Ment & Irish Analysis Examiner

comment and analysis

'I plead with Ireland to stand firm with us': An open letter from a mother in Gaza

'I plead with Ireland to stand firm with us': An open letter from a mother in Gaza

Humanitarian worker Fidaa Ibrahim's husband and her brother were killed in an Israeli air strike on the UNRWA shelter where they sought refuge earlier this year

The five-minute city: inside Denmark’s revolutionary neighbourhood

The five-minute city: inside Denmark’s revolutionary neighbourhood

‘A rapist can be in the family’: How Dominique Pelicot became one of the worst sexual predators in history

‘A rapist can be in the family’: How Dominique Pelicot became one of the worst sexual predators in history

The Mick Clifford Podcast: Home thoughts from abroad - Colin Sheridan

The Mick Clifford Podcast: Home thoughts from abroad - Colin Sheridan

This is my father and it's the first time we met

This is my father and it's the first time we met

A bitter rivalry is emerging in the Middle East between two old adversaries over the future of Syria

A bitter rivalry is emerging in the Middle East between two old adversaries over the future of Syria

Onstead of Iran and Russia playing the most influential roles in Syria, Israel and Turkey see an opportunity to advance their conflicting security interests

Thu, 19 Dec, 2024

Germany and France are in crisis — is the next global financial crash brewing?

Germany and France are in crisis — is the next global financial crash brewing?

With the crisis that affected Ireland, Greece and Portugal 15 years ago now having worked its way to the core of the single currency zone, the red flags are flying

Thu, 19 Dec, 2024

As a Syrian living in Homs, we are joyful but we also fear what the future may hold

As a Syrian living in Homs, we are joyful but we also fear what the future may hold

Liberation is not easy — decades of injustice and oppression can’t be deconstructed overnight

Wed, 18 Dec, 2024

Mafia infiltration of football 'ultras' spreads in Italy

Mafia infiltration of football 'ultras' spreads in Italy

An investigation by Milan prosecutors and the office of the national anti-mafia prosecutor found that ultra groups at Inter and AC Milan, two of the biggest names in Italian football, have allegedly become enmeshed with crime gangs

Wed, 18 Dec, 2024

Leinster House Christmas lights

Paul Hosford: Ceann Comhairle election adds intrigue to first day of 34th Dáil

A reform introduced by Enda Kenny in 2016 and the history between FG and Verona Murphy combine to make the first set piece of the new Dáil more intriguing than it would normally be

Wed, 18 Dec, 2024

To understand why the HSE is in such a financial mess, look no further than Cork's Glenwood House

To understand why the HSE is in such a financial mess, look no further than Cork's Glenwood House

Millions of euro were spent, a great deal of it wasted, on Glenwood and other mental health facilities in Cork

Wed, 18 Dec, 2024

U.K. Paves Way for First Tests to Expose People to Coronavirus

Catherine Conlon: Getting the flu vaccine now will protect your loved ones this Christmas

The number of flu cases that have ended up in hospital has almost doubled in a single week

Mon, 16 Dec, 2024

Donald Trump

'We have a target on our backs': Scientists dread new era of Donald Trump's climate denialism

The president-elect has called climate science a 'giant scam' and when last in office sought to gut US scientific funding and sidelined or even punished scientists deemed unfriendly to the interests of the chemical and fossil fuel industries

Mon, 16 Dec, 2024

SYRIA-CONFLICT

Syria’s new prime minister hails ‘dawn of freedom and dignity’

Mohammed al-Bashir is now the de facto ruler of Syria after 54 years of the single-family Assad regime came to a sudden end following an 11-day rebel offensive, writes Scott Lucas

Sun, 15 Dec, 2024

Election 2024 Trump

Trump really did wrestle his way into the White House

Long before McMahon’s nomination, Trump was the first occupant of the Oval Office to be a WWE Hall of Fame inductee — an honour that marked his decades-long business relationship with the company

Sun, 15 Dec, 2024

Elaine Loughlin: Social Democrats learn lesson of accountability the hard way

S Elaine Loughlin: Social Democrats learn lesson of accountability the hard way

Politicians cannot fervently hold other parties and members of Government to account without applying that same level of accountability to themselves

Sat, 14 Dec, 2024

The Mick Clifford Podcast: Tracing the truth - Ciaran Prior

The Mick Clifford Podcast: Tracing the truth - Ciaran Prior

Ciaran Prior's book Traces Of Truth is both a police procedural and a personal reflection of his life

Listen | Thu, 12 Dec, 2024

Jess Casey: History to repeat itself as teachers raise concerns over use of AI in Leaving Cert

Jess Casey: History to repeat itself as teachers raise concerns over use of AI in Leaving Cert

