The narcissism of small differences
This has been a bad week for Ireland. Instead of earning the respect of the people, the leaders of the two large parties seem intent on courting their contempt. Their efforts to position themselves favourably in the public eye and to outflank each other are pitiful. All the talk of 1916 and of patriotism, vision […]
No more political fudges on Seanad Reform
The NUI register which has more than 103,000 named voters is very much out of date, incomplete and patchy. The use of Registered Post is causing huge difficulties too.
No more political fudges on Seanad reform
Today the NUI have informed me that, of 103,000 ballot papers issued by registered post, only 15,000 completed ballots have been returned so far. A further 18,600 have been returned to the NUI as undeliverable, of which 600 have been re-posted to voters on request. This leaves around 70,000 votes which have yet to be […]
Five myths about the Rising
The centenary of the Easter Rising is surrounded by myth, moral ambiguity, historical revisionism, and by political re-interpretation and re-invention. For those, like myself, who unambiguously value and cherish the establishment of an independent, sovereign Irish republic, 1916 is the starting point of its existence, albeit that it was not brought to fruition for years afterwards. It is […]
Kenny and Martin must choose stability over stalemate
Under Article 28.10 of the Constitution, Enda Kenny must resign from office if a motion to nominate him as Taoiseach is defeated on Thursday 10th March. If that happens he places his resignation in the hands of the President. In that case every other member of the Government shall be deemed also to have resigned, […]
No public appetite for general election re-run
It seems clear that some members of Fianna Fáil may have their “tails up” because of the very significant improvement in seat numbers and in their share of the General Election vote. This positive feeling which they have about themselves contrasts with the sense that Fianna Fáil was a toxic political brand from 2009 onwards. […]