Latest poll shows a weak-kneed government in office but not in power
Unless something very dramatic happens, we are looking towards another minority government led either by Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael and dependent upon a rag-bag of left and far left TDs for its existence after the next General Election. Today’s Sunday Business Post Red C poll has the “civil war” parties each enjoying the support […]
Trump in office is finding it hard to make America great again
There is abundant evidence that Donald J Trump’s presidency is coming apart at the seams. He has failed to bring his healthcare package designed to repeal Obamacare through the Houses of Congress. His 90-day ban on certain Muslims travelling to the United States from certain States has been watered down, and is generally regarded as […]
Like the lion in The Wizard of Oz, Leo has lost his courage
“In the beginning there was nothing, and the Lord said “Let there be light” and there was light. There was still nothing. But you could see it a lot better”. These words come to mind when one considers the “new look” cabinet and all the razzmatazz surrounding the appointment of the “new” Taoiseach, the “new” […]
Hopelessness needs to be addressed for the coming generation, not only homelessness and the housing crisis
One of the striking features of the Marriage Equality Referendum in Ireland and the recent UK General Election was the mobilisation of the “young vote”, where a collective sense of purpose seized the imagination of younger voters traditionally less engaged in politics and inclined to abstain from the electoral process. A question that looms in […]
Adams’ miscalculation has handed the DUP an unexpected victory
Fool or knave? Or both? This weekend Gerry Adams resembles a smoking, shell-shocked Wile E. Coyote from the Road Runner cartoon, as the full implications of his polarisation strategy for politics in the North have become apparent. He has snatched a major defeat from the jaws of his March Assembly election “victory” – entirely by […]
No bright new dawn on the horizon for post-election UK
In the early hours of Friday morning we will know whether Theresa May’s decision to call a snap election has paid off. When she announced her U-turn on an early election in April, I wrote here about the danger that a lengthy election campaign centring on Jeremy Corbyn’s suitability for power might produce voter fatigue, […]