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

In late November Mary Harney was under immense pressure over the care of cancer-patients and the direction of the health services. There was a small possibility for blood and the opposition forced a vote of no confidence in the Minister. Despite speculation to the converse, the Minister survived and the only overt damage to government [...]

Diarmaid Ferriter’s 10 part series on De Valera for RTE radio 1 concluded yesterday. It was very interesting and well worth a listen on the still-available podcasts. Of course the series is linked to his re-revisionist book about Dev which itself was the source of a pseudo-controversy regarding its distribution to schools. [...]

Bertie’s tax affairs regarding the dig-outs are back in issue.  One reason he needed the dig-outs to be loans is that they wouldn’t be taxable income (although I also vaguely recall a claim that the Manchester nixer wasn’t taxable because it was received outside the Republic).  But anyway, the Irish Mail on Sunday (which really [...]

agus ath-bhliain faoi mhaise duit. From everyone at irishelection.com, have a great time today (or over your holiday-season-amas) as we look forward to a great 2008.
More anon on the priest who decided this morning that tolerance, rights and democracy are the antithesis of church teaching (having caved to pressure to attend this was all we [...]

What you doing reading a politics blog on Christmas Day?

The housing market is beginning to show initial and tentative signs of recovery, with prices expected to rise again outside Dublin before the end of 2008.
Since the reform of stamp duty by Finance Minister and Tanaiste Brian Cowen in the Budget on December 5, there have been initial indications that, although the slump has not [...]

More than 266,322 houses, flats and holiday homes lie vacant in the Republic — enough to house a million people, the Sunday Independent has learned. Housing Minister Batt O’Keeffe claimed two weeks ago that much of the present problems in the housing market was caused by rogue builders who are “sitting” on finished properties as [...]

The decision of first-time buyers to defer purchases has seen a boom in the rental market, with rents rising to an all-time average high of €1,400 a month nationwide.” (Irish Independent, 28 November 2007)
…Rents are strong in Ashbourne thanks to its relative proximity to the capital and the major expansion of retail business in the [...]

Clearly Bertie Ahern’s philosophy at Mahon today, deciding to build on what he perceives as a good day yesterday with his “none of your damn business” retort to questions about his separation arrangements.  Two Three bits of actual news so far, below [updated].

I missed this on Wednesday. Flanagan seeks to ban samurai swords after spate of attacks
Edit. What have Fine Gael to fear.. Youtube embeding not really working so click here. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdLCEwEFCMU

Bertie Ahern today at Mahon: Mr Ahern said he was “some fella” if counsel’s theory was true. The theory being that Bertie arranged a £19,115.97 loan from AIB before Christmas 1993 backed by a cash infusion that he knew was coming — the “surprise” legal expenses dig-out, arranged on St Stephen’s Day and delivered [...]

From Ireland.com
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has told the Mahon tribunal he had “no reason” to use a bank account to deal with his income after his marital separation in 1987.
No reason? The guy was earning £60,000 a year and was willing to keep it lying around?
Mr Ahern agreed that sometimes his cheques would accumulate and they [...]

With the release today of the CSO details on gender in Ireland Labour used the opportunity to push out their policy of
Labour believes that state bodies and agencies should be required to achieve at least 40 per cent representation of each gender on their boards and governing bodies. We believe that statutory force should be [...]

Here is something I did not expect from the CSO. Overall Production increases by 4% Yes you heard it write production grew. How you ask?
Despite a fall of 10.0% in the volume of output in residential construction, the overall volume of output in building and construction activity increased by 4.0% in the second quarter of [...]

Over on Indymedia they have details of the latest escaped by the shell to sea people. This time a group of them “scaled” can’t see any climbing gear in the photos and put in place a banner reading.
PROTECT IRISH NATURAL RESOURCES
Now call me nieve but arn’t we always told that the campaign is to PROTECT [...]

All the controversy over the recent ministers pay hikes seems to have hidden the civil service pay hikes, including a hike for one Julie O’Neill who got a rise of 212,000 to 270,000. Ms O’Neill was the person who forgot to tell Noel Dempsey that Aer Lingus was pulling out of Shannon. Is that [...]