Opinion Editorial

Editorial

Editorial: 'Tories need to listen to the bard, not their own fiction' 

For all the problems raining down on the head of Theresa May, she takes consolation in knowing her enemies look weaker still.

Government must prepare for what might happen next 

It says much about the position of Theresa May, with seemingly nothing left to lose, that she went on a whirlwind tour of Europe, and lost again. Devoid of a national consensus, or any...

Editorial: 'Abandoning vote on Brexit deal smacks of desperation' 

There may be a risk of further frying the brains of the nation with Brexit information overload.

Editorial: 'That Brexit 'date with fate' has big implications for us' 

The people are understandably Brexit weary. But after two-and-a-half years of phoney war, this issue has finally reached its decisive phase.

Editorial: 'Merkel shows Trump the way' 

'If our leaders seek to conceal the truth, or we as people become accepting of alternative realities that are no longer grounded in facts, then we as American citizens are on a pathway to...

Editorial: 'Brexit backstop discussion is far from finished' 

Not by a long shot is it over yet.

Editorial: 'A bodyblow to confidence in battered health system' 

The fallout from the cervical cancer scandal continues. A new 'wonder drug', which campaigning patient Vicky Phelan believes saved her life, could be freely available to everyone with cervical...

Editorial: 'We won't get fooled again on economy. Or will we?' 

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

Editorial: 'Fixation on CAO form is too narrow a view of education' 

A well-educated mind will always have more questions than answers.

Editorial: 'Time for a re-think as Nama is adding to housing woes' 

Back in a very recent and very grim time, the then-government announced the creation of the National Assets Management Agency, or Nama as it is universally known. It began life in late 2009,...

Echoes of bust to be heard in boom 

We live in a society, not an economy, the argument goes. A fuller truth, however, is that a modern society needs an economy to prosper and a modern economy needs a stable society to function. In the decade during which the economy failed, society suffered greatly through the implementation of harsh austerity. During those years, there were times when the normal functioning of society was threatened. Thankfully those days, by and large, have passed, although the ills within society are still far from settled. It is to be...

Editorial: 'Taoiseach must begin to lead and stop playing to gallery ' 

The most consistent criticism of Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has been his inability to look past his public image.

Editorial: 'Rural Ireland can and must fight back to thrive again' 

It is a good thing you can't buy a pint or get a hair cut online: the main streets of too many rural towns and villages would be all white-washed windows, were it not for the publican and hair-...

Editorial: 'If crash happens, Donohoe can't say he wasn't warned' 

'Prudent Paschal' doesn't quite cut it for street cred, but it's a nickname the Finance Minister carries with pride. Where once we enjoyed seeing our money men splash the cash, most families...

Editorial: 'Beating Brexit depends on broadband plan - roll it out' 

Sometimes it can be good news when nothing is found, even after extensive searching. Independent auditor Peter Smyth's announcement the National Broadband Plan (NBP) was not undermined or...

Editorial: 'Sinn Feín should stop copping out and make a difference' 

IT must be a puzzling thing to be a Sinn Féin representative and be required to respond differently based purely on which ear is being addressed.

Editorial: 'Tax cuts welcome, but services needed' 

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar made a bold declaration at the Fine Gael Ard Fheis last weekend, in what has been correctly interpreted will be central plank in his party's manifesto ahead of the next general...

Comment: 'We are failing women with culture of victim blame' 

When it comes to sexual violence in our country, too much of the screaming is still done silently. The reasons for concealment are many: pain, shame, fear, invasion, violation - all are contributory...

Editorial: 'If we build rural Ireland, then prosperity will come' 

William Gibson, who coined the term "cyberspace", noted 15 years ago: "The future is already here - it's just not evenly distributed." Many in rural Ireland feel the same way when they visit...

Editorial: 'Scouting Ireland's priority must be welfare of victims' 

We have long lost the excuse of helplessness in the face of the suffering of children.

Editorial: 'We will reap the whirlwind of stalling on climate issue' 

A solved problem can often create several new problems.

Editorial: ''Robbing Paschal to pay Paschal' makes little sense' 

Fairness, the Taoiseach told the nation, is what drives his party's approach to the country's finances.

Editorial: 'A huge win brings joy to everyone across the island' 

Surely a mature Jacob Stockdale would at some future date cut a dash as the first president of a united Ireland. His piece of rugby magic in the second half sealed an epic win for Ireland.

Editorial: 'Good case for a second Brexit vote' 

From the moment the people of the United Kingdom voted, in their wisdom, to leave the European Union it was widely accepted that, from the perspective of Ireland, there would be no such...

Editorial: 'Wrecking ball has hit home as support crumbles for May' 

Theresa May would not have found herself on the menu had she heeded the advice of Mrs Beeton to "first catch the rabbit" before presuming to present the bill of fare.

Editorial: 'Bitter Reality of Brexit hard to swallow for many' 

It is hard to look on the omnishambles Brexit became and not recall the words of Baron Denning: "The House of Commons starts its proceedings with a prayer. The chaplain looks at the assembled...

