Pat Leahy

Catherine Connolly is now in the running, and Fine Gael has a name for the ballot paper. None of the other big parties does at this stage

Budget ministers and party leaders are determined to eliminate the ‘once-off’ giveaways of the last three budgets

Bertie Ahern spent months publicly offering himself – though less ubiquitously of late, suggesting some private messages of discouragement have been sent

‘The greatest threat to Irish democracy comes from a sense that it is not delivering materially for people’

We are heading for a decade of failure to get to grips with a growing social disaster. That’s long enough to fix things, even in Ireland

There’s a lot to celebrate about the state of democracy in Ireland, but given current global challenges, it must be carefully minded

We should not fall into the trap of thinking that everything is a disaster, but I am afraid something has gone badly wrong with the way the State is run

‘There is no sense that the political system understands the danger we are in,’ warns one senior official

A perennial rule of politics comes to mind for former Fine Gael leader

Possibility of a Border poll before 2030 is remote ... and everyone knows it

Even Trump has his limits - here are four clear indications of what’s driving him

Never mind the PR: the Social Democrats are just as likely to pull a political stroke as anyone else in Leinster House

What if half of the corporation tax disappears? That’s €14 billion, going on last year’s figures.

Row is yet more evidence of politicians’ preoccupation with trivia as storm clouds gather abroad and housing crisis worsens at home

I have never seen such obvious stress as I saw on the faces of Irish officials sitting on the Oval Office couch praying for the ordeal to end. I have never seen such relief afterwards

Tom Wright may be the most influential Irishman you’ve never heard of. He was part of the team responsible for advising Biden on Russia and Ukraine

Europe is now seeking to transform itself into a military power. The sooner we grasp this in Ireland, the better

The world is a changed place and Ireland must figure out how to deal with those changes. Would it not be an idea to have some debate about this in the national parliament?

There’s a sense that this is probably the last extended act in a long political career and that time is short

The South has no hesitation saying yes to unity – as long as it doesn’t cost any money or involving changing a flag or an anthem

Preparing for the inevitable consequences of a heating world is an urgent task for governments everywhere. Ours hasn’t given it remotely enough attention

What we witnessed was the end of a consensus in which the big parties all agreed that parliament had to work. The feelings that erupted won’t dissipate quickly

Things are good now, but there’s a worrying sense in our new government that the economy will look after itself

Government likely to pursue a middle way, promising to enact the proposed legislation but kicking it into a process to draw up amendments and consider possible costs

If the next government wants to solve the housing crisis, then it will have to treat it as a crisis

The Dublin riots changed politics, but not in the way anyone expected

Wondering about how you’ll explain Irish politics to visiting foreign relatives – or to yourself? Wonder no more

The observation that ‘the past is never dead – it’s not even past’ seems especially true in Northern Ireland

The next government faces immense challenges that require guile, nerve, judgment and luck

The Taoiseach isn’t the only one losing the run of himself – the election is turning into a massive auction

Political insulation from the cost-of-living crisis has been paid for by bumper corporation tax receipts – and now those receipts are under threat

A campaign dominated by Simon Harris and Micheál Martin would suit Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. I don’t think it’s going to happen

Climate, immigration and the sustainability of our economic model are subjects no one wants to talk about but they are not going away

Voters often ignore the conclusions of the political bubble, as the former Fianna Fáil leader demonstrated time and again

Mattie McGrath spoke for the whole Dáil – an unusual occurrence, this – and maybe the rest of us too when he told the Chamber on Tuesday that all the election speculation was driving everyone 'demented'

Fianna Fáil and the Greens are absolutely adamant that they will not be hustled into an early election to suit Fine Gael

Budget 2025: No big new policies, no inspired plans, just more than €2 billion in a budget-day giveaway

Campaigns are dynamic, unpredictable and volatile, but the party faces an uphill battle

The reason senior gardaí – and a small number of other senior public servants – would have faced a huge tax bill is because their pensions are huge

Apple’s billions threaten to transform our entire political debate into a massive auction, but this would be a big mistake