Reform comes with a burden for teachers to authenticate that the additional assessment components have been done by students

Wed, 11 Dec, 2024

General Election Ireland 2024

Mick Clifford: The left can build an alternative in opposition — but they must start now

An old trope in Irish politics, ‘there is no alternative’, must be put to bed and left-wing parties could deliver that alternative if they start building now

Wed, 11 Dec, 2024

Murdoch annual party

Why Rupert Murdoch’s succession case could be a major blow to his right-wing legacy

Court rejects patriarch Rupert‘s bid to have son Lachlan assume control, giving more liberal Murdochs a say in the content of the conservative media empire

Tue, 10 Dec, 2024

Palestinians, taking refuge in a UNRWA school, struggle to survive

There is nothing to celebrate on this International Human Rights Day

As the people of Gaza struggle to survive, International Human Rights Day rings hollow unless real change is made

Mon, 09 Dec, 2024

The Mick Clifford Podcast: How long will it take to put a government together?

The Mick Clifford Podcast: How long will it take to put a government together?

The people have spoken. But what have they said? Mick Clifford looks at the answers on this week's podcast

Listen | Fri, 06 Dec, 2024

Bitcoin has topped $100,000. See what pushed the price up

Bitcoin has topped $100,000. See what pushed the price up

Lighter regulation from the new US president could mean less guardrails, making small-pocketed investors cautious of dealing with the largest and oldest cryptocurrency

Thu, 05 Dec, 2024

FRANCE-POLITICS-PARLIAMENT-GOVERNMENT

France’s government has fallen. Here are three scenarios for what could happen next

With France potentially seeing several governments before the next National Assembly elections, Romain Fathi looks at the options available to president Emmanuel Macron

Thu, 05 Dec, 2024

We need to do more than talk about getting more female TDs

We need to do more than talk about getting more female TDs

Fallout from the general election offers a golden opportunity to increase the number of female councillors in Ireland — and we should grab the chance

Wed, 04 Dec, 2024

Green Party's experience shows the limits of government formation in Ireland

Green Party's experience shows the limits of government formation in Ireland

Myth of pragmatism can force smaller parties to ‘pull on the green jersey’, but where is the point in going into government just to maintain the status quo

Tue, 03 Dec, 2024

Asylum seeker accommodation protest

Graham Clifford: New Government needs to get tough on the far right

This election, once and for all, showed us what the people of Ireland really think about. And, for the overwhelming majority, it’s not immigration, writes Graham Clifford

Tue, 03 Dec, 2024

Colin Sheridan: President's pardoning of middle-aged son hardly surprising, and quite unimportant

S Colin Sheridan: President's pardoning of middle-aged son hardly surprising, and quite unimportant

All it does is confirm what we already knew; that these people in positions of extreme power are only ever in it for themselves

Mon, 02 Dec, 2024

General Election Ireland 2024

Fine Gael will be left wondering why seats there for the taking were not won

Strategic missteps saw the party lose seats in Kerry and Wexford

Mon, 02 Dec, 2024

The Green Party’s reward for climate action? Electoral evisceration

The Green Party’s reward for climate action? Electoral evisceration

The good news is that both the Social Democrats and Labour have placed environmental protection and climate action at the centre of their political agendas, writes John Gibbons

Mon, 02 Dec, 2024

With his pardon of son Hunter, Joe Biden delivers a heartfelt hypocrisy

With his pardon of son Hunter, Joe Biden delivers a heartfelt hypocrisy

The president and supporters argue Hunter Biden would never have been charged were it not for his name – and any father might have done the same. But this exercise of power also looks like a validation of Donald Trump

Mon, 02 Dec, 2024

Barbara O’Driscoll: As well as supporting survivors, we must tackle the causes of violence against women

Barbara O’Driscoll: As well as supporting survivors, we must tackle the causes of violence against women

Mná Feasa leader writes that Ireland must provide more accessible services for women who have been abused — but we must also work harder to root out embedded misogyny and inequality

Mon, 02 Dec, 2024

Students sitting in amphitheater

Comment: University teachers’ precarious employment is unsustainable

Not only does the normalisation of precarious jobs keep staff poor, it threatens the reputation of third-level education in Ireland

Mon, 02 Dec, 2024

General Election Ireland 2024

Comment: Kamikaze Green Party sacrificed itself for climate goals

There is much talk that climate was not a priority issue in this election. However, much has changed in the political landscape since 2020, writes Cara Augustenborg

Mon, 02 Dec, 2024

Irish Children's Referendum

Theresa Reidy: Young people are turning away from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael

Parties are in a pattern of variable but long-term decline

Mon, 02 Dec, 2024

The Mick Clifford Podcast: Who are the winners and losers from Election 2024?