Editorial: 'All sides need to be on board to lift Brexit curse' 

Not too many international agreements are forged out of respectful negotiation and compromise.

Editorial: 'We need positive action to smash the glass ceiling' 

There is an impulse to stand up to the generational narcissism that decrees we must always change the social script to suit all current politically correct mores - all the time.

Editorial: 'Signs that hope and history can sometimes rhyme' 

Sometimes we do get things right in this country - even if it takes us many decades. Take President Michael D Higgins's speech yesterday to mark the centenary of that "war to end all wars", which...

Editorial: 'Brexit negotiations require cool heads' 

As the Brexit endgame approaches, things are becoming fraught, and this seems to be especially so for those on the fringes of negotiations - the DUP and the hardline Tory Brexiteers.

Editorial: 'In times of division, we must remember mistakes of past' 

The Abbé de Saint-Pierre was credited with coming up with the first international peace plan - an association of all the states of Europe to maintain perpetual peace among themselves. He...

Editorial: 'Split-decision results show America not ready to heal' 

Something primordial predisposes us to view everything through the prism of winning and losing: the victor and the vanquished. Nature doesn't do split decisions but, at first glance, superficial...

Editorial: 'Giving ground on backstop is a flawed, backward step' 

Fate has its own timing but since the vexed term Brexit was coined the over-riding fear was we would find ourselves at a table at the 11th hour being told in crisp tones: "What's mine is mine...

Editorial: 'Paddy likes to know what the story is, Mr Varadkar' 

It's less than a decade since the public was deliberately misled by its government about talks with a multi-national organisation which would have profound consequences.

Editorial: 'Suffering is more acute when leaders fail to listen' 

The problem with people in leadership roles being tone deaf is not just the way they display they are out of touch.

Editorial: 'A challenge for high-tech Ireland' 

The statement last week by Tim Berners-Lee, the computer scientist who invented the world wide web in 1989, that technology companies have grown so dominant that they may need to be...

Playing political games over Broadband a reckless tactic 

Life - the way it really is - is a battle not between good and bad, but between bad and worse, argued Joseph Brodsky. When it comes to the roll out of national broadband, rural business owners would...

Embracing innovation is key to solve the housing crisis 

In trying to break patterns of failure, it has been noted there are several ways of moving forward, but only one of standing still; sadly this is the position our Government has taken on housing:...

Maurice McCabe set standard that garda must follow 

If the reputation of An Garda Síochána has been diminished by its treatment of Sergeant Maurice McCabe, his own stature has grown.

Higgins must now follow through on transparency 

It ended exactly as most of us believed it would at the start with a big win for Michael D Higgins, who will be Uachtarán na hÉireann for another seven years. Six out of 10 people who voted chose Mr...

Well done to a worthy winner 

President Michael D Higgins is to be warmly congratulated, not only on his re-election, but for the dignified manner in which he conducted his campaign in what was for many an uncomfortable presidential election marked by a high level of divisiveness that was unbecoming the Office of...

More bank reform before pay cap lift 

The resignation of the Allied Irish Bank chief executive, following the recent departure of the bank's chief financial officer, has given rise to a suggestion that the imposed cap on bankers' pay should be lifted. The suggestion is premature. Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe recently...

No pay hikes for bankers 'til they refund bailout cash 

There are many myths about banks, one of which is that they are there to create money for the public good. They clearly are not; their purpose is to make a profit.

It's important we exercise the right to cast our vote 

There has always been a tension between insiders and outsiders in the political firmament. Sometimes it can be heated and divisive. At its basest, it can be reduced to an argument where "my...

Brexit slips slowly towards chaos that no one wanted 

There is a theory that there are no uninteresting things, just uninterested people. Sometimes it seems Brexit was dreamed up to prove it. Past, present and even future all seem subsumed into it.

Excavation of Tuam site is a small but crucial gesture 

As the joyous World Meeting of Families was taking place in Dublin, a commemoration for the 796 infants buried in Tuam was also being held.

Housing crisis has been allowed to go backwards 

Budgets do not mirror values, they merely tot up expenditures - and even these are skewed towards what will yield the best return in political, as opposed to social, capital.

Editorial: Responsibilities of freedom of speech 

The people go to the polls this Friday to vote in a presidential election and blasphemy referendum. When it was decided to hold these votes on the same day, it was not expected that what could...

Volatile corporation tax unsustainable 

The announcement of an extra full €1bn in corporation tax receipts ahead of earlier forecasts is welcome news at a level this close to a Budget required to meet pressing public spending demands, but is also deeply concerning at another, in that it seems to confirm that Ireland has become...

Europe has much to do 10 years on 

The 10th anniversary of the onset of the economic crisis has given rise to much retrospective analysis as to what went wrong, but a more pertinent question is whether the real lessons of that calamitous event have been learned to ensure a similar event will not reoccur in the future. It...

'God hates me' - child's distress over 'heartbreaking, ridiculous church idea' 

The mother of an eight-year-old girl whose First Holy Communion was scrapped for "any Mass day" next year said her daughter is so upset that she...