BOLIVIAN REVIEW
Affairs, 28 February 2020
DOES FOREIGN MINISTER Simon Coveney feel feel a little exposed by a review of the ousting of Bolivia’s elected government? The manner in which Evo Morales was driven from office in October has come under fresh scrutiny. The Bolivian President was forced to step down last year amid accusations of electoral fraud and an interim… Read more »
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AIRBNB’S ARTS SPIN
Affairs, 27 February 2020
SOME GOOD NEWS for cash-strapped artists with the announcement of Áitiúil, a new “micro grant programme” seeking to support local cultural initiatives. Up to €5,000 is on offer for projects which “sustain the environment, innovation, peacemaking, festivals and events”. What’s not to like? The generous benefactor behind this tempting largess is property giant, Airbnb, where… Read more »
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COCHRANE, Ó BROIN AND JOE
Affairs, 27 February 2020
WHAT IS IT about the upstarts at JOE.ie that so riles the new generation of hacks elsewhere? Last month the Indo’s Hugh O’Connell was seen exchanging snipes with JOE columnist Carl Kinsella on social media and now the Irish Times’ David Cochrane has drawn ridicule on himself. In what can be seen as a rush… Read more »
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MORE BAD NEWS FROM MALI
Affairs, 27 February 2020
THE OFFICIAL LINE from government that Irish troops are engaged in a “training mission” in Mali is increasingly looking like yet another strained military euphemism. Currently described as the UN’s “most dangerous mission”, conflict in the region is highly volatile with local and multinational forces failing to contain Islamist factions and the widespread breakdown of… Read more »
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MEDIA’S CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK
Affairs, 27 February 2020
THE RATCHETING up of coronavirus coverage in the Irish media this week is enough to have the paranoid reader frantically consulting the latest data, fearful that it might reveal a major escalation on home shores. However, a quick check of the figures shows that of the 90 suspected Irish cases so far, the number to… Read more »
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TRINITY GREEN WEAK
Affairs, Fowl Emissions, 26 February 2020
NATURE LOVERS rejoice at Trinity College where plans are underway to turn the historic front lawn into a “wild flower meadow”. No less than, “one of the most prominent areas in the capital” is to become a haven for bees and butteries as part of TCD’s “response to Ireland’s biodiversity crisis”. The proposals received ample… Read more »
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FIANNA FÁIL SUPPORT LICENCE REFORM
Affairs, 26 February 2020
GOLDHAWK has previously noted that Fianna Fáil stood alone as the only party not to include any reference to licensing reform in its general election manifesto. Attention on the night time economy has grown significantly over the last eighteen months with tentative plans launched by Culture Minister, Josepha Madigan, Oireachtas committee initiatives by Sinn Féin… Read more »
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MEETINGS MADNESS
Affairs, 25 February 2020
THE POST-ELECTION hysteria reached new heights over the weekend with Sinn Féin’s plans to hold public rallies. Judging by some of the reaction, a series of meetings in hotel function rooms has emerged as an unlikely but serious threat to the Republic. FF have described the plans as “right out of the Trump playbook”, while… Read more »
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DREW HARRIS DANGER
Affairs, 25 February 2020
Drew Harris may regret becoming embroiled in the post election political row. The garda commissioner’s involvement in claims and counter claims surrounding the IRA army council has only brought further awareness of his own past. Until now, Harris has avoided real scrutiny in the Republic where there is little awareness of just how contentious a… Read more »
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LABOUR BEYOND THE PALE
Affairs, 25 February 2020
LABOUR’S RETURN with a majority of TDs from outside Dublin masks deeper problems beyond the capital. This election was the first in almost ninety years that the party ran no candidate in Kerry. The Spring dynasty has withered with Dick’s nephew Arthur leaving politics after the 2016 election and Graham’s grandson Dan bowing out before… Read more »
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DERMOT WELD’S ‘PETITION PROBLEM’
Affairs, Racing, 21 February 2020
The fascinating case between the security chief at the Irish Horseracing Regulator Board (previously the Turf Club) Chris Gordon and the Irish Racehorse Trainers Association (IRTA) continues down at the Four Courts and shines a light onto various riders in the Irish racing game. The current High Court case (see The Phoenix 14/2/20) relates to claims… Read more »
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VARADKAR’S BROWSING HABITS
Affairs, 21 February 2020
GOLDHAWK WAS surprised to see An Taoiseach share an article from Gript Media with his 47,000 Facebook followers on Wednesday. Varadkar, who normally prides himself on attention to detail, appears to have gotten sloppy in a rush to land a hit on political opponents. Vlad should read some other articles like the suggestion that his… Read more »
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MARTIN LURCHES RIGHT
Affairs, 21 February 2020
Like Bobby Ewing out of the shower, the past is once again a dream for Michael Martin. For ten years the Corkman has sought to present the face of a caring social democratic Fianna Fáil. A posture now past its sell by date as Martin prepares for the inevitable union with Fine Gael. A key… Read more »
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GRIPT’S GAME
Affairs, 21 February 2020
Gript Media is the latest in a string of attempts by conservatives to combat what they perceive as an Irish media landscape overrun with liberal bias. The gang previously caused trouble during the Fingal by-election and this week Sinn Féin are in hot water over old tweets by Réada Cronin. The figures behind the website’s… Read more »
