US Congress

Donkeys led by aardvarks – having a surname start near the beginning of the alphabet is a big electoral advantage

Peter Donaghy (Salmon of Data) on June 15, 2019, 5:48 pm

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In preferential voting systems, such as the electoral system for European, Assembly and Local elections in Northern Ireland, voters have to rank candidates in order of preference (1 for first preference, 2 for second, and so on). A flaw in the system is that voters frequently list their preferences from top to bottom in the order that they appear on the ballot paper, i.e. in alphabetical order of the candidate’s surname. This phenomenon is known as donkey voting. In Australia, …

“processing it through their stunted, trivial prism of partisan loyalty…”

Pete Baker on March 10, 2013, 7:47 pm

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At the Guardian, Glenn Greenwald makes a number of important points about the reaction to US Senator Rand Paul’s 13-hour filibuster against John Brennan’s nomination as head of the CIA. From Glenn Greenwald at Comment is Free Last week’s 13-hour filibuster of John Brennan’s confirmation as CIA director by GOP Sen. Rand Paul was one of the first – and, from the perspective of media attention, easily among the most effective -Congressional efforts to dramatize and oppose just how radical …

IFI’s US Congress funding: “I can’t believe somebody’s trying to bring this back.”

Pete Baker on May 24, 2011, 4:10 pm

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Will the efforts of two horsemen of the apocalypse congressmen result in the ‘earmarking’ of US Congress’ funding of the International Fund for Ireland? The coup de grace on that funding was supposed to have been delivered some time ago… The Washington Post reports on the debate over whether the attempt by New York Reps. Peter King [R] and Joseph Crowley [D], who cite “diplomatic reasons” for their efforts, constitutes an congressional earmark – which are currently banned. From the Washington Post report In …

IFI funding “coup de grace”?

Pete Baker on March 17, 2011, 4:14 pm

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I had thought that this Irish Echo report meant that the US Congress had de-funded the International Fund for Ireland (IFI). But, as Mark Devenport notes, the Washington Post reported on Monday that the “coup de grace” could be due today. From the Washington Post report Also, in an odd sense of timing, an international fund for Ireland would lose $17 million, a proposal backed by the State Department. The Senate could vote to eliminate those funds, and others, on Thursday …

US Congress de-funds International Fund for Ireland

Pete Baker on March 10, 2011, 4:58 pm

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Mick noted in December US-Ireland Alliance founder Trina Vargo’s comment that the International Fund for Ireland (IFI) was “on the chopping block” for the US Congress. And in a follow-up post Trina Vargo added, for clarity This is from the US Congress’ Joint Explanatory Statement accompanying Division F of the FY 10 Consolidated Appropriations Act: “The conferees expect that the assistance provided in this Act will be the final United States contribution to the IFI.” What about that is unclear? And that …