What Andy Farrell and the Ireland rugby team could teach the politicians of this islandDespite Brexit, Ireland and the UK have more in common than any other two states in Europe. The two islands are inextricably linked by ties of family and kinshipFri Nov 03 2023 - 05:45
President Higgins’s pronouncements on foreign policy are reckless, inappropriate and dangerousMichael D Higgins criticised the European Commission President for overstepping her remit. What does he think he was doing?Fri Oct 20 2023 - 06:15
Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael supporters have bonded in the face of a common foeOnly certainty about the next election is that nothing is certainFri Oct 06 2023 - 05:53
Micheál Martin’s decision to stand and fight makes coalition with Sinn Féin less likelyWhile it is almost certain that Sinn Féin will emerge as the largest party, that is no guarantee of governmentFri Sept 22 2023 - 06:00
Ireland has come through Brexit in much better shape than BritainDire warnings about the impact on trade for Irish firms did not materialiseFri Sept 08 2023 - 06:00
Stephen Collins: Electoral Commission was right. We don’t need more TDsA referendum to cap the number at 174 would surely find favour with voters, although sitting TDs may be reluctant to contemplate itFri Sept 01 2023 - 06:15
Stephen Collins: Stalemate in Spain may give Sinn Féin pause for thoughtSpanish voters baulked at handing power to a party with a radical programme and no experience of governmentFri Aug 25 2023 - 05:00
Stephen Collins: In Biden’s US, it’s no longer ‘the economy, stupid’ US voters have almost ‘never had it so good’ as under Bidenomics, but they believe things have never been worseFri Aug 18 2023 - 05:22
Stephen Collins: What Micheál Martin does next could shape Irish politics until 2030The Fianna Fáil leader’s decision about Europe could influence Irish politics for the rest of the decadeFri Jul 21 2023 - 06:40
Stephen Collins: Coalition parties barely able to hide their delight at RTÉ's troublesThere’s not much sympathy for the national broadcaster among Government politicians, who believe it goes out of its way to give them a kickingFri Jul 14 2023 - 06:30
Stephen Collins: We should all be alarmed by how fast Tubridy went from national treasure to hate figureNot content with seeing Tubridy’s career in tatters, his louder critics are demanding that he should never be allowed to work again. Time for some perspectiveFri Jul 07 2023 - 06:15
Ireland should heed the lessons of the drubbing of Yanis Varoufakis A cross section of Irish opposition forces from Sinn Féin to Shane Ross were loud in their support for Varoufakis and Syriza when they came to powerFri Jun 30 2023 - 06:30
If President Higgins continues like this, a constitutional crisis looks inevitableWhile there is an understandable reluctance on the part of Ministers to get involved in a demeaning debate with the President, there was a need for a stronger responseFri Jun 23 2023 - 06:30
Stephen Collins: Government needs to stop worrying about a rainy day that might never comeToo many people, including key policy makers, are operating on the basis that Ireland is a poor country which needs to be careful with its moneyFri Jun 16 2023 - 04:45
Stephen Collins: Constituency shake-up will test more than just county loyaltyDublin should get six seats in the constituency shake-up; the rest of Leinster seven. That leaves a handful to for the rest to squabble overFri Jun 09 2023 - 04:45
Stephen Collins: Tax cut row was just what Fine Gael needed. Now it has to deliver It is not simply a matter of splashing the cash around but of coming up with an overarching budget narrative that can persuade voters to back the CoalitionFri Jun 02 2023 - 05:00
Stephen Collins: Notion that our neutrality is widely respected abroad is an Irish self-delusionInvasion of Ukraine brought an end to any indulgence by our European allies and highlights ridiculousness of giving China and Russia a veto over Irish actionsFri May 26 2023 - 05:00
Stephen Collins: Backbenchers worry about leaving a pot of gold to Sinn FéinPressure is coming on the Government to start spending the projected €65 billion budget surplusFri May 19 2023 - 05:00
Stephen Collins: Let’s not get too carried away with nostalgia for the 1950sStephen Collins: President Michael D Higgins’s desire for a shift in the national focus from material progress to ethics and a more balanced relationship with nature has struck a chord. But we tried it beforeFri May 12 2023 - 01:00
‘Hang it, you can’t keep smiling all the time’: The truth about coronations, according to King George VIAn intimate conversation between King George VI and the then Irish ambassador reveals what he really thought about de Valera - and the ordeal of coronationsThu May 04 2023 - 12:42
Building a nation: Eight key challenges faced by the StateIn spite of adversity, Ireland became one of the few newly independent states to survive as an uninterrupted democracyTue May 02 2023 - 05:00
Stephen Collins: A diplomat wondered why we outsource our defence to the British. He has a pointWe spend less than any EU country on defence, yet wallow in the notion that our neutrality confers some sort of moral superiorityFri Apr 28 2023 - 05:00
Joe Biden’s visit to Ireland contained some hard messages for usBiden’s only mistake on his nearly note-perfect visit, during which he managed to walk the tightrope with skill, was his snub of SunakFri Apr 21 2023 - 14:51
Stephen Collins: Speculation about a swing to radical politics is wide of the markGovernment is in tune with voters on most issues with one big exception: housing is regarded by 52% of voters as the key concern in IrelandFri Apr 07 2023 - 05:00
Labour needs to stop aping Sinn FéinSince losing office the party appears more concerned with apologising for what it failed to do rather than claiming credit for what it achievedFri Mar 31 2023 - 05:00
