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

Brought to you by oireachtas.ie thanks to the spot from Mulley Wonder if this is long term plan for while the Dail isn’t in session.

With all the attention focused on the fairness or unfairness of the Budget cuts, its only new tax measure – the Carbon Tax – has passed almost unnoticed. You have to wonder if there would be a Carbon Tax at all if it wasn’t necessary to keep the Greens in government or to give the [...]

Paul Gogarty is not the most famous Irish TD. Certainly not the most famous in the Green Party. Of their 6 TD’s he probably is the 7th more famous (Senator Dan Boyle) . But now he will be at least 6th most famous. The advent of the internet means that what might of been a 1 [...]

[Audio clip: view full post to listen] Its needing no introduction. Update Simon: Now on Youtube Ringtone now available thanks to @BrianGreene Update Simon: Dail Transcript below.

In what is more then likely just a PR stunt Fianna Fails Marie Hoctor told the Nenagh Guardian. that she will not vote in support of the Government’s budget this Wednesday in the absence of certain commitments in relation to issues in her constituency. Ms Hoctor indicated that she was growing disillusioned with the direction [...]

A curious thing of late is the use of English references to degrade an opponents. Previously it was Alan Kelly MEP with his references to 700 years, Kilmainham Gaol and the Union Jack a press release that even now looking back on is shocking. But that has not been the last of it. In two recent releases [...]

Budget 2010 has drawn outrage from most sides but perhaps a word should be devoted to the 20-24 year olds. For younger people it looks like you take any job your offered or face a cut in your jobseekers allowance. This is despite many going to college – as instructed and incetivised to do – [...]

I seem to be missing something about this budget: on doing our sums, my wife and I – still somewhere in the top 10%-15% or so of earners even after the significant hit our income has taken in the recession – are down the €16 a month on the child allowance and not much else. [...]

If you are looking for a lobbyist, it looks like Angela Kerins is your person. Amazing stuff from Suzy over on Maman Poulet about the fate of the NDA budget which has enjoyed a generous increase. Looks like good times for those in the disability sector. Doesn’t it?

Concerns have been raised at plans by the Government of Saudi Arabia to establish a school with an Islamic ethos in Dublin, according to the Irish Times. The plans have been announced in Arabic on the website of the Saudi embassy in Dublin which opened in September. From the Irish Times on Wednesday: According to [...]

There are various ways to summarize the vision represented by Budget 2010.   One is provided by taking a look at Table 10 in the Stability Programme Update which sets out the path to get us back to the Maastricht limit of a general government deficit at 3 percent of GDP by 2014.

[Cross-posted on TheStory - please appreciate I wrote this at 1.30am after a day spent reading official documents. Mistakes are a possibility, I'm open to discussion in comments section] It’s about a year since An Taoiseach announced plans to develop ‘The Smart Economy’ (the successor to ‘The Knowledge Economy’, remember that?). In those twelve months [...]

Just a note on policy from todays budget: “But, membership of monetary union also means devaluation is not an option. Therefore the adjustment process must be made by way of reductions in wages, prices, profits and rents.” That’s long-term adjustment policy. Up to 2014. More of the same on it’s way for years. And they [...]

If you want to watch again. Brian Lenihan Budget 2010 from Irish Election on Vimeo.

What exactly are the Government expecting in their Department of Justice budgeting:

Lenihan’s headline grabbing paragraph about investment in flood management will undoubtedly appeal to an element of the electorate that is looking at a particularly tough, possibly homeless, Christmas. And it’s worth noting that many of those hit hardest would fit the traditional Fianna Fáil voter demographic. Though Simon debates this below… The minister announced a [...]