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

Simon had given the most recent account of the phenomenon: the government toying with days of the week and seasons when scheduling elections and referenda for political advantage.  Now Bertie has a new twist: a Lisbon vote in June, on a day yet to be scheduled, but in the middle of when many first-time voters [...]

The term “public health” is used in various ways but one important meaning refers to the system that monitors for emerging health risks in the population and reports them to an authority that can do something about it.  We’ve traditionally thought of this as the key mechanism for control of infectious diseases: people start showing [...]

USI is reeling from a massive internal coup this afternoon as both plotter and president have fallen on their swords. A letter from earlier this week addressed to the President and listing a litany of failures, sparked some furious debate on politics.ie which has been followed up by confirmation from David Cochrane, editor of P.ie [...]

Maybe we should have called the blog IrishElections.com.  Bertie has indicated today that he envisages 2 referenda next summer: the necessary ratification of the EU amending treaty, and the children’s rights referendum.  As he says the logic is to roll them together, but it does make one wonder what exactly the rush was for the latter back [...]

Fine Gael’s outgoing TD for Cork South Central and standing MEP for Ireland South spoke to us while wrapping up his day of canvassing in Douglas, Cork.

(Originally posted on AdamMaguire.com)
I’ve had more than a passing interest in politics for many years now and I’ve always believed that young people need to engage and be engaged in the larger political discourse. I believe that the main instrument of youth participation within Ireland’s political parties, the youth wing, is actually counter-intuitive and counter-productive [...]

One of the worst acts that this government has done is said that it will cover much of the catholic’s church’s cost in clerical sex abuse compensation deals with the liability of the catholic church being capped at 128 million euros. While we the people who did little wrong will possibly be forced to [...]

The drug testing petition got a mention in the Independent today..
SINN Fein is mightily relieved that its Kerry TD Martin Ferris was finally found to be under the drunk driving limit.But politicians in the Dail who like to skull a few pints, and possibly inhale some of the wacky baccy in the gents, may still [...]

As if Bertiegate didn’t have enough tentacles already, the Irish Times reports (subs. req’d) on Albert Reynolds putting another cat among the pigeons with his reflections on the events precipitating the collapse of his government over the Brendan Smyth affair.  Albert’s remarks provide valuable context on Bertie’s thinking in late 1994, but also need to [...]

You can sign the petition here.  
New Door Step Challange.  If Enda Kenny comes to your door in the next few weeks. Say to him. Wait a minute. Go into your kitchen and locate some kind of plastic container. Then come back out to the door and ask him to piss into it. Now I [...]

Back in February wanted to drug test children. Yet now in May I find no mention of it in their manifesto. Not one mention. Why the change Enda. Finally come to your senses? But what I did see in the manifesto
We will scrap the charade of Budget Day and replace it with a modern [...]

Unlike the political parties we here are not scared to address the issue. I guess the reason that the parties do not want to have the debate is that the pro/anti abortion divide runs  through all political spectrum’s.  All Greens may agree on climate change but on abortion they differ. So it is understandable [...]

They’ve announced it.
The general election is set to be held on May 24th.
I won’t be voting. This is not because of apathy. This is not because the difference between the two possible coalitions is minimal. This will be because of what one angry disenfranchised voted called Temporal Gerrymandering.

These leaders’ blogs aren’t blogs. Blogs allow readers to comment on content. Blogs are a two way street. You can come onto my blog and let me know I’m a twat. You might influence me, you might not. But I’ll let you say it.
This is just top-down press release style pointlessness. You’re supposed to be [...]

In what is possibly a first all the youth parties have agreed on an issue. That issue being the need for a weekend election. In a post on the Ogra Sinn Fein blog. A statement signed by the heads of the 6 main youth parties has called for an weekend election. If you agree with [...]

The problem of young people taking drugs is serious and needs good idea’s to solve. Alas the idea’s we get are well frankly crap. We had Enda Kenny’s Drug testing children now we have give them a pin. Now we in Ireland Pioneers for over 100 years and been to pretty much every school in [...]