The Minister of Finance in the Republic, Brian Cowen likes a drink and is incurably social… Damien has the pictures… 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 regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty
Green Senator Dan Boyle has been talking out school it seems. Speaking on Newstalk, he suggested that Bertie Ahern is on the same limited time as his old buddy Tony Blair: “He won’t be putting himself forward as Taoiseach at the next general election. We’re now in a period of time that we have to find out, discover from the Taoiseach himself, when he feels his time for leaving within this period of Government is. We’re probably coming close to …
From Beano, who has the detail of this exchange between the Taoiseach and a FG TD from Ulster… 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 regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty
As Mick noted in July last year, after a previous British-Irish Council meeting, The BIC tasked the secretariat, in consultation with member administrations, to undertake a strategic review of the council’s work programmes, working methods and support arrangements, including arrangements for a standing secretariat, and report back with firm proposals as soon as possible. After today’s BIC meeting in Dublin, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern confirmed that a permanent secretariat is to be established – “He said a date for the introduction …
It has the faint whiff of pork-barrel politics, and it looks like there’s some ministerial trespassing involved, but the BBC’s blogging Mark Devenport spotted some crossing Northern Ireland ministerial statements at the end of last week – on the apparent funding from the Republic of Ireland government for a study into a bridge at Narrow Water, County Down, following a North South Ministerial Council meeting. First with the news, on 7th Feb, was the NI Education minister – although the …
If you check out the relevant statistics for the Civil Aviation Authority you discover that there are 896 private helicopters have been registered in the UK. The IAA stats are available but it’s harder to disaggregate the helicopter figures. Yet Slugger understands that back in 2004 there were a staggering 114 new registrations alone. Given that big sporting events like the Donegal International rally now have tight regulations on helicopter traffic (and charge €500 to park one of the things). …
A short report here notes that “The Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, has told the Dail that it would be “extremely difficult” to regularise the status of illegal Irish immigrants in the United States.” Would that be because, as the Irish government’s Minister for Justice, Brian Lenihan, has said – “Amnesty or regularisation, in my view, undermines the system of legal migration. They can exacerbate the problem of illegal migration by sending out the wrong message and give rise to a belief …
Sorry about the title, just getting into the swing of the second biggest day of the Presidential election. Conall has some Obama thoughts. And Richard has been running a sterling commentary on the US presidential campaign over at Brassneck. Though as Janet Daley points out, the European view of US politics can get it badly wrong, not least because many of the original Kennedy Democrats went Republican for Reagan. And of course there’s the story of British Tories for Obama. …
Whilst members of the Orange Order protest in parts of Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland’s Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Éamon Ó Cuív, has given approval for funding of €120,000 per annum over a two year period to Cadolemo Ltd – a company set up by Orange lodges based in Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim and Monaghan. From the Irish Times front page report Mr Ó Cuív has pointed out that his department has already been involved in supporting …
This helpful Euler diagram comes with the warning above: The UK’s full name is “The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland”. People from the UK are called “British”. One British person is called a Briton. People from England are called English. People from Scotland are called Scottish. People from Wales are called Welsh. People from Northern Ireland are called Northern Irish. English, Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish people are all British (whether they like it or not). The …
RTÉ reports confirmation that the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, and the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, will use the opportunity in Manchester next week to hold talks on a number of issues. Among the items listed in the report They will discuss the devolution of justice and policing powers from Westminster to the North. It is now accepted this is unlikely to happen by the target date of May 2008. Although, it’s also worth noting that not everyone will publicly acknowledge that …
Of course it’s a “new dawn”.. and not just a distraction from real politics.. ANYhoo.. lots of coverage of the visit by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern to Northern Ireland First Minister Ian Paisley’s North Antrim constituency to tour the new Galgorm Hotel and Spa Resort.. which, while it was not [see footnote to report] the second item on Ian Paisley jnr’s shopping list, it did, apparently, receive over £1.7million from Invest NI in the past year. Pete Baker
On January 22, 2008, as he returned to Dublin from a trip to South Africa during which he had traded insults with Enda Kenny – and he had accused the Fine Gael leader of telling a “bare-faced lie” – Taoiseach Bertie Ahern told reporters “The issue here is very simple. In tax law the application certificate and the tax clearance certificate are the same in law. The position taken by the Revenue is that they can’t finalise it until Mahon’s …
As the post-primary school principal, Sean Bradley, emphasises at the end of this Politics Show report, the issue only applies to over-subscribed schools.. but it isn’t going away. He also suggests a compromise [approx 3mins in] – “I would be more comfortable if the law was more clear right around the border region, in the sense that all pupils were funded from where they live..” Although that might make it more clearly a cross-departmental issue requiring NI Executive approval. The …
Interestingly the Sunday Business Post and Irish Times polls have come out on the same weekend. The not unexpected finding in both is that Bertie’s profile has taken a pounding (with everyone but those in his own party, who retain their faith). Overall however, the party figures have barely changed in the Irish Times, and the SBP shows a four per cent rise in Fianna Fail (still leaving them six points below last May’s showing in the General Election according …
The Republic of Ireland’s Special Criminal Court has upheld the decision to try Thomas Murphy, the “good republican” who according to Sinn Féin’s Gerry Adams “is not a criminal”, following an investigation by the Criminal Assets Bureau. [Added links] In doing so they rejected Senior Counsel Michael O’Higgins’ challenge to the validity of the order from Dundalk District Court sending him for trial in the non-jury court. Pete Baker
In the wake of Peter Hain’s resignation, P O’Neill notes it was a referral to the Metropolitan Police that forced his hand, whereas the worst an Irish politician can expect is a referral to a tribunal. It is, he argues, the Irish way to let our politicians off lightly for flagrant breaches of public trust. 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 …
While waiting for more details on the non-public discussions between the UK and the Republic of Ireland, on maintaining the Common Travel Area, questions continue to be asked about the implications of the introduction of e-border controls. In a follow-up to his report on a statement from the DUP leader Ian Paisley, thanking Gordon Brown for “so robustly defended the integrity of the United Kingdom’s border” – although I did note the caveat required at the time – Frank Millar …
Interesting comments in this report from Judge Michael O’Shea at Dundalk Circuit Criminal court where a 62-year-old former publican pleaded guilty to a charge of dealing in excisable products in Castletowncooley, Riverstown, Co Louth. The guilty plea coming over three years after he was arrested when an illegal vodka distilling operation was raided. From the Irish Times report. The court heard that the entire value of the alcohol seized including VAT and excise duty was €65,767. Passing sentence, Judge O’Shea …
Thomas Murphy finally appeared at the Special Criminal Court today following last week’s Dundalk District Court decision. The “good” republican who, according to Sinn Féin’s Gerry Adams, “is not a criminal” – although he has been named previously as both the UK’s richest smuggler and a former Provisional IRA Chief of Staff – wasn’t there for long as his counsel Michael O’Higgins began by challenging the validity of the order from Dundalk District Court sending him for trial to the …
