Eoin Neylon was President of Ogra Fianna Fail from 2014-2016, he has taken a look at the week in Irish Politics “A week is a long time in politics”. This quote is often attributed to former UK Labour PM Harold Wilson. It’s a quote that was likely ringing in the ears of Leo Varadkar this morning as he made an appearance at law firm Arthur Cox. Just a week ago he was accepting international plaudits as he accented to the …
So the parties are to respond to a paper issued by the two governments today. After four months of apparent lack of close engagement by the British government in particular , talks took on a clearer shape and urgency since the Westminster general election. The paper has been seen by Barney Rowan and summarised in Eamonn Mallie’s website . The content of the the legacy section has been around for months with agreement said to be on the brink for …
The empty rhetoric of the Sinn Féin president, Gerry Adams, in Downing Street last week… Speaking at Downing Street, Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams said that the party told Mrs May “very directly that she was in breach of the Good Friday Agreement” over the Conservative negotiations with the DUP. …is neatly summed up in Ed Moloney’s blog post title, “Sinn Fein Meet May, Complain And Then Go Away……Move On, No Story Here“. The party’s impotence, in relation to any arrangement …
So stated the Sinn Féin president, Gerry Adams, as he paraded his “Magnificent Seven” MPs [and Carál Ní Chuilín – Ed] in front of the media at a press conference at Stormont yesterday. But whilst most reports focused on that line, or a variation on it, only the Irish Times’ Gerry Moriarty appears to have still been listening when he went on to say… [Gerry Adams] said Sinn Féin would not reject any positive deal that might emerge from these …
The emergence of Leo Varadakar as Taoiseach is the latest sign of dramatic change of in the Republic. It is a bit unsettling that although we are learning who he is we haven’t a clue what he is in traditional Irish terms. Since starting out as a Fine Gael party nerd in his youth, he has risen without much trace, picking his causes with increasing care but making his mark with signature comments. Thankfully none of them was about our …
Issues Leo Varadkar Simon Coveney United Ireland Believes in preparing for Shared Sovereignty or a United Ireland. However says it needs support in both communities. Opposes Border Poll now Wants a White Paper on Irish unity drafted by November 2017. Supports establishment of an All Ireland Forum in 2018. Opposes Border Poll now. North-South relations Supports good relations and commits to help restoring the Executive. Wants joint Dail Committee to examine possibilities for North-South relations. Brexit …
Sinn Fein Court woes, FF war in Roscommon, FG’s Health worries and Independents searching for their moment….It’s all the goss from #ge16
Every year, the MacGill Summer School gives us under exercised political anoraks a moment to resolutely focus on Irish public affairs. Last night the subject was trust between the governors and the governed, a title none of the three speakers were particularly comfortable with. And it invoked some biting, cynical wit on Twitter… Don't miss my talk at Macgill, "Political Reform: The Politics of Reform, or The Reform of Politics?" — lɐƃɹǝℲ (@Fergal) July 22, 2014 There’s a wider sense …
The Irish Times reports some odd comments by the Irish Government Tourism and Transport Minister, Leo Varadkar, at a meeting of the British Irish Parliamentary Assembly at Leinster House in Dublin. Odd, that is, given what we already know. From the Irish Times report Mr Varadkar said tourists and business visitors should not be forced to source one set of travel papers for the UK and a second set for th Republic. “This means that there are real opportunities to …
Fascinating interchange between Senator David Cullinane and Leo Varadkar talking about the first year of the coalition’s first year in government when the conversation suddenly segs into Sinn Fein’s record in government in Northern Ireland… Adds: As John rightly says, I should have included a link to the whole thing… Starts at 40 minutes… Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a …
Politics.ie characterised it as a “ding dong” between Fine Gael spokesman Leo Varadkar and the still MP for west Belfast, Gerry Adams, on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland. But it’s probably not as bad as that 2007 debate… It’s towards the end of the 13 minute clip [RealPlayer audio file] that Adams displays what Leo Varadkar refers to as “his ignorance of economics”. “We would negotiate with the bond market after we have straightened out the crisis in our own economy,” [Adams] said. That would …
