Judicial Appointments Commission Bill is unconstitutional
The Government hopes before Easter to pass legislation that amounts, in my view, to a gross subversion of the architecture of Bunreacht na h-Éireann and a massive breach of the constitutional separation of powers between legislature, executive and judiciary that has existed in Ireland for 100 years. That legislation is the Judicial Appointments Commission Bill, […]
A caring consensus on gender issues requires broad national discussion
The HSE now proposes to develop a new policy in relation to gender dysphoria, transgender issues and the availability and access to gender transitional counselling and medical treatment. This raises the immediate question as to who or what the HSE is at present. It is an executive agency of the State with wide responsibilities in […]
What is the DUP up to now? The simple answer is: saving face
There was a good deal of stage management in the presentation of the Windsor Framework on Monday. Sunak and Von Der Leyen and everyone on the inside of the negotiations maintained the pretence that the deal was not finalised over the previous weekend in order to keep its detail tight and to control its publication. […]
We are having another “Munich moment”
History does not repeat itself that often but there are many parallels and analogies available to those who need them to make rhetorical points for political purposes. Some of them are valid; others are monstrously invalid such as the claim by Vladimir Putin that the West or NATO started the Ukraine war, and that Russia […]
Private landlords – little choice but to exit the market
The Government is about to decide on whether to extend the ban on private landlords evicting their tenants. As we are in the middle of a housing crisis, there is little doubt that they will extend the ban if only in a desperate attempt to keep up poll ratings now that their term is more […]
No time for consultation in the middle of a crisis
In the middle of a crisis, there is very little sense in attacking the Government for failing to consult local communities about the selection of places to accommodate refugees or asylum seekers. Who in the community would you need to consult if you were minded to use, say, the disused Baggot Street Hospital or the […]