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Irish Aid blown on swimming pool pumps and flagpoles — latest scandal rocks official government development programme (IrishCentral)

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 05:31:07 PST

Irish Aid to UgandaSwimming pool maintenance, chauffeur uniforms, gourmet wine, and a flagpole that cost almost $1,800 were just some of the items squandered by foreign governments receiving Irish Aid last year, a Freedom of Information (FOI) request by a major Irish newspaper has revealedAmong some of the most controversial items discovered in the newspaper’s request was an almost $700 bill for fixing a swimming pool pump at the Ambassador’s residence in Uganda, and a massive $1,500 spend to Zambia’s Fine Fashion Centre for “staff uniforms”Perhaps most objectionable of all was the $820 spent at the Hope Extreme Adventures recreational centre in Mohale, Lesotho ostensibly dubbed as a team-building junket to help the people of Lesotho better oversee their development strategyThe expense, officially logged by government staffers as being for “team fun games for two days" took place at an African adventure centre which advertises pursuits such as horse riding and archery, among other activities, on its website READ MORE

"Guns & Roses" - How left wing coalition might be Ireland's Labour Party's only hope (IrishCentral)

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 05:31:00 PST

Eamon Gilmore discusses the Algerian hostage situation on Irish TVI was in a hotel room in London last week, and switched on the TV for the news at the time the Algerian hostage crisis was being covered Half way through the bulletin, I see Eamon Gilmore being interview by a press pack in his capacity as Foreign Affairs Minister My first instinct was to think, "Oh yeah, that guy What ever happened him?"For a while now - specifically, since February 2011 - that question has been reverberating round my head READ MORE

New poll finds that 11 percent of people would choose Fine Gael / Labour coalition (IrishCentral)

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 05:03:45 PST

By: KERRY O'SHEA

A new Millward Brown poll in Sunday’s Independent has found that only 11 percent of people polled would choose a Fine Gael / Labour coalition should a general election be called.

Sinn Fein tables post-budget motion of ‘no confidence’ in Irish government (IrishCentral)

Sun, 09 Dec 2012 07:34:34 PST

By: PATRICK COUNIHAN

Sinn Fein will bring a motion of no confidence in the coalition government before the Irish parliament on Tuesday.

Irish deputy PM calls on Israel to halt expansion of West Bank settlements (IrishCentral)

Tue, 04 Dec 2012 04:54:36 PST

By: ANTOINETTE KELLY

Irish Deputy Prime Minister Eamon Gilmore called on the Israeli government to withdraw its plans to expand Jewish settlements in the West Bank yesterday.

Mansion tax to be introduced in Wednesday’s budget as coalition partners slug it out (IrishCentral)

Sun, 02 Dec 2012 07:15:47 PST

By: PATRICK COUNIHAN

The Irish government’s Coalition parties are locked in a bitter dispute ahead of Wednesday’s latest austerity budget.

Red C poll shows rising support for Fine Gael Party with the Irish people (IrishCentral)

Mon, 29 Oct 2012 04:51:35 PDT

By: DARA KELLY

A Red C poll published in Sunday's Business Post indicates a rise in support for Fine Gael.

Leader of Fianna Fail critical of Irish government’s lack of progress with Northern Ireland (IrishCentral)

Mon, 22 Oct 2012 04:58:13 PDT

By: KERRY O'SHEA

Micheal Martin, leader of the main opposition party in Ireland, Fianna Fail, spoke out on Sunday criticizing the current Irish coalition government’s lack of involvement with Northern Ireland.

Emigration the only way out for young Irish in Ireland -- No future, no jobs, no hope if they stay behind (IrishCentral)

Thu, 18 Oct 2012 04:15:28 PDT

Children taking part in a Sinn Fein organized demonstration against emigration in Dublin earlier this yearBehind the very occasional good news story about new jobs the economic situation here remains absolutely dire Not that you would think that watching the way Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Enda Kenny and his ministers turn up at every new job announcement to bask in the glory and suggest that we're emerging from the gloom There have been a couple of examples of this in the past two weeks, with the Kerry Group announcing 900 jobs at a new food product research facility to be built in Co READ MORE

Irish government cuts to the disabled show they are badly out of touch -- Will they now tackle the unions and the welfare entitlements? (IrishCentral)

Mon, 10 Sep 2012 04:17:10 PDT

Group of disabled Irish people protest proposed government cutsDUBLIN: I drove past Leinster House, the Irish parliament building in Dublin, last week and saw an extraordinary sightProtesting outside were scores of disabled people, many without arms and legs, because the government had stated they were cutting the budget for their helpers The protestors were almost outnumbered by the mediaThe airwaves were full of their plaintive complaints that their caregivers were being laid off because of budget cuts READ MORE

Irish election looms as gulf widens between Coalition parties on health service cutbacks (IrishCentral)

Mon, 03 Sep 2012 04:50:29 PDT

By: PATRICK COUNIHAN

Ireland is on the brink of a snap general election as tensions mount between the Coalition parties over savage health cuts.

