Special status for Northern Ireland could be of great assistance in regenerating its economy
I have been making the point for some time in these columns that the DUP is living on borrowed time in terms of its hold on the Tory administration. Theresa May, while in office, knew full well that her capacity to govern depended on keeping a day to day parliamentary majority in the House of […]
Ireland is collateral damage in a very English struggle between the Tory right and everyone else
We are approaching the endgame in the battle between the right wing of the Tory party and Ireland. It is not a battle between the UK and Ireland. Nor is it a battle between Britain and Ireland. It isn’t even a battle between England and Ireland. Ireland and England are no longer enemies. The great […]
Drew Harris reforms of Garda could have an immediate impact
Although we are now effectively in the countdown to a general election and although the chances are that the legislation promised by the Government to implement the recommendations of the Commission on the Future of Policing may not be enacted in the lifetime of this Dáil, the very good news is that no legislation at […]
The EU is politely but firmly calling Boris’s bluff
In the era of fake news and spin-masters, the coverage of the Boris visit to Merkel and Macron by the Tory media in Britain should come as no surprise. Victory salutes and breakthroughs were trumpeted. Boris was accorded a triumph by the right-wing newspapers who were ardent supporters of Brexit. But the truth is very […]
Making America greater by buying Greenland seems an obvious step for the Trump regime
A “beautiful letter” was the phrase used by Trump to describe the latest missive he had received from Kim Jong Un – just 24 hours before Kim resumed his role as rocket man this August. Unless the letter is published, we shall not be in any position to judge whether it was beautiful in any […]
What is the meaning of and means towards Irish unity
One of the advantages of the silly season days of August is that it gives us space in which to stand back from the trench warfare of conventional political and social discourse and to reflect on other long term and strategic issues. In that spirit, I make this week’s column Trump-free and Brexit-free. I was […]