Local elections are different. They have their own issues, their own candidates, their own dynamic. They can be unreliable bellwethers for national trends. But it is hard not to look at the choices made by voters across Britain this week and not conclude that the country’s political landscape is being comprehensively redrawn.
Labour suffered such a heavy defeat that its future as a national party is now in question, suggests Mark Paul in his analysis of the results. Keir Starmer’s grip on power is more tenuous than ever. Meanwhile, Reform made huge gains far beyond its heartlands across Britain, putting its leader, Nigel Farage, in the frame to be the country’s next prime minister. The nationalists of Plaid Cymru became the biggest party in Wales, while the Scottish National Party came close to an overall majority north of the border.
“That [Labour] finds itself in such a pickle barely two years after winning a landslide victory in Westminster is astonishing,” writes our London Correspondent. “That it soared those heights then plumbed its current depths led by the same man… is a riddle for the ages.”
In Ireland, the two byelections that take place later this month will do little to shake the political order, but the results could help us understand more about some important questions in Irish politics. How secure is Mary Lou McDonald’s leadership of Sinn Féin? Can the left build on the successful alliance it assembled for Catherine Connolly’s presidential election campaign? And can parties to the right of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil benefit politically from the recent fuel protests? Pat Leahy reflects on some of these questions in his weekly column.
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The results of an Irish Times/TG4 opinion poll in Galway West this week, carried out by Ipsos/B&A, suggest it will be a three-way race between Fine Gael, Independent Ireland and whichever left-wing party emerges from the pack. Currently that looks to be Helen Ogbu of Labour. “On these numbers, Sinn Féin has no chance of being in contention for a seat in Galway West,” our editorial points out. “That will likely cause the party to put a mighty effort into the contest in Dublin Central, increasing the stakes for party leader Mary Lou McDonald in her own constituency.”
Two of our political news stories this weekend caught my eye. Drawing on correspondence he secured under the freedom of information law, Jack Power reports that Government officials in Dublin queried how nominating former Fine Gael minister Phil Hogan to compete for the leadership of the UN food security agency would benefit Ireland. Hogan, a sort of political fixer for successive Fine Gael leaders, was nominated as the Irish candidate for the role in March.
Pressure is growing on the Government, meanwhile, to stop the export of Irish-made alumina to Russia after dozens of MEPs called for the European Commission to take action on the issue.
This follows an Irish Times investigation, carried out in co-operation with the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, that found the Aughinish Alumina plant in Co Limerick is shipping vast amounts of alumina to smelters in Russia where it is used to make aluminium. The aluminium is then sold to trading company ASK, which supplies dozens of Russian arms manufacturers, according to leaked financial documents.
Most of the MEPs calling for a ban come from the European People’s Party (EPP) and Renew Europe, which count Coalition partners Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil as members.
Lara Marlowe has been doing some great reporting from Ukraine for The Irish Times in recent weeks. In her latest dispatch, she visits the town of Khodoriv in western Ukraine and describes how one woman’s memory of exile and fear under Russian occupation helps explain Ukraine’s remarkable resolve in defending its independence.
Edward White, an Irish writer and hypnotist, wrote books with two abuse survivors after claiming to be a journalist. He was later convicted of sexual assault of a nine-year-old girl. Now the women whose stories he wrote want Amazon to remove the books from sale – but the online retailer refuses to do so. “I suppose we’re a little bit naive and gullible and we want to do this to help people,” one of the women tells Mark Tighe of her experience with White. “He took that and ran with it, despite knowing how vulnerable we are.”
The Government has begun pumping money into Irish media, channelled mainly through the media regulator Coimisiún na Meán, in an attempt to support a vital industry buffeted by commercial and technological headwinds. But at what cost to journalistic independence? Colm Keena looks at the debate and finds diverging views in his conversations with politicians, analysts and journalists. (The Irish Times does not seek Government funding, though titles owned by the Irish Times Group do).
As Ireland changes, so too does our understanding of the “Irish emigrant” and their place in the national story. Read this survey of the new diaspora by Genevieve Carbery, who edits Abroad – the section of our site devoted to the experiences of the Irish overseas.
The running coach Daniel Kilgallon has played a role in the development of almost every Irish sprint record-holder over the last decade. Ian O’Riordan paid a visit to his base, the track at Tallaght Athletics Club in Dublin, to try to understand the reasons for this success. O’Riordan separately reflects on the boom in marathon running and wonders whether the Dublin marathon might soon take place over two days – an idea mooted for London next year. If it means I have more of a chance of getting an entry, I’m all for the idea.
Finally, take some time over Donald Clarke’s fine interview with the Irish actor Bill Nighy.
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