It’s only a matter of time before there is a Hollywood blockbuster made out of the story of the alleged Russian spies living in US suburbia. One of the couples was called Murphy and there is talk of an Irish passport being used. (more…)
Can there be two more unlikely constituency colleagues than Mattie McGrath and Martin Mansergh, both of Fianna Fail, in Tipperary South?
Let’s look at their entries in Nealon’s Guide to the 30th Dail, where Mansergh is described as Oxford-educated; a special advisor to three Taoisigh; responsible for the dialogue leading to the IRA ceasefire; a coalition negotiator and member of the Council of State.
McGrath was the 1974 all-Ireland set dancer. He is a plant-hire owner and formerly an agricultural salesman, with a diploma in communications skills from UCC, and he was also a county councillor.
The dynamics of Irish politics this week have been extraordinary.
What we saw last night was the closest to a free vote we will ever see in Dáil Éireann.
The only grouping that stayed solid was Fine Gael. (more…)
HIgh jinks in Leinster House! Mattie McGrath, after a long threatening, finally voted against the Government. But there was discomfort for Labour, too, with Tommy Broughan sticking to his, er, guns by voting against as well.
Shattered must be the only way to describe the feelings of England and Dubs supporters today, after the crushing defeats they suffered at the hands of Germany and Meath respectively.
Before the publicity surrounding the report of the Saville Inquiry dies down, it is worth considering the differences with the original Widgery Tribunal report on the Bloody Sunday shootings which has now been fairly comprehensively rejected.
Last week when trying to put a bit of context on Fine Gael’s family war, I looked at the newspaper archives from previous heaves in the 1980s and the 1990s, and indeed the one effected in 2001. (more…)
Enda Kenny put on a stellar show at the Fine Gael parliamentary party meeting which secured his leadership, Cork North-Central TD Bernard Allen told Charlie Bird (welcome home Charlie!).
“Enda Kenny I believe gave the performance of his life…I wish we could bottle it and get it out there to the public,” Mr Allen said.
I’m a humble reporter, not the Prophet Isaiah, but yesterday I wrote here:
Nobody is rushing to the bookies’ shop but the smart money appears to be on Enda Kenny to win the vote today, by about six votes. Darn! I should have gone to the bookies.
Nobody is rushing to the bookies’ shop but the smart money appears to be on Enda Kenny to win the vote today, by about six votes. Now predictions are very hard to make, especially about the future and we shall know the truth sometime between 4pm and 7pm, according to forecasts. Party chairman Padraic McCormack says “two or three o’clock”. (more…)
Kieran O’Donnell, one of the undecideds, plumped for Kenny at lunchtime.
Then Charlie Flanagan announced a short while ago that he was going to support the motion of no confidence in Kenny. Flanagan expressed support for Kenny over the weekend but has obviously changed his mind since then. (more…)
Last night I had calls and texts from both camps claiming they had the numbers.
Both claimed they were in the 30s with the other side lagging behind.
There are over 10 fence-sitters or waverers (or people who won’t say what side they are on).
Just witnessed two officials bringing a heavy red box/trunk up the stairs of the City Hotel here in Derry. It’s the advance material on the Bloody Sunday Report which is being given out to selected media reps on a confidential, “lock-in” basis. The burden of the Report won’t be generally released until 3.30pm. (more…)
Well the showdown didn’t happen as envisaged. But both sides have got their spake in.
God, it has been a frantic day. Fine Gael is in turmoil. That goes without saying. ?Whatever happens at the end of the week, the party will be damaged. Enda Kenny, if he wins, will lose. And even if he wins, will Richard Bruton also lose.
Fine Gael nerves are frazzled, it seems.
We prefer on-the-record comments to off the record comments, but just wanted to share a few off-the-record remarks collected from Fine Gael figures yesterday, mostly by my colleague Marie O’Halloran. (more…)
At time of writing, it appears Richard Bruton is refusing to comment as to whether he is going for the Fine Gael leadership or not. This comes in the wake of opinion poll results in this newspaper that put Labour well ahead of the other parties and FG at the same level as the last general election. (more…)
It never ends, does it? Brian Cowen’s back is to the wall one more time. A motion of no confidence from Fine Gael is being met with a countermotion from the Government side. There seems to be little doubt that the Government will win but the real damage will be in the debate.
Herewith a rather sad story from the US by Guardian reporter Chris McGreal. The veteran journalist Helen Thomas was a fixture on the White House scene for many years and contributed to the colour and variety of US politics and media.
Now her career has ended on a fairly ignominious note. A thoughtless remark has brought her down. One wonders how such a comment would have played here in Ireland. (more…)
Ivor Callely has done victimisation extraordinarily well in the past. What a pity that he has not excelled so much at learning from his lessons.
He learned this week the exact distance between success and failure. (more…)
Have you noticed former ceann comhairle John O’Donoghue is done with licking his wounds?
He’s intervening again, for the first time since stepping down as ceann comhairle last autumn, on issues close to his heart: sport and country pursuits. These days, these also happen to be points of difference between Fianna Fail and the Greens.
