Opinion

Saturday 23 June 2018

Fianna Fáil finance spokesman Michael McGrath. Photo: Stephen Collins/Collins

The Budget battles have already begun, but at risk of having no clear winner

A bit like Christmas, it seems to start a little earlier every year. This week the first shots have been fired in the conflict over framing the Budget ahead of Tuesday, October 9.

Comment

Stiff sentence reflects role as 'driving force' of 'planned' conspiracy

The six-year prison sentence imposed on former Anglo Irish Bank chief executive David Drumm is a stiff one...

'The Government's scoping inquiry, headed by Dr Gabriel Scally, is tasked with finding out some of the basic facts.' Photo: Mark Condren

Comment

Playing blame game sets us up for failure

The State giveth, the State taketh away. If it's taking away a square metre of your front garden this could net you €25,000. Those less lucky, whose cancers were not detected in a screening programme, and who were then not informed when it was discovered that their screens were misread, will receive ex-gratia payments of €2,000.

Fortnite: ‘It’s not like the game where they kill prostitutes,’ said one parent

Comment

Addictive Fortnite fad is so much more than the latest craze for young children

Have you seen a kid do the Floss yet? Even the kids who aren't playing Fortnite, where it originated, are doing this dance which, if you think about it too much, seems to be about flossing your crotch.

SEEKING POWER: Mary Lou McDonald with Michelle O’Neill after giving her keynote speech at the Sinn Fein Ard Fheis last night. Photo: Charles McQuillan/Getty

Comment

Sinn Fein has lust for power but just can't find a partner

Lust is a strange emotion that brings endless potential - but none of the risks of true love.

Eoghan Harris

Prince Charles not the only one who needs history lessons

Charles and Camilla's visit was another small blow against the Anglophobia that continually lurks at the lumpen level of Irish society.

Comment

College apartheid continues, 40 years after we voted for change

Few residents of north, west and inner-city Dublin, and similar communities throughout the country, will get to attend NUI or Trinity College Dublin. If you live in Dublin 4, 6, or Dublin South County and some parts of North Dublin, you are many times more likely to go to university than residents of other postal...

INCLUSIVE: Arlene Foster wants DUP to broaden appeal Pic: AFP/Getty

Ruth Dudley Edwards

The plates may be moving, but who knows in which direction

As I was ruminating on the implications of Leo Varadkar allegedly telling Fine Gael TDs that "the plates are shifting in Irish politics", I accidentally came across a news item about a Dungannon hurling club that made me laugh - but also provided insight into the big issue.

'There was further related good news last week, with news that the pace of rent increases is slowing, up less than 2pc in the last six months, the numbers of homeless 'rough sleepers' down 40pc, and the numbers in emergency accommodation also levelling off.' Photo: Brian Lawless

Editorial

Looking for a light at end of the tunnel

Authoritative analysis by the Central Statistics Office that the number of new homes built in the State has been overstated for several years by almost 60pc is dismaying but not surprising to the many engaged in the property market seeking to purchase a home, but neither should sight be lost of the fact that there has been an increase of 75pc in the number of new...

Trader Gregory Rowe feels the strain as he works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange — US stocks fell with other markets around the world last Friday after the Trump administration stepped up the trade dispute with China. Photo: AP

Dan O'Brien

The truth about globalisation - and its mistaken discontents

Ireland is the biggest tax haven in the world. That was the claim made by two foreign academics in recent days. They say that globalised companies here and elsewhere around the world are dodging taxes in mind-boggling amounts.

Water features are in big demand as are exotic garden statues like Buddhas and naked women. Photo: Gerry Mooney

Comment

A garden boom is in full swing as we splash out on grooming home grounds

Last week, some Irish homeowners were informed they might have to sacrifice part of their gardens for Dublin's new rapid bus network - but for the rest, it's boom time in the home grounds

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The Budget battles have already begun, but at risk of having no clear winner Comment

Addictive Fortnite fad is so much more than the latest craze for young children Comment

Prince Charles not the only one who needs history lessons Eoghan Harris

'Seamus Mallon is one of the giants of Irish history'. Photo: Damien Eagers

Don't be fooled by Sinn Fein hypocrites Letters

Stiff sentence reflects role as 'driving force' of 'planned' conspiracy Comment

A Green Motion staff member pointing out the perceived damage to the car rented by Stuart Summerfield