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PATRIOT PLANS
Affairs, 21 February 2020
It was a disappointing election for Ireland’s “patriots” with no candidate retaining their deposit. Concern about the decay of western civilisation and future of the Irish race failed to ignite passions at the ballot box. Just one percent of voters listed immigration as an influence and this is still a higher figure than the collective… Read more »
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MCHUGH FOR THE SEANAD
Affairs, 21 February 2020
THERE HAS BEEN much speculation about the extent to which Saoirse McHugh has been odds with her own party. That considerable theatrical horror ensued in the media when the Achill islander expressed reservations about a carbon tax only underlines how increasingly questioned but minimally threatening measures have come to be perceived at large as totemic… Read more »
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COVENEY’S COAL
Affairs, 21 February 2020
Ireland’s links to the controversial Cerrejón mine in Colombia has come under fresh scrutiny following the publication of a new report from Christian Aid. A vast proportion of coal burned at the Moneypoint station in Clare has been sourced from the mine which has long been associated with grave human and environmental abuses. A public… Read more »
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BURTON’S BAD FAITH
Affairs, 21 February 2020
MEMBERS OF ALL PARTIES bar Fine Gael signed up for pledges organised by the Irish Palestine Solidarity Campaign during the general election and the Occupied Territories Bill remains a live issue in Irish politics. The largest party Fianna Fáil commits to progress on the legislation in its manifesto and the new Dáil retains a majority… Read more »
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WILLIAM MCGLADE’S DECISION
Affairs, 20 February 2020
YOUNG MONEYBAGS William McGlade’s HipHipStay short term letting operation featured on the front page of the Irish Times today as a result of a planning decision that casts a doubt over the fledgling company’s whole modus operandi. The application to use apartments in the heart of Dublin 2 for ‘premium’ Airbnb style rentals was shot… Read more »
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MORE GRIPT SKULDUGGERY
Affairs, 19 February 2020
Gript Media continue to revolutionise Irish journalism by er, digging up old social media posts. This time Sinn Féin’s Reada Cronin has been targeted over tweets going back as far as 2013. A Gript report was again picked by the Indo and Irish Times leading the newly elected TD to deactivate her online accounts. Previously… Read more »
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THE MAIL AND MCDONALD
Affairs, 19 February 2020
“Mary Lou for Taoiseach” emblazons the front of Wednesday’s Irish Daily Mail with opinion polls showing a majority of voters’ desire to see the Sinn Féin leader in charge. It is certainly no wonder that she is riding high with Irish readers given Saturday’s edition, which gushed, “clever, down to earth and up for a… Read more »
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AODHAN’S PHANTOM DIRECTORSHIP
Affairs, 19 February 2020
WITH THE Labour Party leadership campaign underway candidates will be brandishing their credentials in between lofty speeches and waving the Starry Plough. Aodhán Ó Ríordáin is not the shy and retiring type when it comes to self-promotion. Goldhawk only hopes that he doesn’t lose the run of himself as he did previously. Following an unsuccessful… Read more »
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PAUL WILLIAMS’ LECTURE
Affairs, 18 February 2020
PAUL WILLIAMS’ lecture on Claire Byrne Live last night and his pearl-clutching online-only op-ed for The Independent yesterday — about how millennial voters ‘turned their backs on their moral values and IRA victims to elevate Sinn Féin’ — provoked much hostility. Social media users resurrected the crime correspondent’s coverage of the Sgt Maurice McCabe scandal and it… Read more »
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ED BROPHY’S TWITTER MELTDOWN
Affairs, 17 February 2020
FINANCE MINISTER Paschal Donohoe’s current advisor and former chief-of-staff for Joan Burton Ed Brophy has been using his Twitter account to vent increasingly hysterical frustrations with Sinn Féin’s recent election success. His personal feed has become consumed with sharing disparaging articles and criticisms aimed at the party and its various TDs. At one point, he… Read more »
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HELEN DIXON’S FACEBOOK POST
Affairs, 17 February 2020
IT LOOKS like Facebook has not been paying enough attention to the modus operandi of the Irish Data Protection Commissioner Helen Dixon. Her full-blooded tackle on the roll-out of the public services card left the government and, especially, then-minister Regina Doherty floundering, although this is a story that has some legal way to go. Facebook… Read more »
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DREW HARRIS MAKES AN INTERVENTION
Affairs, Hush Hush, 14 February 2020
DREW HARRIS took a highly unusual step this week when he sat down for an interview with the Irish Independent. The Garda Commissioner used this opportunity to outline his reservations about absolute encryption and impress on any future government a desire to have police granted “back door” access to the public’s devices and networks. The… Read more »
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MO FLYNN LEAVES REHAB
Affairs, 14 February 2020
Rehab CEO Mo Flynn is stepping down after five years in the role. Flynn took over during what was described as a “challenging time for the organisation” in 2015 and the group were due a fresh start following controversy that was extensively reported in The Phoenix. Flynn’s tenure was not plain sailing and the group… Read more »
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PADDY GONE NATIVE?
