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

A spokesman for the Garda Representative Association speaking 0n Newstalk’s Lunchtime with Eamon Keane today said young gardai would be more  susceptible to bribery if they were paid less. Newstalk don’t podcast their shows so I can’t quote the GRA man directly, his basic argument was “cutting the pay of young guards would make bribes [...]

He was one of my potential movers. Is John McGuinness lining one up? He has been stirring it within Fianna Fáil and critical of party leadership but has yet to do anything about it, as far as I remember… “There will come critical times or moments or events that will determine whether a new leadership [...]

As Cian points out, the Government’s majority is potentially down to the vote of one TD after Sligo-North Leitrim TDs Eamon Scanlon and Jimmy Devins resigned the Fianna Fáil whip today. The Government now has 83 votes, including Jim McDaid but not today’s two. It consists of 72 Fianna Fáil TDs, 6 Greens, two former [...]

There was an interesting article in this week’s Sunday Business Post penned by Cathal O’Loghlin, former assistant secretary at the department of finance and director of the IMF. Headlined “We are all also culpable for excess”, it lists three delusions the author believes the Irish public is guilty of… The first delusion is that ordinary [...]

Employees of Thomas Cook branches in Dublin have locked themselves into the branch at the bottom of Grafton Street in a dispute over redundancy packages and the manner in which they were told they’d lost their jobs. I was down there for a time earlier speaking to a number of those involved.

Economics is not my forte, nor is it that of many of Irishelection’s stable of regular posters, yet it relates to much of our other content. I’m therefore going to curate the important commentary on the subject from elsewhere in the blogosphere and media and hopefully this post might provide a platform for an intelligent [...]

The Irish Examiner has an article today that illustrates the condition the property market is in at present. A new fully-fitted three bedroom house in Cavan can now be got for just €100,000 – howa’bout’cha knock a euro off that one, boys, make’er five-figure… The price has fallen by more than 50% since they originally went on the [...]

Woman goes missing in the Caribbean, turns up in Terminfeckin several years later.

Niall O’Dowd plays the “sure all ye Americans are Irish aren’t ye” card to ABC News. Turns out the Harvard professor arrested for attempting to break into his home is related to the cop who arrested him. Stretching it just a little, maybe?

An emigrant from Northern Ireland to the US who made millions in his new life has his teenage rebellious republican phase come back to haunt him.

So, ‘turns out that Denis O’Brien has done interviews with all the Sunday broadsheets, The Sunday Times was just the first to update its website, hence was the centre of all the talk online, including my earlier post. Yes, the O’Brien spin cycle has gone into overdrive. Apart from the (Murdoch-owned) Sunday Times’ interview mentioned [...]

Someone has finally reported on the contents of the Moriarty Tribunal’s Preliminary Report – it has been under media embargo since November. Mark Tighe of the Sunday Times interviewed Denis O’Brien who helpfully revealed some of the embargoed contents. The story is summed up in the opening two paragraphs (a sign of a well-written piece) – [...]

The PD’s long goodbye is almost, nearly, complete, The Irish Times reports. They had what will likely be their last meeting yesterday. While the story itself is of little interest – we all knew it was on the way – the following section made me raise an eyebrow… Mr Grealish also expressed confidence that he, [...]

President McAleese has signed the Criminal Justice Bill and Defamation Bill into law. Last night the Council of State discussed the bills in what many interpreted to be a symbolic, or tokenistic, meeting. This morning they were signed into law. Step in which direction? I know one or two regular participants on this website thought [...]

Sinn Féin lost their third councillor since the June local elections on Saturday. Lousie Minihan, a Dublin City Councillor from the Ballyfermot/Drimnagh ward left the party, taking her seat with her. She told The Irish Times that she believed Sinn Fein was no longer focused on “ending British rule in Ireland and the establishment of [...]

Dan Boyle is on the war path again. A statement released through the Green Party communications office following his speech at the MacGill Summer School today said… Addressing the MacGill Summer School in Glenties, Co Donegal, the Green Party Finance spokesperson said progress required a prompt end to the culture of ‘No Blame – No [...]