Editorial

Editorial: ''Bright spark' Johnson may end up burning the house down' 

MOP-TOP or none, nobody does "the what you see is what you get" shtick better than Boris Johnson.

Editorial: 'Shane Lowry's win reflects the positive side of our isle' 

Sport thrives on those miracles when men and women defy the odds and do the seemingly impossible. But sometimes sport also gives us all a shared miracle in the form of an opportunity to...

Editorial: 'Giant leap from raucous discord' 

In the Sunday Independent today, we republish the inspiring words of President John F Kennedy which he delivered eight years before Nasa first landed and man walked on the Moon, the 50th...

Editorial: 'Trump does a disservice to what makes America great' 

It is not a good week for the world when its most powerful leader suggests democratically elected women politicians should go back to the "broken and crime infested" countries they came from.

Editorial: 'Red herrings won't save Boris from no-deal impact' 

When a would-be prime minister relies upon the brandishing of a red herring to make a point, codology can not be far behind.

Editorial: 'Greatest challenge is yet to come for Von der Leyen' 

'The trust you placed in me is the confidence you placed in Europe," a modest, but clearly relieved Ursula von der Leyen said after passing a significant milestone in becoming the first woman president...

Editorial: 'Human cost of the tracker scandal won't be forgotten' 

After €64bn was swallowed up in the rescue of the banks, relationships between the public and lending institutions were always going to be strained. Expectations and perceptions shift when trust is...

Editorial: 'HSE needs drastic surgery - we can only hope for a cure' 

Confusing movement with progress can be an expensive business. For instance, if one casts one's mind back towards the end of 2004, one would have found universal agreement that anything...

Editorial: 'All sectors must combine to cut insurance costs' 

Long-suffering business people, motorists and householders may decide both sides in this argument deserve one another, and each is to blame for spiralling insurance premiums.

Editorial: 'New tactics for the Brexit endgame' 

Tough talk about the "backstop" and "no hard border" was appropriate and necessary for a long time. It wasn't whistling past the graveyard. Rather it was a means of stiffening the resolve of our...

Editorial: 'Government must be clear on its planning for no deal' 

This has been a disconcerting week rolling ever towards the precipice on Brexit. Suddenly we are told to brace ourselves for what was deemed unspeakable, if not unthinkable, only weeks ago.

Editorial: 'We'll miss the big man who shook nation with Laughter' 

'Due to circumstances beyond our control," the town hall notice in Galway read, "the Brendan Grace performance on Friday, August 16, has been cancelled. Full refunds will be given." It would...

Editorial: 'Mortgage rate cut may be silver lining of dark cloud' 

Practitioners of the dismal science are wont to find dark clouds in every silver lining.

Editorial: 'Dangers of brexit are laid bare - we must be prepared' 

We have sensed its ominous presence, felt its breath on the back of our necks - but when we turned around there was still nothing there: now it appears it is time to stare Brexit straight in the...

Editorial: 'Political solidarity is vital as Brexit edges ever closer' 

The flaw in framing rational strategies to shield ourselves from the aftershock of a UK crash-out from the EU is that the Brexit universe always seems one step beyond logic.

Editorial: 'Ireland faces a big battle on future EU budget plans' 

The apportioning of "big jobs" at EU level is still incomplete. It is a necessary process to find people of quality to help a bloc of nations order its affairs into the future.

Editorial: 'Beef deal a worry but focus on Brexit' 

The political agreement reached between the European Union and the Mercosur bloc of countries in South America has been roundly criticised by farm lobby groups as well as several politicians...

Editorial: 'If there is a 'bad' Brexit everything is up for review' 

We know there is no such thing as a "good" Brexit and we must keep that in mind as the end game nears this autumn. Even with a relatively benign outcome, the EU-UK divorce will never be as...

Editorial: 'These uncertain times have left economy vulnerable' 

The boom may be back but we have to be careful that it does not become "more boomier", to borrow the famous phrase coined by former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern.

Editorial: 'Beef, broadband and Brexit add up to one big headache' 

There is no doubt the three Bs - beef, broadband and Brexit - are causing sleepless nights for ministers and creating opportunities for the possible government-in-waiting led by Fianna Fáil.

Editorial: 'Housing crisis overshadows economic feelgood factors' 

There was good and bad news for the Government yesterday. So far it has collected €26.7bn in taxes, up more than €1.7bn on the same period last year.

Editorial: 'Farmers trapped between Mercosur deal and Brexit' 

Ireland has more than a passing interest in the furious horse trading which resumes in Brussels today to decide who will lead the European project for the next five years.

Editorial: 'Brexit shouldn't obscure government's overspending' 

Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe's two plans for the next Budget - one for "a bad" Brexit, the other for "an orderly" Brexit - make good sense. But they must not be allowed obscure another important...

Editorial: 'Putin is wrong, liberalism lives' 

The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, who is on his fourth term, is wrong when he claims that liberalism is "obsolete" and that the political ideology which underpins Western democracies...

Editorial: 'We should all take pride in the fight for equal rights' 

Today the country celebrates Pride with its symbol, the rainbow.