Affairs, 13 February 2020
WITH EVEN SEASONED Irish politicos grasping to make sense of the election outcome, there isn’t much hope for observers abroad. Several anglophone reporters have responded in the best and increasingly only way they know how. Shoehorning events from a distinct and foreign country into their own narratives about Brexit and Trump. That is, we are… Read more »
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DOHERTY’S BLUSHES
Affairs, 13 February 2020
While the country settles into weeks of political horse-trading, life goes on in the permanent government. Without much fanfare, the Department of Employment and Social Protection (DEASP) amendmened its data protection statement on the controversial Public Service Card on Monday. DEASP notes that these changes are intended to address “deficiencies in the previous Privacy Statement… Read more »
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RECORD BREAKING VARADKAR
Affairs, 13 February 2020
EVEN AS SIGNS grew more and more ominous, Fine Gael could hardly have anticipated just how badly the election would pan out. The party return with two seats in only two constituencies. No seats in five, topped the poll in just one and survived numerous lucky escapes without a quota. Varadkar was humiliated in Dublin… Read more »
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WALSH VS KELLY
Affairs, Fowl Emissions, 13 February 2020
Goldhawk was surprised to see Fine Gael’s Maria Walsh breaking ranks in the European Parliament on Wednesday. The Mayo MEP was one of three party members to row in behind an opposition motion highlighting that several projects listed for EU taxpayer funding are contrary to commitments on climate action. The motion underlines a sizeable list… Read more »
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SINN FÉIN’S FIGHT BACK
Affairs, 12 February 2020
SINN FÉIN’S positioning as the party of alternative has been successful beyond all expectation but recent history has shown that it has been more a case of following where others have led. With Fianna Fáil humbled in 2011, the party could have been expected to emerge as the de facto opposition but it was instead… Read more »
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QUESTIONS FOR THE GREENS
Affairs, 12 February 2020
UPON HOLDING his seat in County Kerry, Danny Healy Rae celebrated by taking a pop at the Green agenda: “To hell with the planet and the fellas that say we must save the planet and forget about the people! I’m not one of those people. I make no apologies to anyone, anywhere for that,” Healy… Read more »
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MICHEÁL MARTIN’S TRANSFER PROBLEM
Affairs, 12 February 2020
FIANNA FÁIL was once considered one of the most formidable political organisations in Europe, with a success rate the envy of parties across Europe. When the writing was on the wall in 2011, many observers clung to the theory that an unrivalled machine in every corner of Ireland would kick in to save the day…. Read more »
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CARROLL MacNEILL’S POLITICAL PEDIGREE
Affairs, 11 February 2020
Following the exit of Mary Mitchell O’Connor, new blood Jennifer Carroll MacNeill has emerged as the only Blueshirt in Dún Laoghaire. Maria Bailey’s replacement edged out the minister and took the last seat without reaching a quota. Having already clocked up a few combative television appearances while votes were counted, the new TD is well… Read more »
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FIANNA FÁIL’S OPENING GAMBIT
Affairs, 10 February 2020
It will come as no surprise that Fianna Fáil’s Michael McGrath and Jim O’Callaghan have emerged as the most vocal opponents of any arrangement with Sinn Féin. But is this stridency all that it seems? Rather than an outright rejection of coalition, we are seeing the opening shots of negotiations. The pair were architects of… Read more »
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