Some of us 30 years back were bemoaning the lack of expertise across the civil service. FFG didn't want to know. We were viewed as being anti Irish by political vermin whose focus was lining their own pockets. Hard to find much fault with her analysis . It is a regret more commentary such as this w...

Meanwhile, Michael D has returned €2.6 million in salary and allowances to the State https://m.independent.ie/irish-news/michael-d-higgins-returns-26-million-in-salary-and-allowances-to-the-state-of-ireland/a1983638527.html President Connolly also said during the campaign that she would not be takin...

I have to say the Uachtarain's family seem quite high-achieving. She is a qualified barrister and her sister is a doctor. Apparently they had quite deprived childhoods when they were young. True. Goes to show that you can rise above your background in this country with our good solid education syst...

I sensed with the SDs that the media did a very good job at presenting them favourably, they fitted nicely into the shoes that were left bare by the electorate turning on the Greens. The nice people's party!! The media will literally do anything to continue to clip the wings of SF, even to promotin...

I never realised he didn't need to be sworn in (though obviously he would have taken the oath as VP anyway) but it made sense for that he was. Johnson's presidency was ruined by Vietnam but he was way more courageous on civil rights and related issues than Kennedy had been. Agreed. Johnson's Great ...

I've no idea but Johnson certainly took it, with Jackie standing beside him in her still-bloodied dress. I think it may even have been on the plane back to DC. Johnson automatically became president but he wanted to nail it down. He insisted on being given a bible and being sworn in as President be...

If you're expecting competence, you're looking at the wrong administration. I guess we could say the same about the Kennedy administration, as there were a lot of security loopholes around the JFK assassination , also. The Secret Service guys know how to strut and pose as tough guys, even if their ...

One of the correspondents quoted (might have been the Mail or Guardian, can't remember) said that security at the Hilton was very lax Some journalists just waved their tickets at security guards at the entrance. And of course residents staying at the hotel would only have to show their room key swip...

More likely AI maggots as @Publicrealm suggested. There are some countries that should be blocked because their traffic is just crawlers scraping content for AI and other purposes. Singapore is one.It is used by Chinese operations like Tencent to scrape content via its Aceville operation. There are...

It is a daft concept in a way and particularly troublesome when you realise that if the Council of State deem a Bill to be constitutional then it cancels out any chance of a challenge to it in the courts thereafter. Which means that it can be a route between the President of the day and the CoS to ...

Statsman wrote: ↑Thu Apr 23, 2026 10:47 am There's no tropes like the old tropes.

We love a good trope.

It's almost nostalgic to read the private sector good, public service bad trope...brings a fellow back to 2008. Ah...remember those rants back on P.ie, Soc. The rage and vitriol...Slash, burn, cut, take an axe to...sack half them...get rid of half those overpaid useless teachers....They would never...

If it's any help I can see in my own social circle people in their 60s, mortgage paid, couples, both retired. A mix of both public and private sector careers behind them, but with a mix of different levels of pensions, some higher than others. A few adding to their wealth with inheritance and one o...

You keep focusing on young CS and PS workers living in their parent's box rooms. There is no data to suggest that this constitutes the majority of CS and PS employees nor anywhere near it. The job security in CS and PS roles was behind the mad lending ahead of the last crash where Gardai, teachers,...

For many years the only real competition between FF and FG was to see who could swing the 1 in 5 in employment in the civil and public service. It is the largest employer in the state. It would be nice to think the CS and PS are filled with young go-getters all living in their parents' box room but...

I think that's what caused the hesitation by the Gardai and politicians. If it was the working poor or the poor in any guise the Gardai would have been in much earlier. We've gone way past the era where large scale protests and demos have any effect on government. In this case the government have m...

In the not too distant future are we destined to end up wit h a Dail comprise d almost exclusively of Independents, because no one has the backbone to make the tough decisions and stand by them ? Frankly, I'm shocked at the level of support for the thuggery and hooliganism we witnessed over the las...

Speaking of thuggery, it's nice to see some on the left prepared to call it out. No doubt a strong statement will soon follow from the leader of the main opposition party. 😁 https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/soc-dems-lodge-formal-complaint-as-helen-mcentee-accuses-independent-ireland-tds-of-mis...

Thanks I saw your post GG - but this is important enough to warrant a separate thread. I have no doubt that it will be rejected by the COS and if put to the people would be overwhelmingly rejected by the People - ironically for entirely different reasons for those put forward by Connelly et all.......

I posted about this on the Presidential Election thread. The IHREC say that the Bill contains "significant human rights concerns" So the Council of State are meeting with the President to discuss the constitutionality of the Bill, which has already passed through the houses of the Oireacht...

President Connolly is convening the Council of State to discuss the constitutionality of the International Protection Bill which has passed through the houses of the Oireachtas, but which might contain "significant human rights concerns". The Bill seeks to reform Irish asylum laws. https:/...

All that shouting and roaring in the Dail today.." Ye are useless. Totally out of touch with the people. Have things ever been worse? " ( oh yes they have. Much, much worse) A Healy Rae jumps ship. Footage of him outside the Dail waving and crowing " I am a servant of the people!"...

Statsman wrote: ↑Mon Apr 13, 2026 12:40 pm Excellent news, in contrast to the rest of the shit-shows around us, this makes for a fine start to the week.

"Sure could use/ A little good news today"

A glimmer of hope...…login to view the rest of this post

..."They are willing to allow 10 loads of fuel out of Whitegate..." Reminds me of Paul Murphy in Jobstown "Will we let her go?" Still , some of these protesters, and especially their spokesman, must feel a great sense of power Imagine holding the fate of the whole nation in the p...

Came across one of these go-slow convoys earlier holding up the traffic on the N4 (managed to do a U-turn thankfully) and what was there bang in the middle of it but a van with two SF flags flying out of it. Talk about nailing your colours to the mast. Most of the rest of the vehicles had tricolour...