Tory mythology and the ConDem Coalition’s cuts

g  BY LAURA FRIEL

“WE’RE the radicals now,” British Prime Minister David Cameron announced to a buoyant Conservative Party conference last month. On the cover of the latest edition of the Economist magazine, Cameron is depicted sporting a red, white and blue ‘Mohican’ hairstyle, the classic punk symbol of rebellion utilised to... Free article

I WAS addressing Leaving Cert students from Drogheda in Room 375 of Stormont Parliament Buildings in the last couple of weeks. Actually, it’s more an Assembly than a Parliament because, as you know, Taoiseach, that is in Kildare Street. Anyway, it was great to see the students up in Stormont and both myself and Mervin Storey of the DUP made a stab at interpreting the history of... Free article

BHÍ mé sa Bhriotáin le déanaí nuair a thosaigh na stailceanna in aghaidh cinneadh aois an phinsin a ardú ó 60 go 62.
Sa sráidbhaile ina raibh mé bíonn margadh gach Máirt. Cé go bhfuil an samhradh thart, bíonn go leor daoine go fóill ag dul timpeall ag ceannach a gcuid glasraí, cáise, iasc agus eile. Timpeall a deich, thar thorann an mhargaidh féin bhí gleo eile le cluinsint, glór... Free article

Stieg in the tale

IT WAS ONLY when comments from friends and colleagues that they were either “doing the Millennium” or “I had to stay up and finish Millennium” got to double figures that I realised something was up and maybe I was missing important stuff. It was a bit like those teenage years when schoolfriends were re-reading Lord Of the Rings and I had barely finished The... Free article

YOU THINK you’re angry, do you? Reading the paper, watching Brian Cowen on TV, seeing the bankers, developers and financial gurus who got us into this mess get off scot-free while everyone else gets it in the neck makes you a little mad? Peeved perhaps?
I’m so mad I’ve started randomly setting things on fire.
I stand outside Brian Lenihan’s house in the pouring rain, just watching... Free article

THE revelation that child homelessness in the 26 Counties has increased by 60% over the last three years has been described by Sinn Féin deputy leader Mary Lou McDonald as “horrific”. The Dublin Central Sinn Féin representative said:
“Just last week two former members of The Commission of Taxation said that €2.5billion could be saved in reforming or abolishing just 131 of the... Free article

Fair City’s homeless Bob joins street appeal

BY LUCINDA McNALLY
Communications Officer, Focus Ireland

TV STAR Bryan Murray’s character, ‘Bob’, was homeless in RTÉ’s Fair City. Now the actor is taking the issue from the screen to the street as he calls on people to volunteer for Focus Ireland’s ‘Key to a Home Collections’ on November 19th to 21st.
Bryan joined Fair City cast... Free article

BY DECLAN KEARNEY
National Chairperson, Sinn Féin

THE chances are if you’re reading this you are not a member of Sinn Féin.
You probably have at least a passing interest in republican politics; you may even have played a previous active role in the republican struggle, depending on your age.
If so, read on.
The savage nature of this recession is seriously hurting Irish families... Free article

THE European Parliament has voted in favour of extending both maternity and paternity leave across Europe.
The proposal calls for the minimum period of maternity leave to be extended from 14 to 20 weeks fully paid. It also approved an entitlement to paid paternity leave of two weeks.
The vote has been welcomed by the European Parliament group of which Irish MEP Bairbre de Brún is... Free article

BY the time you read this, RTÉ will have announced  John Hume  the winner of its TV series, Ireland’s Greatest. Each of the five finalists was the subject of hour-long documentaries, broadcast from September onwards.
Michael McDowell made the case for Michael Collins, Dave Fanning for Bono, Joe Duffy for James Connolly, Miriam O’Callaghan for John Hume and David McWilliams for... Free article