Pressing EU Countries into further integration might suit Macron but plays right into the hands of nationalists
Last week Emmanuel Macron persuaded the editors of Europe’s serious newspapers in 28 member states to carry an article expressing his concerns about the future of Europe. His overt message was a warning about the threat to the European project from growing nationalist sentiment among the voters in many member states. His covert purpose was […]
Can we learn from the Metrolink fiasco as to how things should and should not be done?
The leaking of a decision to scrap the incorporation of the Luas Green Line into the Metrolink project is welcome but raises important questions about the way in which important infrastructural development decisions are made. We were told some months ago that the planning of the project had already cost €170 million when the so-called […]
If you want a document which is part of the UK Constitution, look no further than the Good Friday Agreement
Let’s get a few things straight. There is a cohort of around 50 Tory MPs who want a No-Deal Brexit because they want the UK to deal with the EU and the rest of the world on a WTO terms basis. This aim is completely inconsistent with an All-Ireland economy which is central to the […]
The Dancing Queen Prime Minister may find that in Brussels it takes two to tango
The unstated plan of the hardline Brexiteers is to use the threat of a no-deal Brexit as leverage in a hoped for negotiation with the EU in which, they hope, the UK will end up with a tariff-free free trade deal with the EU, access to the Single Market and the unfettered right to conclude […]
The rise in anti-Semitism and other forms of racism must not be ignored and must be countered
Today is Holocaust Memorial Day. In Ireland the official Holocaust commemoration takes place today in the Mansion House. It has taken place each year with the help of sponsorship of the Irish government initiated by me since 2003. As Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform in that government, I took the first opportunity to […]
Sinn Féin is an undemocratic movement masquerading as a conventional political party
I categorise myself as and aspire to be a liberal Irish republican. By that I mean that my politics are based on liberal democracy in a state which is governed by the free will of a majority and which accords protection to the rights and liberties of all of its citizens equally. The term “republican” […]