Austerity must be from the top down

Thu, Nov 29, 2012

The coming Budget on December 5 is proposed to be the most severe ever imposed on the Irish people and the effect it will have on Government services Insider can only imagine.

Are the Irish economically illiterate?

Thu, Nov 08, 2012

As we approach the sixth in what seems to be a never-ending run of austerity budgets the public, despite some spin on the part of the Government and others, just does not sense we are anywhere near emerging from the economic abyss.

Consolidation – in the form of unemployment stabilising by not getting any worse, a stabilising of income levels, and some curb on the overall cost of living for instance – is as much as most people dare to hope for, at least for the foreseeable future.

Next time out it could be Fine Gael/Fianna Fáil coalition

Thu, Oct 11, 2012

One of our great national traits is the knowledge that we could all do the other fellow’s job so much better, be it politicians, teachers, referees, whatever, we all know better. Some of us keep this to ourselves but others have no difficulty letting the whole world know.

The Galway City Council chamber and the Dáil can be great places for this. Being an expert myself, that’s why Insider wanted to get in there. I knew I could solve problems and put things to right. No problem too big or small, solutions for all.

Post-Olympic glow begins to diminish in the corridors of power as pressure mounts

Thu, Oct 04, 2012

After the political holiday season – where events such as the London Olympics provided a welcome diversion from all things political and economic – the onset of autumn and the return of the Dáil has brought us all crashing back to reality.

The local elections of 2014 - they are sooner than you think

Thu, Jun 28, 2012

With around two years to go before the next local elections, political parties will already be focusing on their representative candidates and their prospects of success in what is likely to be a highly formative election.

The race for city’s directly-elected mayor

Thu, Jun 14, 2012

Minister Phil Hogan’s eyes were still adjusting to natural light last week after spending the duration of the recent referendum campaign locked in the basement of Government Buildings.

A Mayor to be proud of

Thu, May 31, 2012

Before this year Insider did not know Mayor Hildegarde Naughton very well, but after her year in office, he is delighted to be able to reflect on a job well done by a relative political novice.

Government - not quite the bed of roses that Labour might have expected

Thu, Apr 12, 2012

Insider rarely tires of the vicissitudes of Galway politics. The city and county’s petty intrigues, feverish whisperings, internecine squabbles, and comical characters are usually enough to keep even the most amateur political observer entertained.

Nolan and Keaveney - this county ain’t big enough for the both of us

Thu, Mar 08, 2012

Galway is set to become the battleground for an internecine struggle over who will be elected chair of the Labour Party this month as both the party’s Galway TDs - Derek Nolan (Galway West) and Colm Keaveney (Galway East) are understood to be touting for support among their parliamentary colleagues.

Labour needs to watch its left flank

Thu, Mar 01, 2012

The recent enlistment of Johnny Walsh, who served as an Independent councillor on Ballinasloe Town Council for the past 13 years, into The Labour Party, might seem like a ‘small fry’ incident in local parish politics, but it is in fact, far from that.

We need a referendum on the austerity treaty

Thu, Feb 09, 2012

“I have come to the conclusion that politics are too serious a matter to be left to the politicians,” the former French president Charles De Gaulle once said. Indeed he would have been within his rights to substitute the word ‘dangerous’ for ‘serious’.

‘Optical’ Friday sittings not availed of by Galway West TDs

Thu, Feb 09, 2012

The 31st Dáil may now sit for longer than previous Dáils, but that does not mean it is getting any more work done, a point which Galway West TDs seem to realise.

Are ULA the real Left?

Thu, Feb 02, 2012

“Get a mandate!” barked Labour party Rottweiler, Councillor Billy Cameron. This verbal was directed at Dette McLoughlin, the chair of Galway’s United Left Alliance. However as quick as you could say travel expenses, McLoughlin replied: “You have no mandate to implement a household tax, nor to rob the poor to help the rich. If you had any principles you would resign from the Labour Party!”

Government cannot afford to be seen to favour the elite

Thu, Jan 19, 2012

This time last year Ireland was convulsed – and horrified – by some of the most chaotic political scenes in living memory as the Cowen government disintegrated.

After Christmas everyone knew a general election would be held once the provisions announced in the Budget were given legislative effect. So bizarre were the scenes however – and so insatiable was the desire for that election – that the provisions of the Budget itself were largely ignored!

How will Budget 2012 really affect Irish politics?

Thu, Dec 15, 2011

While the new FG/Labour coalition has had several big ‘set piece occasions’ since coming to power – the renegotiation of the EU/IMF agreement and the jobs initiative during the summer for example – last week’s Budget was always going to be a watershed moment.

What have Labour ever done for us?

Thu, Dec 01, 2011

The shock resignation of ‘Super’ Junior Minister for Housing Willie Penrose in recent weeks has rocked the Labour Party in the lead up to the first Budget which the Coalition will soon deliver.

Labour backbenchers, councillors, and activists throughout the State have been “taking it in the neck” from the public who are incensed with the “kite flying” emanating from all Government departments.

ULA to hold ‘Alternative to Austerity’ meeting

Thu, Dec 01, 2011

The United Left Alliance Galway’s Alternative to Austerity event, which takes place this Sunday, is set to be, a “public meeting to explore alternatives to the Government’s slash-and-burn agenda”.

Back to the future with Michael D and Giovanni Trapattoni?

Thu, Nov 24, 2011

“We must seek to build together an active, inclusive citizenship; based on participation, equality, respect for all, and the flowering of creativity in all its forms. A confident people is our hope, a people at ease with itself, a people that grasps the deep meaning of the proverb; Ní neart go cur le chéile’ - our strength lies in our common weal - our social solidarity.”

City council meetings - sniping, grandstanding, and long-winded bores

Thu, Nov 17, 2011

“The minutes seem like hours,” Mayor Hildegarde Naughton once sang in a performance of the Leonard Bernstein musical West Side Story.

Europe probably has a Plan B, but does Ireland?

Thu, Nov 17, 2011

While it may not admit it, it is hard to imagine the EU not having a Plan B if the unthinkable - or rather not as unthinkable as it was six months ago - happens and the euro ceases to be.

Does Ireland have a Plan B though? Enda Kenny’s reply to that very question by Shane Ross gave us a response which was a cross between ‘we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it/we’ve a few ideas floating around’ type response, which certainly does not inspire confidence.

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