Government split between Fine Gael and Labour Party looms on abortion debate (IrishCentral)

Mon, 27 Aug 2012 04:52:15 PDT

By: PATRICK COUNIHAN

Fine Gael deputies have welcomed the opportunity to speak to Church leaders opposed to any change in Ireland’s abortion law – putting them in direct conflict with their coalition partners.

Deputy Prime Minister Eamon Gilmore believes the “time has come” for same-sex marriage (IrishCentral)

Mon, 02 Jul 2012 04:19:33 PDT

By: KERRY O'SHEA

Labour leader and deputy leader Eamon Gilmore is now the most senior politician to step out in support of gay marriage in Ireland. Gilmore said this weekend during Dublin’s Gay Pride celebrations that the issue of gay marriage will be included in the upcoming constitutional convention.

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

Thu, 31 May 2012 06:15:18 PDT

A mock poster on the European Fiscal Compact referendum Some weeks ago, this column identified six specific factors to watch out for over the course of the campaign on the latest referendum question posed to Irish voters The six factors were as follows: the overarching context; the tenor of the Yes campaign; the packaging of the No campaign; Fianna Fáil’s management of internal dissent to its official endorsement of a Yes vote; the difficulties that support for the referendum as the junior party in government might occasion for the Labour party; and the impact of the campaign on Sinn Féin’s political fortunesOn Friday, June 1st, we will know if Ireland has decided to join or to reject the fiscal compact, which will impose a stringent requirement of balanced budgets, but will also facilitate access to funding from the European Stability Mechanism if this country requires another bailout in future As the day of reckoning is now upon us, it is worth examining how each of the six factors above has played out READ MORE

Sinn Fein’s Gerry Adams as Ireland’s next Prime Minister? -- New poll makes it a possibility after the next election (IrishCentral)

Tue, 29 May 2012 04:45:07 PDT

Sinn Fein president Gerry AdamsGerry Adams as Ireland’s next prime minister may not be as fanciful as many thinkThe real prospect of Sinn Fein leading the next Irish government is now apparentThe latest opinion poll in the Irish Times shows Sinn Fein leaping to 24 per cent support with fellow opposition members Fianna Fail at 17 per cent and independents at 15 per centGerry Adams is now the most popular party leader after an eight point jump put him ahead of Enda KennyThat combined total of opposition votes puts them at 56 per cent, well ahead of the governing coalition of Fine Gael and Labor who amass only 42 per cent of the vote READ MORE

Sinn Fein support surges in opinion polls as Gerry Adams remains most popular leader (IrishCentral)

Mon, 28 May 2012 04:46:46 PDT

By: PATRICK COUNIHAN

Polls show Labour Party support drops by 25 percent as Sinn Fein witnesses surge (IrishCentral)

Sat, 19 May 2012 07:44:08 PDT

By: CATHY HAYES

A new poll, carried out during a tumultuous week in Europe, shows that the Government parties Fine Gael and the Labour Party are suffering in the popularity stakes after a year of implementing austerity measures.

Ireland will reluctantly vote "Yes" n the EU Fiscal Compact referendum (IrishCentral)

Wed, 16 May 2012 10:40:24 PDT

Labor Party launched their "Yes" campaign last monthIreland is now just two weeks away from our referendum on the EU Fiscal Compact Even though the vote on May 31 is the most important one we have faced in years, you would not know it looking at the media here Newspapers and TV are leading on other stories every day, clinging to any distraction they can find, because the fiscal issues and arguments are so boring So instead of us having a searching national debate here, a resigned acceptance hangs in the air READ MORE

Eamon Gilmore: Five years on devolution in Northern Ireland has worked (IrishCentral)

Thu, 10 May 2012 02:07:57 PDT

By: EAMON GILMORE

On May 8, five years ago, Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness were nominated and took their pledges as first minister and deputy first minister of a shared Northern Ireland Executive. Since then, the parties in the Assembly and Executive have been engaged in practical and productive cooperation which has lead to a more stable situation in Northern Ireland than ever before.

Irish Education Ministry to clamp down on cyber-bullying -- four students suspended over teacher Facebook remarks (IrishCentral)

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 07:15:15 PDT

The Irish Department of Education announced it is to step up its clamp-down on cyber-bullying after four Dublin high-school students are expected to be expelled from school after posting defamatory comments about their teachers on Facebook40 other students were similarly disciplined at Oatlands College, Dublin, this time for merely 'liking' the offensive status updated, while other sources say that the teachers were also subject to "vile" allegations on other social networking media such as TwitterThe comments were posted after the school put on a production of the musical Hairspray at the St Patrick's weekendThe comments were described by the Irish Times as being of a "sexual nature", were leveled against both a male and female teacher, and were posted onto a special Facebook page shortly after the production READ MORE