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

Shocking stuff really, two Health Ministers receive bullets in the post and so do a number of fertility clinics from a crowd called the Irish Citizen Defence Force.
Ridiculous

From Fine Gael
February saw the biggest ever monthly increase in the live register in absolute terms, proving that Fianna Fáil has killed the Celtic Tiger. The crucial 5% barrier has been broken with unemployment now running at 5.2%, the highest since August 1999. The spectre of mass unemployment has returned to haunt the country.
The [...]

Interesting reading in the Financial Times today. First, a short comment piece by Quentin Peel on Bertie and the Lisbon referendum; nothing that we don’t know in Ireland but since it reflects chatter in Brussels, perhaps indicative of growing nervousness amongst the Eurocrats about Bertie’s handling of the vote. Second, an [...]

“To me, services for cancer patients are worse now than they were seven years ago in the midlands”
…
“I am writing out of a deep sense of despair and frustration…I have written to senior management about seven times in the last two years…outlining how we would deal with the problem…all to no avail”

James Reilly of Fine [...]

While no date has yet been set, we now have the wording of the Lisbon Treaty Referendum. It isn’t readable, short or simple but it seems to cover much more of the bases than a simple adoption of the Lisbon treaty - designed as it is to deflect worries about creeping EU statism. Even though [...]

One of the more interesting aspects of the Lisbon Treaty is the manner in which the President of the Commission will be chosen. Under Article 9, the President of the Commission is to be chosen with due respect to the result of the European parliamentary elections;

Speaking on the Week in politics about ABA Brian Hayes said that Parents want choice. Now this was in relation to autism education but are Fine Gael willing to run with this further. The thing about school choice is that I am torn by it. On the one hand I am very much in favour [...]

Spotkanie Bertiego Aherna z Donaldem TuskiemFianna Fails continuing efforts to get immigrant votes continue at paste with Polish (i think) press releases. But what is Bertiego Aherna

So State may be paying pensions to 8,000 deceased people. now according to the article a pension is €223 a week. Or for 8000 people for a year €92,778,000. Is it time we had a Minister for Waste because whoever is doing the checking is not doing a very good job.Maybe with a green budget [...]

Judging by the current version RTE website story on Ian Paisley’s departure as FM and DUP leader, Enda Kenny was first out of the starting gate with a statement  Hopefully the government is not so distracted that this could catch them off guard.  One wonders if Paisley might now attend the 10th anniversary observance of [...]

From Fine Gael Ireland reliant on imported fuel due to Govt inaction - Coveney
Fine Gael Spokesman on Energy, Simon Coveney TD, today criticised the lack of progress by the Government on its Energy White Paper, which is leaving Ireland with an overexposure to imported fuel and at risk of energy supply shortages.
Seriously what does he [...]

The Sunday Business Post had another of its regular polls in this Sunday’s edition, which highlighted some interesting changes in public opinion.
One intriguing outcome of the poll that the amount of people who trust Bertie Ahern has fallen, while the amount of people who support Fianna Fáil has risen.
Critically, however, the number of people who [...]

Irish Election won the Best Political Blog award this year. This is the second year in a row we have won it and have to say I feel and I am sure Cian and everyone else here feels very humbled and grateful to have been chosen out of all the other fine blogs this year. [...]