Written by Future Taoiseach on March 5th, 2011
6 comments »
Opposition is emerging from some Labour and FG TDs, Labour councillors to the prospect of a FG-Labour Coalition. Dublin MEP Proinsias de Rossa has said the party ‘should be prepared to go into Opposition’ if FG refuses to implement elements of Labour’s “Social Democratic Programme”. Former Enterprise, Trade and Employment and Energy and Natural Resources [...]
Written by P O'Neill on October 8th, 2010
14 comments »
As ratings agencies, pundits, and the occasional minister demand that Fine Gael provide political cover for the next 4 budgets — with 3 years of disastrous decions to be taken as water under the bridge — Edward Walsh steps up to the plate in the Irish Times to make the case in stirring historical terms: [...]
Written by Mark Coughlan on December 9th, 2009
15 comments »
The way Cowen, Gormley, Lenihan and Harney have set to restructure civil service pensions in today’s Budget is strange. They’ve danced around the details using a fudgey term – “career average”, I’m trying to figure out exactly what they mean… It appears the Government will restructure the way civil servant pensions are paid from its [...]
Written by Mark Coughlan on August 14th, 2009
5 comments »
Warning 1: I am about to attempt mathematics. I am a journalist. Warning 2: I am about attempt electoral mathematics. I am a journalist. Warning 3: I know you can’t reduce voting preferences to maths, so don’t bring that up. Yes this is speculation for the sake of discussion. I am a journalist. – I [...]
Written by Mark Coughlan on August 6th, 2009
13 comments »
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 [...]
Written by Future Taoiseach on August 5th, 2009
22 comments »
Update: Official Press Release here. – In a decision sure to spark furious condemnation from “no” campaigners, the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland has announced new regulations on airtime set to grant the political-parties the vast majority of airtime during the campaign. Broadcasters are not required to allocate exactly the same amount of time to both [...]
Written by Mark Coughlan on July 24th, 2009
4 comments »
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, [...]
Written by Mark Coughlan on July 21st, 2009
No comments »
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 [...]
Written by Veronica on July 20th, 2009
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The final sticking plaster to put Humpty Dumpty Ireland together again is the Commission on Taxation report, due for presentation to the Minister for Finance at the end of the month. It’s the flip side of the coin to last week’s An Bord Snip Nua, or McCarthy Report, which sets out the agenda for fixing [...]
Written by Cian on July 17th, 2009
1 comment »
It took some time to read and digest the full 300+ page Leas Cross investigation report. In the deluge of An Bord Snip coverage it made sense to leave a post until this morning. In the cold light of morning the report is worse than the initial impression my dulled senses took. There are a [...]
Written by Mark Coughlan on July 16th, 2009
6 comments »
Dan Boyle was on point duty for the Greens once again yesterday. Himself and his party colleague in the Seanad, Deirdre De Burca voted against the Government move to guillotine the final stage of the Criminal Justice Act last night. How very noble of them. Then Boyle, a senator – i.e. someone the general public [...]
Written by Cian on June 14th, 2009
4 comments »
With a week to digest the election results, the Green Party might be credited with an emerging strategy to take into their negotiations for a renewed programme for government and, in theory at least, the second part of the process of government for however long it lasts. It was assessed here and elsewhere that the [...]
Written by Mark Coughlan on May 18th, 2009
10 comments »
If there is one thing you should do today it’s buy The Irish Examiner. Go, g’wan, buy it. Even if you’re not from Cork. Even if you’re not from Munster. Feck it, go and buy it if you’ve never bought a paper or watched the news before. Please, for the good of the country, buy [...]
Written by Mark Coughlan on May 15th, 2009
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Dan Boyle spoke in Tralee today. The tone is very interesting. Here’s quotes pulled from the press release, my emphasis added… “There are too many unresolved issues. Too many policy errors remain that have not been admitted to, areas where responsibility has not been taken. The policy of pump priming the property boom has been [...]
Written by Cian on April 22nd, 2009
9 comments »
Thanks to a tweet earlier today from the Green Party, my attention was drawn to their new-ish campaign to get Ireland growing its own food. Spearheaded by Junior Minister (re-appointed) Trevor Sargent, the campaign wants to get people planting and looking after their food needs. Welcome to Trevor’s crib:
Written by Cian on April 22nd, 2009
9 comments »
Update: The full list is available now from Taoiseach.gov.ie – 7 gone two in place for fifteen junior ministers.You might be interested in the speech that got McGuinness the sack. Interestingly there is now no junior minister for drug strategy despite their merging of the drug and alcohol strategy recently. Dept of Enterprise retains three [...]