Editorial: 'Patients must not pay the price for FG's fiscal errors' 

Even if the temperature wasn't rising into the high 20s, Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe would be in a hot seat.

Editorial: 'Government faces testing questions over broadband' 

If it sounds too good to be true it probably is. But when it comes to State money surely it is at least worth finding out?

Editorial: 'Caution must prevail with budget amid Brexit threat' 

The thing about chaos is that it comes without contours. Hence, Paschal Donohoe's valiant attempt to game Brexit is something of a shot in the dark.

Editorial: 'Rising rate of sex attacks is a cause for grave concern' 

It's a human reflex to look the other way when confronted with the dark and deeply repulsive, but when the subject is as stark as rape we have to look full on. The Dublin Rape Crisis Centre has...

Editorial: 'Three years on from Brexit vote, confusion still reigns' 

Boris is the only one who can beat Boris now, we have been repeatedly told, as the job of UK prime minister has been whittled down to just two contestants and the decision is left in the hands...

Editorial: 'Further extension to Brexit required' 

The first task of the new prime minister of the UK should be to seek an extension to the already extended withdrawal agreement date of October 31. The two remaining candidates have, so far,...

Editorial: 'War in middle east will hurt more than the trump brand' 

The Chinese, according to Henry Kissinger, believe too great an emphasis on total mastery over specific events could upset the harmony of the universe. We are currently witnessing how too...

Editorial: 'As prime minister, Johnson will have to face reality' 

And then there were two - though most believe there is really only one. Boris Johnson has been the heir apparent for No 10 since the succession stakes opened to take over from Theresa May.

Editorial: 'Lower-paid workers right to point out elastic spending' 

All industrial disputes come with a unique story of breakdown and recrimination.

Editorial: 'Tears show our sorrow over cruel fate of poor Ana' 

Even in the depths of a murder trial which has taken us to places we would prefer not even to imagine, the smile of Ana Kriegel endured.

Editorial: 'We're great at climate talk but we need climate action' 

'People almost invariably arrive at their beliefs not on the basis of proof, but on the basis of what they find attractive."

Editorial: 'Government must heed fiscal warning' 

Eight years on, it can become easy to forget why the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (IFAC) was established in the first place. In short, the IFAC was set up on an interim basis in July 2011, and...

Editorial: 'Banks have recovered - but borrowers were sacrificed' 

If the banks were happy enough to ignore the groaning and straining of the debt piled on them before the crash, they were lightning quick to transfer the burden on to taxpayers.

Editorial: 'When it comes to flights of fancy, we've millions to burn' 

Have you heard about the country that forked out €90m so that it won't have to pay a fine? Or which is happy to shell out €5m for an airport that doesn't have any flights?

Editorial: 'Blame game is a sorry affair in cervical check scandal' 

THE women and families affected by the CervicalCheck scandal have shown immense dignity, candour and strength. Unfortunately the same can hardly be said for our State.

Editorial: 'Church must listen to the fears of LGBTQ catholics' 

Rules and doctrines have their place, but make for a blunt instrument when accommodating the complex patterns of humanity and most especially the tender intricacies of identity.

Editorial: 'Government needs to plan now for end of Tax bonanza' 

Common sense has been documented in all manner of ways. The fact it requires so many definitions and explanations suggests it can't really be all that common, after all. According to Byron R...

Editorial: 'Adams's failure to grasp SF decline' 

The latest intervention by former Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams, in which he calls on the Government here to open consultations on the unification of Ireland, is an ill-judged attempt to...

Editorial: 'New Tory leader must have grasp of reality over Brexit' 

It has been the longest of long goodbyes. It seems an age since the question has been not if but how, concerning Theresa May's exit. Yet as the door closes behind her it is hard to see how the new...

Editorial: 'There's no glamour in drug trade, just stench of death' 

It is hard to imagine now, but there was a time in this country when the murder of any human being was an occasion for revulsion and national distress. As if by stealth, we have somehow allowed...

Editorial: 'Our ties to America go far beyond politics and policy' 

President Trump's arrival in Ireland in the week of the 75th anniversary of D-Day should give pause for thought. The 45th President of the US has propelled himself to the top, harnessing untapped...

Editorial: 'Numbers sitting Leaving Cert show how far we have come' 

If our climate is a bit off kilter and the corncrake has yet to sing, we know it is summer because the Leaving Cert is upon us.

Editorial: 'Divisive Trump should not weaken links with America' 

The first use of a red carpet in literature came in the play 'Agamemnon' by Aeschylus, written in 458 BC.

Editorial: 'Gambling reform pace far too slow' 

Like many aspects of social life in Ireland, gambling is widely seen as a bit of fun, marketed by those within what is a multi-million euro industry as part and parcel of society today. In many ways, this...

Editorial: Terrible death toll on our roads a warning to us all 

It has been a dreadful week on the roads with grief-stricken families mourning the unexpected loss of loved ones following car crashes in different parts of the country.

Editorial: 'Threat of defamation cases is hampering a free press' 

'International organisations which monitor press freedom are reviewing and have reduced Ireland's ranking in the world freedom index" - the stark words from Seán Donlon, who chairs the Press...