After a year of hesitation, the Government can no longer claim it’s finding its feet. With housing, childcare, disability and infrastructure still stuck in first gear, 2026 will be the year we find out what it’s really capable of.
In a country with soaring rents and a deepening housing crisis, the rental story resonated with people. Jim Gavin's decision to withdraw raises serious questions for Taoiseach Micheál Martin.
There was no political earthquake in General Election 2024, no recasting of the Irish political system. A sizable number of people looked at the status quo, and, despite its many deficiencies, decided it was, in the round, their preferred option.
What happens if the electoral parity of esteem between Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael is not there after this election?
Fianna Fáil’s electoral promises rely on €3bn in efficiencies and €2.2bn in “second-round buoyancy effects”. Do the numbers stack up?
In a way, the smaller parties and the independents reflect the patchwork landscape that is today’s Ireland. This is the cohort worth watching in the context of the local, European and general elections.
Local areas in the UK that experienced sharper rates of demographic change were more likely to vote to leave the EU at the 2016 referendum. That exact dynamic is playing out in Ireland today.
The story of Charles J Haughey is not just the story of one hugely complicated figure but the story of how Ireland still struggles to deal rationally with the past.
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