The Mick Clifford Podcast: Who are the winners and losers from Election 2024?

Irish Examiner political editor Elaine Loughlin joins Mick to sketch out the national picture and who are the big winners and losers

Listen | Sun, 01 Dec, 2024

Mick Clifford: Micheál Martin began this comeback in 2011 when he stayed to rebuild Fianna Fáil

Mick Clifford: Micheál Martin began this comeback in 2011 when he stayed to rebuild Fianna Fáil

Cork South-Central veteran could have fled in 2011. But he stayed, did the hard yards, and oversaw Fianna Fáil's evolution into a medium-sized party that is set to take office again

Sun, 01 Dec, 2024

General Election Ireland 2024

Here are the 10 things we learned from Election 2024

Generational divide among voters, celebrities failing to succeed, and how the centre-left stayed strong

Sun, 01 Dec, 2024

Election 2024: Fractured far-right candidates fizzle out

Election 2024: Fractured far-right candidates fizzle out

While immigration was a major issue during the local elections, exit polls showed just 6% of people interviewed cited it as the main issue in the general election campaign

Sun, 01 Dec, 2024

Elaine Loughlin: Buoyant Fianna Fáil eyeing up the 'magic 50'

Elaine Loughlin: Buoyant Fianna Fáil eyeing up the 'magic 50'

Fianna Fáil has always had a weakness in the capital, but is set to make gains this time around.

Sun, 01 Dec, 2024

Elaine Loughlin: Three-party deadlock means it'll be a long road to forming a government

Elaine Loughlin: Three-party deadlock means it'll be a long road to forming a government

Election 2024: With less than two percentage points separating Sinn Féin, Fine Gael, and Fianna Fáil in the exit poll, a coalition of four or more parties could well be the only option

Fri, 29 Nov, 2024

Conceptual image of a person voting during elections

Theresa Reidy: Don't be put off by naysayers who say your vote doesn't count

The Irish political system guarantees that a diverse array of political views are represented in the Dáil

Fri, 29 Nov, 2024

AI survey

Hospital care should have been the issue of Election 2024

Imagine a never-ending economy class flight with no entertainment and you have a close picture of many of our hospitals. These are not the places of care or sanctuary they should be, writes Professor Rónán Collins

Thu, 28 Nov, 2024

The Mick Clifford Podcast: More than just a correspondent - Paul Hosford

The Mick Clifford Podcast: Are we there yet? Taking a final look at the election campaign

Mick and Paul Hosford look at who to look out for ahead of polling day and what shape the next coalition will take

Listen | Thu, 28 Nov, 2024

General Election Ireland 2024

Paul Hosford: Fine Gael slogan will not resonate with some voters

When the country has seen a rise in the number of children experiencing material deprivation and rates of child poverty have increased, the party's election slogan is blind to the fact that not everyone is feeling the financial improvement in the country in the same way

Thu, 28 Nov, 2024

General Election Ireland 2024

Simon Harris's weakness has not been lack of empathy, but economic cop-on

A campaign strewn with gaffes and missteps has seen the party descend from clear election favourite to level pegging with Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin

Listen | Thu, 28 Nov, 2024

Ireland In The Eighties

Terry Prone: Gemma Hussey was a true pioneer of women's rights in Ireland

'It’s not an insult to have the struggle forgotten,' she once said. 'It’s a triumph that this generation of women can take their rights for granted.'

Wed, 27 Nov, 2024

Ceasefire in Lebanon doesn’t ensure a lasting victory for Israel, but does signal a setback for Iran

Ceasefire in Lebanon doesn’t ensure a lasting victory for Israel, but does signal a setback for Iran

Hezbollah is still armed and has the potential to attack Israel. But more significantly it has in effect abandoned Hamas

Wed, 27 Nov, 2024

Election 2024: Mick Clifford — Only real loser from leaders' debate was the undecided voter

Election 2024: Mick Clifford — Only real loser from leaders' debate was the undecided voter

Simon Harris, Micheál Martin and Mary Lou McDonald were pretty solid, but none were spectacular or anything approaching it, writes Mick Clifford

Wed, 27 Nov, 2024

London protests

How the far right is weaponising AI-generated content in Europe

This year’s European parliamentary elections were the launchpad for a roll-out of AI-generated campaigning by the European far right

Tue, 26 Nov, 2024

Donald Trump
Angela Merkel

Regrets, feminism, and Trump’s ‘fascination’ with Putin: key takeaways from Merkel’s memoir

The former German chancellor’s book Freedom gives insights on Brexit and her East German upbringing

Tue, 26 Nov, 2024