Local authority housing powers are a work of fiction
At the very heart of the present Government’s problems lies a radical collapse in the capacity of our organs of state to translate plans and policies into action on the ground. I was reminded of this recently when Darragh O’Brien proudly informed the Seanad that house completions last year were at their highest since 1975. […]
Very real questions for DPP following Gerard Hutch murder trial
While it is always easy to be wise after the event and for armchair generals in the media and the law to criticise those involved in a major prosecution that results in an acquittal, there are very real questions to be answered in relation to the outcome of the Gerry Hutch murder trial in the […]
Government has nowhere to hide on Seanad Reform
The Government’s cynical foot dragging on reforming the Seanad cannot continue, thanks to the decision of the Supreme Court in the Tomás Heneghan case. The effect of that decision has been suspended until July because the court acknowledged that the reconstitution of the Seanad electorate necessitated by its judgment will take time. The court now […]
Donald Trump’s indictment makes his re-election more likely
It is hard to see how attempts by a New York Southern Manhattan District Attorney, Alvin Bragg, to indict Donald Trump on charges relating to the Stormy Daniels hush-money pay-off will not almost inevitably rebound in political terms by garnering support of grass-root Republicans for Trump’s re-election campaign. Any prosecution will almost inevitably centre on […]
Car use is not simply the prerogative of the middle class
There seems to be a vogue for condemning everyone who doesn’t share your opinions as being morally reprehensible, selfish, ignorant, or a class enemy. Violent language is regularly used online against anyone who questions the validity of transgender ideology. Owners of rented property are condemned as exploiters of their lessees. And now Irish Times readers […]
State is now turning its guns on private landlords
I wrote here some time ago about the issue of private landlords exiting the market. I raised the question as to whether this really mattered, in so far as every house being sold by a private landlord would either end up in the hands of an owner-occupier or in the hands of another private […]