Boston Irishman in Ireland

A frenetic month in Irish politics: The European Fiscal Compact referendum campaign

This murk will become clearer at some point on Friday.  

Should Ireland listen to its public intellectuals? Are they "overpaid, indolent and selfish"?

There has been a good deal of discussion in Ireland recently about academics.  A piece in The Irish Times in March by Dr. Paul Mooney, former president of the National College of Ireland, called for far-reaching reform of Irish universities and alleged that academic staff are not sufficiently challenged and/or do not work hard enough.  Dr. Mooney’s screed provoked a strong backlash from a broad cross section of Irish academics.  The piece, however, reflects a negative attitude that is prevalent in this country.

The attitude can be summarized roughly as follows.  Academics are overpaid, indolent and selfish.  They do not live in the “real world.”  They exist in some sort of parallel universe and don’t have the foggiest notion of what life is like for the average person living in Ireland in 2012.

I’ve worked as a legal academic for much of the time I’ve lived in Ireland – I will be returning to the National University of Ireland, Galway after a two year leave of absence in September – and I’ve heard all of these sentiments.  These sentiments have been expressed to me both in good humor and in palpable anger.

Potential political pitfalls of Barack Obama’s support for same-sex marriage

the economy, stupid. But a small number will, and that could be enough to be decisive in November.

Another Irish referendum campaign -- the politics of the upcoming vote on the European Fiscal Compact

Little more than six months after Irish voters were asked to decide whether to amend Bunreacht na hÉireann (the Constitution of Ireland) on two constitutional referendum questions, they are now being asked to vote on another, quite different amendment.

This one would authorize the Irish government to ratify the European Fiscal Compact. Formally known as the Treaty on Stability, Coordination, and Governance in the Economic and Monetary Union, it requires all countries that sign up to it to have budgets that are in balance or in surplus within a year of its coming into force.