It’s an old cliché that journalism is the first draft of history. Sometimes the journalists try to make history as well as record it. So it was with Seán Cronin, former Washington Correspondent of this newspaper, who has died at the age of 91 years.
For a man who is generally quite low-key, if you exclude the occasional Dail outburst, Brian Cowen has sure been generating plenty of excitement in recent weeks. Tonight was the penultimate act before the anticipated valedictory address when he winds up the 30th Dail in a few hours’ time, prior to the general election. (more…)
A little more on the poll. I don’t know if the word stoic can be transferred to a political body. But in a sense all the political parties have remained stoic in the face of all the dramatic events of the past four months. The swings up and down are all within the margin of error. (more…)
It looks like the present writer is not the only one who doesn’t appreciate the “context” of certain jokes relating to the Nazi period in history (see my previous posts about Tommy Tiernan.) Author Peter Sheridan had a difficulty with the production called Adolf in the Tivoli Theatre in Dublin. Herewith the report in The Irish Times by Arts Editor Deirdre Falvey:-
Peter Sheridan: Is it all a question of
context? (Photograph by Frank Miller)
The gap is closing. But as last year, it’s in which direction the don’t knows jumpthat will determine this referendum.
Some 46 per cent backing the treaty isn’t where the Yes camp thought they would be at this stage of the game. The only consolation that they can take from the eight point drop in support is that it has not migrated to the No camp but rather into the Don’t Know group. But the experience of last year will show us that even though there is a 17 per cent gap between Yes and No, which is at 29 per cent, that gap is not insuperable.
The French anarchist, Proudhon said, “Property is theft!” but a more apposite quote might be Benjamin Franklin’s statement that the only certainties in life were, “Death and taxes”. Herewith a piece from the print edition of the newspaper on the Commission on Taxation Report, which is to be finalised today and will be considered by Cabinet in September. Some of its proposals are likely to be quite controversial.
Pierre-Joseph Proudhon (left) and Benjamin Franklin (more…)
Given the number of bad weeks he has had since becoming Taoiseach, it was about time for Brian Cowen to have a good one. He got his guarantees and his protocols on the Lisbon Treaty and even managed to convey the impression of a little “Brit-bashing” along the way.
Did Brian really put Brown in his box in Brussels? (Photograph by Frank Miller from May 2008 at Stormont)
Here’s a little saga that may or may not speak volumes about the political set-up in this country. The story begins with a news report by yours truly last week on a report from the Standards in Public Office Commission about the funding of political parties. 
Campaigns matter. I always cite the example of John Major running for re-election as British Prime Minister in 1992. Almost universally written-off, he famously got out his soapbox and went on the hustings in a successful fight to stay in power.
Well if they won’t have me in Leinster House, I’ll bloody go to Strasbourg (Photograph by Frank Miller) (more…)
Having escaped the odium heaped on their Fianna Fáil partners for so long, public opinion has finally caught up with the Greens. The latest Irish Times/TNS mrbi ratings for the party are abysmal.
Senator Dan Boyle: anxious to avoid the political wilderness (Photograph: Brenda Fitzsimons )
