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

The Dail voted this morning to take Tuesday off (wonder if my boss would respect a democratic vote of workers to abstain from Tuesday?). Ah sure they must be wrecked placating 30,000 protesters on the streets of Dublin before facing another week of batterings over education cuts.
This is ridiculous, it may be tradition but that [...]

On the back of the solidarity being shown by Ministers in taking a 10% pay cut for next year, a source got me wondering whether those Ministers with additional income streams - like teachers’ pensions - might not be convinced to forgo these also. What with them spending enough time in the Dail to qualify [...]

The Prime Ministers of France and Spain pull their cabinets out of their August holidays for emergency meetings about the economy. Gordon Brown is back on the job while high profile ministers deal with messy dossiers. Even Belfast’s politicians are managing signals of their presence — if only to get involved in [...]

It’s funny how transparent the government’s media trickery is.  Everyone knows that this is the time of year when Cabinet members will be on their holliers, except for the occasional pesky event like the WTO talks in Geneva, or Martin Cullen’s no doubt necessary 3 week jaunt to Beijing.  So what are the ways of [...]

One wonders if the Cabinet have decided to collect their deferred pay raises as travel benefits. Just in the last few days: Mary Hanafin postpones a trip to the USA by a day to appear at a Dail debate on autism; Dermot Ahern still says he’s travelling across the world to East Timor even with [...]

Update: Finian has been found! On Morning Ireland of all places - god forbid he would put himself at the mercy of Liveline listeners! The promise for the unit for CF patients is contained in Section 5 of the deal document. A new unit is 2/3 years away until completion. Finian is seeking a short [...]

There was a lively atmosphere on O’Connell Street in Limerick today with a red army again packing the street. Today rather than rugby, it was the issue of Shannon and its slots that were the main event. The press are pulling their punches at the moment but the only FF TD, John Creegan, on the [...]

After drifting a little bit the SNN-LHR controversy and the related issue of the Aer Lingus strike are heating up again this evening.   The latest non-Bertie non-Dempsey spokesperson for the government is Mary Hanafin — perhaps she was the only one around given the Leaving Cert results.  And the employee trust has spoken up.  This [...]

Ah you never know who you’ll meet when you are out canvassing! Pat Rabbitte met Mr. Tayto in Limerick which was grand for both of them I’m sure. (Cheese and Onion or Salt and Vinegar?)

Irishelection.com has begun a new service on bringing you reports on missing politicians. First tonight we are sad to report that Ministers Martin Cullen and Dick Roche have been reported missing.