The sanitised version of nativity story rings increasingly hollow
Last Christmas, near the site of the original nativity in Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank, the Lutheran Church placed the baby in a manger of rubble and destruction to reflect the reality of children being born and living in Palestine today
Leo Varadkar is right: basic maths should not flummox a minister or any of us
Wouldn’t it be novel if the next taoiseach chose his cabinet on the basis of their qualifications, competence and relevant experience and included a few arithmetic nerds?
In a new Dáil once again dominated by men, three women could lead the Opposition
Democracy is on a downward arc globally, and we can see the warning signs here in the treatment by some media of Gerry Hutch’s candidacy as a joke. We learned nothing from the ascent of Donald Trump
Anyone paying attention to Simon Harris could have predicted the outburst in a supermarket
This was always going to be the danger phase, as a bored and bolshie electorate gets ready to go to the polls
Angry flea circus buzzing around ‘woke’ Helen McEntee goes beyond the usual political sniping
Willie O’Dea called her 'the worst minister for justice in the history of the State' while Jim O’Callaghan said she had copied his ideas
‘Your body. My choice.’ A phrase that chills women to the bone
A segment circulating on the internet from Russian TV featuring a 20-year-old nude photoshoot by Melania Trump was interpreted as a coded message to the future president
I am nauseously optimistic about the chances of a Kamala Harris victory
Come what may, it’s a good day to salute the courage and persistence of the women on whose shoulders Harris’s extraordinary campaign was built
Donald Trump’s apparent misfires are part of a sinister strategy
Trump is ratcheting up the racism and misogyny because he needs the young men who have drifted away from the Democrats
Heather Humphreys defies old line about all political lives ending in failure
Minister is exiting politics amid warm affection from the real world. Her advice about ignoring social media is instructive
Don’t write off Gráinne Seoige. The original celebrity candidate was Jack Lynch
Lynch is a prime example of the problem with lazy monikers and a label that lumps all candidates with name recognition, but wildly varying backgrounds, together
Child benefit works as intended - and not just by buying votes for politicians
Yes, there’s a whiff of pixie dust about the bonanza of payments, but child benefit rightly holds a special place among mothers of all incomes and life choices
Leo Varadkar could learn something from Jimmy Carter about how to retire
The afterlives of political leaders are often greater measures of their character than their times in office are. It’s hard to let go - just watch former leaders who lack the grace to dial down the wise-after-the-event pronouncements
US media must stop ‘sanewashing’ Trump’s deranged speeches
Donald Trump’s gibberish is being played down as news outlets make him sound sane and rational
Dry your eyes Oasis fans, there’s no such thing as a gig emergency
Ultimately it comes down to the free market, to supply and demand and what people are willing to pay - because they’re superfans or want to be seen. But people exhausted by the relentless hustle have had enough
Netanyahu has distracted the world’s attention from countless other warmongering thugs
What kind of global mindset allows preposterous, insecure leaders in Sudan, Israel, Iran, Afghanistan, Russia and elsewhere to cock their legs on their own populations and the wider world?