Stephen Collins

Governing parties need to convince electorate that they can deal with persistent problems such as housing and infrastructure

In recent polls, a coalition of left parties has 28 per cent of the vote in the capital compared with 13 per cent for Sinn Féin

Extra €2,000-€3,000 placed by the budget in the pockets of middle-income families is a good way to kickstart three weeks of campaigning

Our obvious double standards on neutrality have not gone unnoticed in other EU countries, even if they do not say it openly

How to spend the budget surplus wisely without building up problems for the future is the big conundrum facing the Government

There are bound to be twists and turns along the road to November, but both Simon Harris and Kamala Harris are in with a fighting chance

The electorate needs to cast a cold eye on the political promises of those who, until recently, were cheerleaders for corrupt Venuezuelan presidents Maduro and Chávez

The notion that Ursula von der Leyen will forgive and forget that the four - plus another six of Ireland’s 14 MEPs - voted against her reappointment and give McGrath a senior position beggars belief

One was the unprecedented level of transfers between the two parties and the other was the splintering of the anti-Government vote

Part of the reason the British right and its media cheerleaders hate Sunak is that, in Brexit-related discussions, he abandoned the futile jingoistic posturing of his predecessors

Coalition’s standing will hardly have improved after the usual winter hospital crisis and a further influx of asylum seekers

During the Davy/Sinn Féin jaunt to London, Pearse Doherty assured investors that his party would not attempt to upend the Irish economic model

It would be a massive blunder for Fianna Fáil to force Martin out. He is widely respected by the public for his performance as Taoiseach

Mount Street operation to clear unsanitary tent city begs the question of how the camp was allowed to develop in the first place

Irish voters’ approach to Europe

A segment of the electorate regards the European elections as an opportunity to vent their frustrations by voting for mavericks

The clear lesson from history is that once the party forfeits power there is no guarantee it will get it back anytime soon, if ever

The focus of the Opposition and much of the media following Varadkar’s decision has been on his failures and mistakes, with little reference to his achievements

Irish waters in the Atlantic represent a black hole in western defences. The idea that Russia might decide to take its war to Europe’s exposed flank is a far-fetched scenario but not impossible

Official doublethink has left us with a warped definition of neutrality that has confused the public and left the country defenceless