Back page, Public affairs: Back page: Unfamiliar territory
Friday, August 31st, 2012Cutting the number of TDs to 158, not population changes, has defined the proposed constituency boundaries, writes Adrian Kavanagh. Speaking during a House of Lords debate on potential boundary changes in the UK on 12 July 2012, Lord Campbell-Savours stated: “Despair and anxiety have become the hallmarks of many a political household in the land. While spouses fret, long-term political friendships have become clouded in suspicion…at the stroke of a commissioner’s pen their lives, careers, family ties, political organisations and loyalties are to be disrupted, leading to widespread...[full story]
Ireland's default choice: Ella Kavanagh
Monday, May 28th, 2012An Irish default would prove costly, but the EU needs to learn lessons from transferring banking debts to the sovereign, writes economist Ella Kavanagh. Irish government debt is €169.3 billion, or 108 per cent of GDP, with the Department of Finance forecasting it to rise to over €200 billion by the end of 2015. Although similar to Portugal, our debt is still less than that of Italy at 120 per cent and Greece at 165 per cent of GDP prior to its recent debt exchange. Surely this amount of debt can never be repaid. Why not default and simply wipe it out? A sovereign debt default happens...[full story]
Political Platform: Labour’s Aodhán Ó Ríordáin
Monday, May 28th, 2012The politics of the left must be at the heart of government, Labour’s Dublin North Central TD Aodhán Ó Ríordáin tells eolas. How and why did you become involved in politics? My family have always been very politically aware without being supporters of any particular political party. I would have grown up with stories of my grandparents’ involvement in the Easter Rising, the War of Independence and the Civil War, so I was always conscious of how important politics can be in people’s lives. My upbringing was a Catholic one in a very positive sense and we were always encouraged...[full story]
Meet the Media: Sunday Independent’s John Drennan
Monday, May 28th, 2012Sunday Independent political columnist and journalist John Drennan tells eolas that there’s a need for a clear statement of principles on media mergers and Leinster House is still “the best private club in Ireland.” Describe your education and career path. Entirely normal until I went to St Patrick’s College, Maynooth. This was a fascinating experience because the university was in the middle of the transition from a seminary to a full-scale normal college. One could tell a few tales about the adventures of our clerical friends leaping over the walls after a night out carousing...[full story]
Trade union desk: Embracing the growth dynamic
Monday, May 28th, 2012Ireland should “very publicly” back François Hollande’s efforts to make growth central to the European agenda in order to reap reputational benefits, according to ICTU’s Macdara Doyle. Three months ago, ‘growth’ was a dirty word. In the context of European or domestic politics, the mere utterance of the word, let alone a call for measures that might actually spur economic growth, was enough to draw stern rebukes and charges of ‘deficit denier’. Austerity was the only show in town and tackling the deficit was not just an imperative, it was a patriotic call to arms. The...[full story]
Public affairs: Consultation update
Monday, May 28th, 2012Details of significant consultation exercises currently being carried out by government departments, and other State and European bodies. Queries on individual consultations should be referred to the organisation concerned, as outlined. Áras an Uachtaráin A presidency of ideas Since taking office, the President has pledged a presidency of ideas “recognising and open to new paradigms of thought and action” with a practical focus on improving the lives of citizens. Seminars will review how Ireland has made choices since 2000 and the potential alternatives going forward. The first...[full story]
Lord of the Files: Authors Michael Mulreany and Denis O’Brien
Monday, May 28th, 2012Lord of the Files authors Michael Mulreany and Denis O’Brien explain the lessons they learned about the public servants behind historical events and the real faces of the State’s employees. In November 2011 we published Lord of the Files: an Anthology Working for the Government. The idea behind the book, conceived over 12 years earlier, was to collect in one volume, extracts from the many literary figures who have worked in the Irish public service. The original conception just kept growing. The finished product contained material not just from novels, poetry and drama but also from...[full story]
Public affairs: Oireachtas round-up
Monday, May 28th, 2012European affairs and public finances dominated the Oireachtas’ agenda as the referendum approached. Committees are making their mark but their wide remits have also been questioned. The Dáil’s first plenary after the Easter recess (on 18 April) began with a tirade by Micheál Martin against the Government on water metering. Ceann Comhairle Seán Barrett reminded deputies that they have two minutes to ask a question and three minutes are set aside for a reply. Enda Kenny retorted that “the actions of the governments of which [Deputy Martin] was a member have left the Government...[full story]
Public affairs: Human Rights Commission President Maurice Manning
Monday, May 28th, 2012President of the Irish Human Rights Commission Maurice Manning talks to Stephen Dineen about his ten years with the commission, 1912-1921 commemorations and dealing with dictatorships. As Maurice Manning’s second and final term as President of the Irish Human Rights Commission (IHRC) draws to a close in August, he looks back proudly. “A number of government departments, not all of them, are very much aware of human rights obligations now,” he tells eolas, “yet that wasn’t the case ten years ago when we came in.” The commission was seen as “just ineffectual do-gooders for...[full story]
Departmental dossier: Social Protection
Monday, May 28th, 2012Ireland is, demographically, the youngest nation in Western Europe with a long history of commitment to children’s policy, although the reality has often fallen short. As of April 2011, an estimated 1,251,700 children aged under 19 were living in the State: 27.9 per cent of the population. “Cherishing all the children of the nation equally,” as promised in the 1916 Proclamation, was given added emphasis in the First Dáil’s Democratic Programme, which established “the physical, mental and spiritual well-being of the children” as the first duty of government. Bunreacht na...[full story]
