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

An interesting constitutional problem, thrown up by the outcome of the local elections, which has not as yet been covered in the mainstream media is that no government comprised of FF and any likely set of partners can now to command a majority in the Seanad after the next general election.
Even if they were to [...]

A poll for how people will vote on Lisbon, it is hosted on my own site as I don’t wish to interfere with the WordPress plug-ins for Irishelection.com. Plus, I’m not 100% sure how well it will work and so don’t want to risk mucking things up here.
You can find the poll here
In part this [...]

We had a pretty compelling and some might say damning contribution from abuse victim and former FF councillor Michael O’Brien on Questions and Answers last night.

Q&A May 25th
Update: I had wanted to write something more to go with this last night but the hour was late and the spirit weak. This clip was television at [...]

A good while back I wrote here about trying to invert the common political process as we know it in Ireland whereby the candidate comes to your home and seeks to impress upon you what it is they are really, really interested in. My idea was along the lines of the public challenging the candidate [...]

I’m talking out of turn here politically, but if anyone is interested in a practical solution to the over 70s medical card fiasco, there’s my tuppence worth.
I might be asking a rather obvious question here but if the GPs charge the state €640 (the figure itself isn’t really relevant at the moment) for giving people [...]

Back in March of 2007 I queried the professional backgrounds of the then FF/PD cabinet with respect to their experience of the realities of making things and what could be termed the productive sector of the economy. Batt O’Keeffe appears to have revived interest in the topic in recent days by suggesting that we need [...]

By 50% + to 49% +
Congratulations to Ciaran Cannon on a personal level but asking the obvious question but how did the votes really play out? Because that is what will determine if the party unites behind him or goes its separate ways. I acknowledge that I’m guessing here but if I’m wrong about one [...]

I know most people will think this belongs in the realm of pure fantasy, but at this point in time we are looking at FG 51 + Lab 20 + Grn 6 = 77

A lot of people are wondering how in God’s name can FF, the most electorally successful political machine in modern Irish history, be still making such a mess of their election campaign, especially when they were the sole ones in possession of that most basic piece of information – the date.

As some of you might have been aware, I was somewhat enraged to discover that the state is planning to charge disabled adults for living in residential care settings.
So after a weekend in which I suspect I may have calmed down somewhat, I’ve gotten off my rear and am trying to do something about [...]

I’d like to remind people to get their digital cameras, webcams and mp3 recorders ready as the season has begun for the Doorstep Challenge. Remember you need to go for all those who come to the door not just the big bucks.

I read this piece by Fergus Finlay in Tuesday’s Examiner* and I was positively seething afterwards. I would urge everyone to read Fergus’s piece and to raise this on the doorsteps with any and all government reps who will be calling over the coming weeks.
My sister, who is a year, a month and a day [...]

The launch, a few weeks back, of the Fianna Fail campaign site and slogan “The next steps forward” really caught my ear.
I strongly believe that this particular election is entirely about where we as a nation go from here. Of course, when trying to decide where to go it is a very good idea to [...]

Unanswered because it seems no one in the Dead Tree Press is asking them.
I was drawn a fortnight ago to the Minister of Defence Willie O’Dea’s entry in the register of Oireachtas members interest. The minister as many people will know has a weekly column in the Sunday Independent. Now, politicians writing the occasional column [...]

I was home to the Kingdom over the weekend and noticed that posters had sprung up about the place. Mainly diamond shaped Cosaí for Kerry ones on poles (including in Glenbeigh which I thought was a bit cheeky) and larger 6×3 footers for John O’Donoghue and Tom Fleming.
Then as I passed through Croagh on the [...]

I was watching Mary Coughlan on Q&A this week and since I’m of roughly a similar vintage to Mary it struck me when she was talking about upskilling and the knowledge based economy that she’s never really had to do any of those things herself. And not just her. Just look at the work background [...]