One of the recommendations made in the Mahon Report, which is more then likely going to be over looked as most of the media will be looking at the findings against former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and others, is that Regional Authorities be directly elected. The Tribunal is making this decision due to the role that the Regional Authorities play in Regional Planning Guidelines (RPGs) which has an impact on Local Devlopment Plans and other decisions made by local authorities. There...
After last nights announcement in the Dáil by Finance Minister Michael Noonan, full statement on Karl Whelan’s blog, negotiations are under way between Central Bank Governor, Patrick Honohan, and the European Central Bank. The Promissory Note, basically a Government IOU to the Anglo Irish Bank, is worth over €3.1 billion and is due for payment on the 31st of March, which is also the day of the Fine Gael Ard Fheis in Dublin. The prospective plan is to swap the Promissory...
In an article in the Sunday Business Post (€) Europe Minister Lucinda Creighton has warned the Yes side on being complacent about a “Yes” vote in the upcoming referendum. In the opinion article Minister Creighton draws a parallel between recent polls showing 60% in favour of the Treaty now and those which showed a larger majority in favour of the first Lisbon Treaty referendum. Minister Creighton has committed the Government to playing an active role in the referendum campaign...
Sinn Fein have, as expected, come out against the Fiscal Treaty and aim to lead the No campaign in the upcoming referendum. They claim that passing the referendum on the fiscal treaty will seriously undermine Irish sovereignty. But is that not what they said during Lisbon? Or Nice? Or Maastricht? or any treaty on the European Union that I remember anyway. Stephen Collins writing in yesterday’s Irish Times points out that the No side have come out with many slogans...
After the Fianna Fail Ard Fheis, Fine Gael is now the only political party in Ireland that is opposed to the introduction of Gay Marriage in Ireland. It was interesting to read that Fianna Fail passed motions in favour of both Gay Marriage and Gay Adoption following pressure from Ógra Fianna Fail and others who have been pushing for it for a number of years. With the Fine Gael Ard Fheis approaching, William Quill blogs that it is the...
The Sunday Business Post and the Sunday Independent carry some good news for those hoping that the referendum on the Fiscal Compact will be passed in Ireland. According to the Red C Poll in the Sunday Business Post 44% of voters say they will vote “yes”, with 29% committed to a “no” vote. 26% do not know. This is going to be where the focus will be on the way the “do not knows” split closer to the election,...
An Taoiseach Enda Kenny today announced in the Dail that Ireland will hold a referendum to ratify the Treaty on Stability, Coordination and Governance in the Economic and Monetary Union otherwise known as the Fiscal Compact. This will be one of three referenda held in Ireland this year. The other two will be on the long awaited Children’s Rights Referendum and on abolishing the Seanad. The decision to hold a referendum has been welcomed across the political spectrum, though also drawing battle lines with...
Disclosure: I served on the USI LGBT Campaign between 2006 and 2008 Reports have surfaced that two Dublin Colleges are mulling their membership of the Union of Students in Ireland (USI). Both Trinity College Dublin (TCD) and University College Dublin (UCD) have issues with current USI Policies and Campaigns according to a post on Studenty Dublin. According to the post TCDSU president Ryan Bartlett is seeking a referendum on the Union’s affiliation with the USI. Bartlett’s main criticisim focused on...
Another of the motions released ahead of the Young Fine Gael National Conference next weekend is one of the issues that has been left unlooked at following the Civil Partnership Act. Gay Adoption. The motion from DCU reads as follows YFG call on the government to bring forward legislation allowing gay couples to adopt Currently a poll on thejournal.ie has support for gay adoption on 72%. Young Fine Gael passed a motion on support for Gay Marriage with a massive majority at...
An bhfuil Bród agat?
Tonight while visiting the parents I stumbled upon Bernard Dunne’s Bród Club on RTE One. The was random in itself as my parents were in Lisvernane, Co. Tipperary who won TG4′s G-Team last Friday (aired Sunday on TG4) at the weekend and had been talking about the language. While I am far from fluent in Gaeilge Bródclub and the conversation on G-Team has managed to get me back thinking about how I use the cupla focal myself. I mainly...
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