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

Not sure if it was the Veni Vedi Vici, as it was in the UK when Nicolas and Carla wowed and charmed all around them. Yet he came and he did no more damage. Indeed his press conference was typical Sarkozy fare, combative, unflinching with its own gallic twist - ‘if I come it is [...]

I got this email from Georg Pichler of rigardi.org and I thought I would pass it on.
As you might have heard the governmenting parties, Social Democrats (SPOE) and Conservatives (OEVP) have decided to end their coalition. After 1 1/2 years of constant quarrel and hardly any progress, the Social Democrats have decided to switch their [...]

BBC Radio 4’s Today in Parliament last night did a segment on Nicolas Sarkozy’s speech to the European Parliament in which he outlined the agenda of the French EU Council Presidency.  It begins 19 minutes into the program (Listen again/download).   Included in the post-speech interviews is Kathy Sinnott MEP, who says that she has offered [...]

There has been some talk about how the Irish Referendum vote stops further EU integration. So it is interesting to see that French plans to have a referendum when a country with five per cent of the EU population as a whole (i.e. Turkey) wants to join has failed in the French Senate. Resulting in [...]

You know the image.  There’s one house in the estate that’s always trouble.  Every time they walk in the door, the neighbours are looking through the curtains wondering what trouble will be coming this time.

[Edit: To say hello and welcome stumblers. Take a look around and tell us what you think.]
The prevailing mantra of Irish and European politicians, still reeling at the Lisbon ‘No’ vote in Ireland, is that we as a small nation cannot hold up the EU. Apparently, if 26 nations have said ‘Yes’ the breaks should [...]

Ireland has long been one of the most pro-EU countries in the EU but this will change. It is not the Lisbon Treaty that will cause this to change it is the rest of the EU will cause this to change. A second treaty on Lisbon could have passed. With a massive information campaign and [...]

I posted after Friday’s results were finalised that Enda Kenny could well find himself in the most precarious position of the three major party leaders. Kenny has increasingly bolshie elements within the party, a few more years in opposition and the pressure of maintaining progress next year to deal with and no foreign negotiations to [...]

Gordon Brown was asked about Lisbon during his news conference with George Bush in London today before they both head for Belfast.  The fact that it came up at all during an Iran/Iraq/Afghanistan-dominated discussion is an indication of how serious the issue is.  His remarks were further indication of an emerging EU view that Ireland [...]

Tony Kinsella in the Irish TImes
Labour’s Eamon Gilmore emerges enhanced from the fray, for he alone of the major party leaders showed any understanding of the challenge, and a more sure-footed grasp of the need for passion than many European leaders. Gilmore’s Dun Laoghaire constituency recorded the highest Yes
This has to be one of the [...]

In a great day for Irish and European democracy, the Irish people, on a higher turnout than Nice II, rejected the illegitimate and anti-democratic Lisbon Treaty by 53.4% to 46.6%. In doing so, they have struck a blow for freedom and against remote, unaccountable and undemocratic rule by unelected bureaucrats in Brussels. They have shown [...]

The people of the country have spoken, for good or ill. That must be respected.
Accordingly, I do not want to see another referendum - the outcome of this one must be heeded. The people are sovereign. The Constitution, deeply flawed as it is, governs this country over anything else; it is the source of power [...]

Wednesday’s Irish Independent is a case-in-point for those of us who suspect the press of siding with the Establishment against the people over Lisbon. With jobs losses growing by the week, they cynically attempt to link the issue to the possibility of a “No” vote to the June 12th referendum. This article is pure facile [...]

Thomas Byrne TD will be familiar to blog readers. The newly elected TD competed via blog and on the ground with Dominic Hannigan for votes last May. Anyhow, turns out his former speciality was solicitor specialising in EU law and in a public message on the blog he is inviting voters (I doubt he could be that picky [...]

Is it just me or is the main technique used by the yes campaign scare tactics. You would expect it from the no but if this is such  worthwhile treaty shouldn’t it be argued on the merits of the treaty? Should the yes campaign be resorting to the Ireland will be doomed argument. People don’t [...]

Jason O’Mahony has done a fantastic spoof (PDF) version of the Lisbon Treaty. Its funny (check the photo captions) and its pro-Lisbon and it is via Ciaran Toland and Jon Worth.

I believe in the European way of solving problems. It is slow and boring but it works, and in this pamphlet, we’re going to try and [...]