Stephen Collins: Regional Independents emerge as a surprisingly cohesive groupInterest in influencing Government policy rather than grandstanding on the emotive issue of the eviction ban bodes well for the Coalition lasting its full termFri Mar 24 2023 - 05:00
Biden’s achievements over two years in White House are remarkable Stephen Collins: Intensely proud of his Irish roots, US president has a string of political and economic victories - whether the electorate recognises it or notFri Mar 17 2023 - 05:00
Stephen Collins: Political determination to develop offshore wind platforms has been shamefully lackingIreland risks squandering a golden economic opportunity unless the Taoiseach takes personal charge and drives projects forwardFri Mar 10 2023 - 05:00
Rishi Sunak’s skill and political courage bode well for Anglo-Irish relationsThe nous shown by the UK prime minster in resolving the protocol impasse might save Tories from annihilationFri Mar 03 2023 - 05:00
Donaldson’s best tactic is to sell the protocol arrangement unapologetically At a stroke, the DUP leader could bring stability to Northern Ireland, gain influence with Sunak and win friends in Starmer’s Labour PartyFri Feb 24 2023 - 05:00
Ambitious, young TDs are heading for the exit. Is political life becoming unbearable?Several politicians are likely to announce their retirements before the end of the current Dáil. Fine Gael will be hardest hitFri Feb 17 2023 - 05:00
Stephen Collins: Sunak is inching toward a protocol deal but he’ll have to call bluff of opponentsIt’s unlikely that the DUP and hardcore Tory Brexiteers will ever be satisfied, so there’s a strong case for making a deal with the EU anyway and finally moving onFri Feb 10 2023 - 05:00
Whether we like it or not, Russian ambassador does have a point on Ireland’s neutralityState’s position is not, and never was, the moral stance some of its strongest advocates proclaimThu Feb 02 2023 - 15:01
Stephen Collins: Irish politics reached a new level of absurdity over the last 10 daysAt a time when politicians routinely face threats and intimidation, Opposition and media should think twice about launching a groundless campaign against a MinisterFri Jan 27 2023 - 05:00
Stephen Collins: Why does Ireland elect so many Eurosceptic MEPs?It should not be forgotten that twice in the first decade of this century voters rejected treaties designed to improve workings of EUFri Jan 20 2023 - 05:00
DUP and British government are the ones now facing pressure over NI protocol, not the EUThere is no pressure on the EU now to make further concessions. It is down to the British and the DUP to come to terms with what was agreed back in 2019Fri Jan 13 2023 - 05:00
Benefits of political stability may now trump desire for changeStephen Collins: Brexit fiasco in the UK has put a serious dent in the notion that radical change is always for the bestFri Dec 23 2022 - 00:00
Irish unity is a dangerous and distracting mirage Chances of a united Ireland coming to pass in decades ahead are remote, but endless speculation has put issue at centre of political debateFri Dec 16 2022 - 05:00
Stephen Collins: Chances of Sinn Féin leading next government are slimmer than many realiseSF will almost certainly need a large coalition partner, and polling shows vast majority of FF supporters oppose any such arrangementFri Dec 09 2022 - 05:00
IRA’s continued links to criminality should be reality check for Sinn Féin supportersInvolvement of party councillor Jonathan Dowdall with gangland boss Gerry Hutch has lifted the veil on a dark corner of Irish lifeFri Dec 02 2022 - 00:00
If recession doesn’t force a Brexit rethink then nothing will Keir Starmer every bit as keen as the Conservative leadership to ignore damage of hard Brexit to UK economyFri Nov 25 2022 - 05:00
Biden has arguably achieved more in his first two years than Obama or Clinton did in two termsBy beating Trump in 2020, US president performed a vital service not simply for American politics but for the entire worldFri Nov 18 2022 - 05:00
Cabinet reshuffle: Will Donnelly survive and who will get what ministries?Will Micheál Martin opt for Foreign Affairs? Can Stephen Donnelly survive the changes? And where will Simon Harris end up?Fri Nov 11 2022 - 05:00
Danish election good news for centrist politics Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael need to ignore all the prophets of doom and focus instead on showing that they know how to run the countryFri Nov 04 2022 - 05:00
Stephen Collins: Could Sunak face down the Tory fundamentalists and reset UK-EU relations?British politicians still dare not acknowledge the terrible damage Brexit has done, so the new PM faces the same dilemmas as Theresa May didFri Oct 28 2022 - 05:00
Radical change in the St Andrews Agreement is requiredThe 2006 deal effectively gives the DUP and Sinn Féin a veto over the formation of the executive and encouraged the drift from more moderate unionist and nationalist parties to the extremesFri Oct 21 2022 - 05:00
Ireland has been saved by fiscal prudence. Alas, there are no votes in thatThe contrast with Britain’s economic mess, from Brexit to unfunded tax cuts, is an arresting reminder of the consequences of recklessnessFri Oct 14 2022 - 05:00
Stephen Collins: Steve Baker’s extraordinary Brexit apology opens door to closureAfter many false dawns in the Brexit process over the past six years, there is now an opportunity to bring some closure to the issueFri Oct 07 2022 - 05:00
‘Call it a frontstop’: How Leo Varadkar sold the Northern Ireland protocol to Boris JohnsonA deal struck at the Wirral, England, on October 10th, 2019, by then taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Boris Johnson replaced the 'backstop’ with the Northern Ireland protocolSat Oct 01 2022 - 05:00
Danger facing UK now is that it could in time become the Argentina of EuropeThe fate of our nearest neighbour under Liz Truss should be closely watched by the Irish electorateFri Sept 30 2022 - 05:00
