We fret about bilingual labels on beer cans, yet ignore gambling
In January 2022, I wrote here about what I claimed were ridiculous aspects of the Public Health (Alcohol) Act 2018 which require every case of wine, spirits or beer imported into Ireland to be broken open and a bilingual label in English and Irish pasted on to each and every bottle or can warning of the […]
The decline of the House of Windsor has implications for Ireland
I have made a habit of abstaining from routine public comment about the British royal family for a number of reasons. The first is that they are human beings and are obvious targets for facile criticism and ridicule. The second is that, as an Irish republican, I consider that they have little or no significance […]
Why stop with Berkeley? Cicero was a slave owner too
Trinity College is an independent university and is as free to name re-name or de-name any part of its campus as any other Irish university. Given that the Berkeley library was only built in the 1960s and was quite recently described by the college on its 50th anniversary as a “brutalist gem” in architectural terms, […]
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 […]