'The pictures clearly show no damage' - Irish customers furious over car rental... Irish News

WATCH: Hilarious video sums up the highs and lows of an Irish heatwave Video

Jim Madden and his daughter Orna Madden pleaded guilty to breaching medicinal products regulations
Pic: Collins Courts

Prominent dentist and his barrister daughter spared jail for unlawfully exporting unregulated... Courts

Students Gemma Hayes, Anna Lynch, Erica Flynn, Emma Williams, and Aoife Dardis at Áras an Uachtaráin. Photo: MAXWELLPHOTOGRAPHY.IE

'I think this is my favourite forecast I’ve ever written' - Even Met Éireann are... Irish News

Passengers urged to check flights as air traffic strike causes chaos for holiday-makers Travel

The Daily Digest

Don't Miss

Sean Cronin in training ahead of tomorrow’s third and final Test against Australia. Photo: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

Comment: World Cup planning at the forefront of Joe Schmidt’s mind as Kiwi rolls the dice for decisive... International Rugby

Editor's Choice

Playing blame game sets us up for failure

The State giveth, the State taketh away. If it's taking away a square...

Comment

The Budget battles have already begun, but at risk of having no clear winner

A bit like Christmas, it seems to start a little earlier every year.

Bairbre Power: Going back to Kinsale last weekend rekindled so many memories, happy and sad, it was like...

People protest against the separation of children from their immigrant families at Tornillo transit centre in Texas. Photo: REUTERS/Monica Lozano

Laura Bush: Zero tolerance is cruel – we must become a more compassionate nation

At the...

Vehicles display the logos for Zimbabwean opposition Movement For Democratic Change (MDC) party, and the ruling ZANU PF party outside an election nomination court in Harare, Zimbabwe last week. Photo: Reuters/Philimon Bulawayo

Ireland can make a huge difference to landless farmers of Zimbabwe

The southern winter is a glorious thing...

The Pope is welcome to come, but his visit will not define the era or Ireland

A week of more contradictions, testing the parameters of journalistic privilege

Edmund Cahill: a poem for Father's Day...

Celebrating a man who wiggles his hips when he walks is a step in right direction

Mrs Allen was the cream of the crop who leaves a legacy of food, laughter and love

In a new world order of authoritarian nationalists, what now for democracy?

Columnists

Two is company, but is three the norm?

I was fascinated that during the winter cold spell large portions of the Irish nation turned to pornography sites on the internet to while away the...

Gene Kerrigan: Try, fail, keep on doing the same thing over

These days, we're governed by young,...

Moreno Maialen, from Spain, and Fabio Alvarado, from Colombia, at the Bloomsday celebrations in Sandycove. Below Carole Ward from Dublin. Pictures: Tony Gavin

Sun, boaters and oysters come out for Bloomsday

As if on cue, the "snot green sea" beneath the Martello Tower in...

Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall meet fishmonger Pat OConnell as they visit the English Market on June 14, 2018 in Cork, Ireland. Photo: Getty

Charles and The Fishmonger

Buckingham Palace, Monday morning. As is customary, Charles...

A loose wire shaped like a noose just says so much

By now, the writing is on the wall - or at least it's on the World Cup wallchart

Mary Kenny: The cost of throwaway culture

Someone save us from senators

The World Cup is on - time to eat ribs and watch three games a day

Analysis: Mrs May gets a win over rebels - but her negotiating hand is now even weaker

Letters

Don't be fooled by Sinn Fein hypocrites

Sir - Eoghan Harris and others have questioned the advisability of the Leo Varadkar visit to the Orange Order and the Feile in west Belfast...

True cost of €4bn bill for landlords

Sir - I want to respond to Philip Ryan's article on government...

'With almost 10 million tourists visiting Ireland last year, the dearth of public toilets is a scandal.'

Abdicating responsibility

Sir - The chronic need for the provision of public toilets in Dublin is an appalling indictment of past...

'Growing up in West Kerry, choosing to be a teacher was viewed as a very noble career'. (Stock picture)

Catching the teaching bug

Sir - I always detested the word retirement and have given it a wide, wide berth - way off over the...

