Michael and Danny Healy-Rae: Gombeen men or political geniuses?

Weekend Read: The brothers carved up Co Kerry and took the spoils of two Dáil seats. How did they do it? The voters in Healy-Rae Kingdom speak out

Mock Dáil produces a government of national unity - and it only took 90 minutes

Public voting experiment in Dublin explores feasibility of electing a powersharing government

Fantasy Dáil: Power-sharing to be tested in voting experiment

Public invited to take part in role play to elect ‘government of national unity’ on Saturday

Dáil a ‘puny parliament’, say four prominent political scientists

Academics’ campaign seeks to identify where political reform can be implemented quickly

Opinion: Minor reforms of Dáil could make major difference

None of changes require constitutional change and they could be delivered quickly

Media and Marketing: On radio, sadly, testosterone talks

The ‘Hearing Women’s Voices?’ report found male voices dominate on commercial radio

Newstalk takes a Right Hook for gender balance

Hearing Women’s Voices radio report shows females simply not being allowed on air

FuJo project to investigate the future for ‘journos’ and ‘mojos’

DCU media research institute will provide ‘space for innovation’ in journalism

Rise of the Others

In last weekend’s elections, Independents, small alliances and anti-austerity groups were the big winners, polling more than 40 per cent in some areas. Was it a midterm protest vote or is the political party over?

Old fashioned ‘vote getters’ still favoured by candidates

Social media or analytics investment still attracts less spend than posters in Irish politics

New political alliance faces challenge agreeing on policy

Electoral reform, abortion, entrepreneurship and influence of the EU among topics raised at inaugural meeting

Reform Alliance not about ‘perpetuation of party politics’

New party ‘not on agenda’, Creighton tells RDS event attended by some 1,350 people

Creighton hopes reform conference can contribute to public debate

More than 500 people said to have registered for conference with ‘400 ideas’ submitted for debate

Seanad reform plan to be unveiled

Government to be urged to extend vote to all citizens

All points of view must be treated as equal before people decide in a referendum

Opinion: It is not for anyone to decide in advance that such and such a position is a minority one

Referendums are with us to stay, so we may as well start to run them properly

Opinion: The weaker the communication, the lower the turnout and the greater likelihood of a No vote

Howlin defends fee increases in FoI legislation

Minister says €15 charge for each request made in application ‘reasonable’

Politicians spar over Seanad at Kennedy summer school

Debate billed as first between senior politicians during Seanad abolition referendum campaign

Time women made waves in blokish culture

In a nation of radio listeners, women are poorly represented on air, report shows

Note from department on elections sharply criticised by Flanagan as disdainful to Convention

Fine Gael chairman says he will bring up quality of note with Taoiseach

Constitutional Convention strongly endorses principles of current electoral system

Convention rejects national party lists but backs requirement for TDs to resign Dáil seats when appointed to Cabinet

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