The news that RTE’s presidential debate will be broadcast on the Late Late Show says it all – this is a showbiz election. That’s not necessarily a bad thing and it is even, in a way, heartening to think that a political race could have the same crowd-pulling power as The X Factor. (more…)
This article appeared in the Opinion pages of the print edition of last Saturday’s Irish Times
MANY OF us have had the experience of those sporting occasions where a few players are tossing a ball around at a practice session when somebody’s cousin arrives from out of town and turns in a stellar performance that leaves everyone gasping with admiration.
In now looks as if Barack Obama may be going to Croke Park, a few days after the visit by Queen Elizabeth. Fascinating: there is talk of having a mass rally in honour of the US President. That would feed into his re-election campaign in a very interesting way.
What does the song say? “Ridin’ high in April, shot down in May.” Politics is a bit like that. Take Barack Obama, whose fortunes took a turn for the better with the passage of his healthcare legislation. (more…)
Sometimes things happen in politics that are almost inexplicable. For example, how could it happen that a US Senate seat which was held for so long by Edward Kennedy and, before that, his brother John, fall into the hands of the Republicans? (more…)
It looks like a deal has been made. It’s just after 10pm now Copenhagen time and it’s emerged that the 28 most powerful nations – known as the constellation group – have forged a deal, aimed at curbing global temperature rises to 2 degrees Celsius. (more…)
Tortuous, divided, fractious, elusive, maddeningly diverse. Trying to find out about the progress of negotiations over the past 10 days has been like trying to find a needle in a haystack – a haystack that’s been placed on a trailer that is being driven away from you at speed. (more…)
Listening to Sunday Miscellany this morning, I was reminded by contributor Kevin McAleer (the comedian, I take it) that this is the anniversary of John F. Kennedy’s assassination in Dallas on 22 November 1963.
After a rocky few months, at last a positive political development for US President Barack Obama with the approval of his healthcare legislation by the House of Representatives. Read this report that surfaced in my mailbox.
Outlook is healthier for Barack and Michelle (Photograph by Cyril Byrne)
Arianna Huffington in her eponymous blog poses a great question in her headline on Obama’s first year in office (see the blog posting here).
“Obama One Year Later,” it reads. “The Audacity of Winning vs. The Timidity of Governing”.