The Budget battles have already begun, but at risk of having no clear winner

Stiff sentence reflects role as 'driving force' of 'planned' conspiracy

Playing blame game sets us up for failure

Addictive Fortnite fad is so much more than the latest craze for young children

Sinn Fein has lust for power but just can't find a partner

Prince Charles not the only one who needs history lessons

College apartheid continues, 40 years after we voted for change

The plates may be moving, but who knows in which direction

Looking for a light at end of the tunnel

The truth about globalisation - and its mistaken discontents

A garden boom is in full swing as we splash out on grooming home grounds

The Budget battles have already begun, but at risk of having no clear winner Comment

Addictive Fortnite fad is so much more than the latest craze for young children Comment

Prince Charles not the only one who needs history lessons Eoghan Harris

Don't be fooled by Sinn Fein hypocrites Letters

Stiff sentence reflects role as 'driving force' of 'planned' conspiracy Comment

'The pictures clearly show no damage' - Irish customers furious over car rental... Irish News

WATCH: Hilarious video sums up the highs and lows of an Irish heatwave Video

Prominent dentist and his barrister daughter spared jail for unlawfully exporting unregulated... Courts

'I think this is my favourite forecast I’ve ever written' - Even Met Éireann are... Irish News

Passengers urged to check flights as air traffic strike causes chaos for holiday-makers Travel

The Daily Digest

Don't Miss

Comment: World Cup planning at the forefront of Joe Schmidt’s mind as Kiwi rolls the dice for decisive... International Rugby

Fretful-looking character in the dock in sharp contrast with chipper banker Courts

Wedding inspiration: Modern Irish style at the mystical Slane Castle Reception

Sinead Moriarty: Overwhelmed new mothers need support whether they choose to breastfeed or not Parenting

Adrian Weckler: How can you really know whether your child has a 'gaming disorder'? Technology

Top 20 cycles in Ireland: From family spins to off-roaders and those who want a challenge

Darragh McCullough: CAP reform is just tinkering around the edges of a flawed and broken system

We've come a long, long way together: How Ireland has changed since the last papal visit

Summer vibes - the very best blockbusters, gigs and festivals coming your way

John Giles: Southgate handled the World Cup build-up brilliantly - but I see one glaring absence in England's... World Cup 2018

Editor's Choice

Playing blame game sets us up for failure

Addictive Fortnite fad is so much more than the latest craze for young...

Breakdown in Brexit talks now more likely than ever

Comment

The Budget battles have already begun, but at risk of having no clear winner

Bairbre Power: Going back to Kinsale last weekend rekindled so many memories, happy and sad, it was like...

Laura Bush: Zero tolerance is cruel – we must become a more compassionate nation

Ireland can make a huge difference to landless farmers of Zimbabwe

The Pope is welcome to come, but his visit will not define the era or Ireland

A week of more contradictions, testing the parameters of journalistic privilege

Edmund Cahill: a poem for Father's Day...

Celebrating a man who wiggles his hips when he walks is a step in right direction

Mrs Allen was the cream of the crop who leaves a legacy of food, laughter and love

In a new world order of authoritarian nationalists, what now for democracy?

Columnists

Two is company, but is three the norm?

Gene Kerrigan: Try, fail, keep on doing the same thing over

Sun, boaters and oysters come out for Bloomsday

Charles and The Fishmonger

A loose wire shaped like a noose just says so much

By now, the writing is on the wall - or at least it's on the World Cup wallchart

Mary Kenny: The cost of throwaway culture

Someone save us from senators

The World Cup is on - time to eat ribs and watch three games a day

Analysis: Mrs May gets a win over rebels - but her negotiating hand is now even weaker

Letters

Don't be fooled by Sinn Fein hypocrites

True cost of €4bn bill for landlords

Abdicating responsibility

Catching the teaching bug

Nawtin wrong with talking proper on air

Remember Donal's message

Infertility aid would increase birth rate

Restrictions don't reduce abortion rate

Heroism shows how world must face evil

Money does not buy the best education

Editorial

Looking for a light at end of the tunnel

EU remains firm but fair on Brexit

Economy good but caution required

Referendum vote is major step forward

Vicky Phelan case a damning failure

We owe women more than to merely marvel at institutional failures

Leo the influencer in the land of the little people

Commemoration of 'Republic Day'

Trump's troubling chaotic Presidency