eyes on Dublin Castle again today as the extended sitting (were I not a student, I would be quite jealous that five o clock represents ‘overtime’) of the Mahon Tribunal. The plan is to get all of the questions out of the way and leave Bertie be on his way to the rugby see [...]

Just over a year ago, Anthony under at Public Inquiry made the complaint to the Standards in Public Office Commission that was dealt with today. In a very short statement the SIPO said that there is no grounds for investigating the loans/gifts given to Bertie in 1993/1994 which are now subject to investigation in the [...]

Here we go, two sets of troops ready for ten five years of battle, no Jim O Keefe to be seen, Charlie is back in at Justice after a sabbatical, Shatter back in the front team as spokesperson for Children while Dr James Reilly gets into health. Varadker gets the (increasingly easier) Enterprise, Trade and [...]

Team Enda has been revealed. Does anyone think it is ironic that Simon Coveney got Communications.

Finance & Deputy Leader
Richard Bruton

Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
Michael Creed

Art, Sport and Tourism
Olivia Mitchell

Children
Alan Shatter

Communications, Energy and Natural Resources
Simon Coveney

Community, Rural & Gaeltacht Affairs
Michael Ring

Defence
Jimmy Deenihan

Education and Science
Brian Hayes

Enterprise, Trade and Employment
Leo Varadkar

Environment, Heritage and Local Govt.
Phil Hogan

Foreign Affairs
Billy Timmins

Health
James Reilly

Immigration [...]

Eamon Gilmore’s big red army is here, launched same day as Fine Gael which is great news for them I am sure. Howlin certainly got moved sideways though its not surprising given the Leas Ceann Comhairle business. Rabbbitte and Quinn remain while Tuffy, Sherlock and Lynch are in the mix. Blogging senator Dominic is Commuter [...]