Ian O'Doherty

Independentie

Sunday, 31 May 2020 | 16.6°C Dublin

News [1]
Opinion [2]
Business [3]
Sport [4]
Life [5]
Style [7]
Entertainment [8]
Travel [9]

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Independentie

News [1]
Opinion [2]
Business [3]
Sport [4]
Life [5]
Style [7]
Entertainment [8]
Travel [9]

Menu Sections

Ian O'Doherty

Anniversary: the votes for change in the 2015 and 2018 referendums were heralded as the start of a new era

Referendums have changed the law, but not our politics

The last week or so has seen the anniversary of the two most important referendums of our lifetime, but because everyone's attention is focused on matters Covid, they've passed with relatively little attention.

Relaxing: Taoiseach Leo Varadkar enjoys the sunshine in Phoenix Park, Dublin

Ian O'Doherty Opinion Confusion reigns supreme as even the Taoiseach breaks own rules to have picnic

There hasn't been much to laugh about for the last few months, but the news that Boris Johnson's widely loathed chief adviser, Dominic Cummings, had been busted for breaking lockdown rules not once, not twice, but allegedly three times certainly brought a grim grin to many people's faces.

A woman wearing a face mask, as a preventive measure against the spread of coronavirus. (Photo by JUAN BARRETO/AFP via Getty Images)

While we fret about the pandemic, the cranks are having a blast

One of the great misconceptions that sprouted up at the start of the lockdown was that it would, somehow, bring us all together. In fact, it has done the opposite.

Lovin’ it: Shannon Knowles, Caitlin Attoe and Emma Flood, all from Lucan, at the reopening of McDonald’s on Kylemore Road, Dublin. Photo: Colin Keegan

Forget the busybodies - now is the perfect time to indulge

It was the AA Roadwatch announcement that caught my attention: "It's busy on the Kylemore Road, especially southbound from before the canal bridge to the Naas Road junction."

Looming: The Exchequer should be preparing a war chest to help us get through the coming economic storm, but due to pandemic payouts the cupboards won’t just be bare – they’ll be a few billion in the red

Ian O'Doherty Opinion Optimism is misplaced - no-deal Brexit and Covid debt have left us on the brink of ruin

As we emerge, blinking and confused, into the relative sunlight and freedom provided by the Phase 1 easing of restrictions, it would be easy to think we have turned the corner.

Life skills: As Anthony Bourdain explained, by the time a man turns 18, he should know how to roast a chicken, cook the perfect steak and create a casserole.

Ian O'Doherty Opinion My alternative Leaving Cert courses would start with the perfect steak

One of the great clichés of the past few months is how "we're all in this together".

Cheers: People take a selfie at an outdoor seating section of a Prague pub, as the Czech government lifted restrictions allowing restaurants with outdoor areas to reopen. Photo: REUTERS/David W Cerny

Ian O'Doherty Opinion Enough is enough - we must get people back to work to end economic genocide

Our country is dying. Slowly but surely, we are watching a horror movie unfold in front of our eyes, yet we can't seem to do anything about it.

'Like something out of a porno': Daisy Edgar-Jones and Paul Mescal in Normal People. Photo by Enda Bowe

We all laughed at Liveline, but scolds come in all ages

These are rather challenging times. In the current climate, we need a good laugh and we all got one last week on Liveline during the ruckus over Normal People. Sounding like an archive broadcast from the 1950s, a bunch of callers on Duffy's Circus were up on their hind legs in outrage at the sight of bare-naked bodies.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar (Brian Lawless/PA)

What's worse - checking your notes or just winging and hoping for the best?

I'm no fan of either Leo Varadkar or the caretaker government, but we seem to live in a binary age where someone is either utterly pure and noble or hateful and evil.

Carbon clash: Green Party leader Eamon Ryan at a climate action protest in Dublin earlier this year. Photo: Gerry Mooney

Ian O'Doherty Opinion Greens are facing oblivion if they refuse to step up in our hour of greatest need

Last week's announcement that the lockdown was going to be extended came as no great surprise and as we stare down the barrel of weeks and potentially months of onerous restrictions, it has been interesting to observe the different reactions.

Ian O'Doherty

Referendums have changed the law, but not our politics

Ian O'Doherty Opinion Confusion reigns supreme as even the Taoiseach breaks own rules to have picnic

While we fret about the pandemic, the cranks are ­having a blast

Forget the busybodies - now is the perfect time to indulge

Ian O'Doherty Opinion Optimism is misplaced - no-deal Brexit and Covid debt have left us on the brink of ruin

Ian O'Doherty Opinion My alternative Leaving Cert courses would start with the perfect steak

Ian O'Doherty Opinion Enough is enough - we must get people back to work to end economic genocide

We all laughed at Liveline, but scolds come in all ages

What's worse - checking your notes or just winging and hoping for the best?

Ian O'Doherty Opinion Greens are facing oblivion if they refuse to step up in our hour of greatest need

While we fret about the pandemic, the cranks are having a blast