Our party whip system is too severe. Politicians should be able to vote with their conscience
British and American systems do not quake at the thought of governments losing votes via their supporters who disagree with the majority
Seanad is an institution chosen by graduates and stuffed with political wannabes
With reform repeatedly promised and not delivered, the only way to fix the lack of Seanad reform it is at the next Dáil election
Let’s not make the ill-conceived Dublin traffic plan the subject of a culture war
Sloganeering about “populism” is over the top when discussing real peoples’ real concerns for their city
Democrats need to find an alternative to Biden-Harris ticket
Michael McDowell: The recent debate proved Biden is well past his political sell-by date and urgent action is required to prevent the unthinkable of Donald Trump reclaiming the White House
Brexit has been a disaster but Britain will not admit it
Self-inflicted economic, diplomatic and strategic damage will be blamed on Rishi Sunak by Tory media and not on Michael Gove, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss or the Brexit-cheerleading media itself
Uncontrolled asylum acting as a cover for economic migration needs a more radical response
The question needs to be asked why Ireland, on the geographical periphery of the EU, is facing 30,000 claims for international protection each year
Sinn Féin collapse does not mean voters want the current Government to get another run
The mutual backslapping between Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael marked a watershed moment in Irish politics, but voters need more choices than just a hard-left coalition or the status quo
What’s the biggest problem of the housing crisis? It’s the Department of Housing
Successive ministers in the department have failed utterly to appreciate this fact
Irish ‘sneaking regarders’ of Trump are naive about the threat he poses to democracy
Michael McDowell: Democracy has never hung on such a fraying thread since the dark days of the 1930s
Government said concept of ‘durable relationships’ had no legal consequences. Now it should face consequences
Referendums are not mere political games. What we now know happened should have political consequence
Simon Harris’s Duracell bunny, frantic honeymoon approach to being Taoiseach
A recently announced Dublin taskforce is typical of the campaign to counter falling support for Harris's government
Ireland’s capacity to control migration in a policy-driven, sustainable way is broken
While the Rwanda option remains on the UK’s statute book, Irish courts will be obliged to refuse deportation of migrants refused asylum to the UK
Parents must guide how sex education is taught in schools
Discussion of gender identity among children and adolescents has become much more prominent in the last decade. Questions remain about the extent to which schools should deal with such complex issues
If the worst happens, who would come to Ireland’s defence? We are acutely vulnerable to threat
The Irish State now has fewer than 10,000 trained military members that it could call up in the event of an emergency
EU asylum pact is in danger of being rushed through without scrutiny
A massive black hole has opened up between the Oireachtas and the EU legislative process