To understand our divided world, the rational assessment of economic well-being offers us little. The sometimes-great joy, but often-great damage wrought by emotion, comparison and narrative offers us much more.
From Trump’s muddled geography in Davos to a $1bn “Board of Peace” and ICE raids in Vacationland, another week of slippery language, hard power and harder truths.
The purity peddlers of Gaeldom are growing louder, but English nationalism’s stubborn urge to drive our closest neighbour into a dead-end shows that trying to force our rich complexity into a bogus simplicity is doomed.
One operation looked like a clean win on screen. The other turned into a bleak cycle of footage, outrage and denial. Together, they say a lot about America’s relationship with force.
Even by Ireland’s record-breaking tax revenue standards, this year’s record is staggering. The Government has one year left to turn this gold mine into housing and infrastructure.
As Tennessee voters inch leftward and Trump lashes out at immigrants, allies and adversaries alike, Washington is consumed by economic alarm, foreign-policy fog and a restless MAGA base.
The Government's acceleration plan includes radical reforms in the legal area. While it shows ambition, some law experts have raised concerns about its impact on access to justice and the new proposals may face their own legal challenges.
The slowdown is not yet pointing to a recession. But why run both a security and political risk when there is no need to run either?
The Taoiseach targets business simplification, “a bigger budget”, and enlargement during Ireland’s leadership of the Council of the EU in the second half of next year. He has a Brussels ally in party colleague and Commissioner Michael McGrath.
It is long past time that a full-time defence minister be appointed and the government prioritises what is the first duty of all governments – securing the state and its citizens.
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