National Issues

Budget 2012

Posted by on December 6, 2011 at 5:43 pm

Following this week’s Budget announcements by both Ministers Michael Noonan and Brendan Howlin, I have put the following information together. The decisions in this budget are difficult – but we have to make them to get Ireland working again. No government likes to make decisions like this – but we have an 18 billion euro [...]

A message from Gay Mitchell – FG Presidential Candidate

Posted by on October 12, 2011 at 2:58 pm

“My political conviction is informed by an ethos based on the four pillars of rights, responsibilities, enterprise and social justice. They are the values that have guided me for the last 32 years and will continue to guide me if elected President. They are the values that will help Ireland overcome some of our present economic and ethical [...]

Diary of a Seanad Candidate – Week 6

Posted by on April 18, 2011 at 12:00 pm

My campaign has ended. Broken down into numbers, it was six weeks, twenty six counties, over four hundred people, almost eleven thousand kilometres, two new tyres, countless hotels rooms, at least twenty one tanks of diesel and I estimate four hundred and seventy eight cups of tea (one cup of coffee!) It has been nothing, [...]

Diary of a Seanad Candidate – Week 5

Posted by on April 11, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Distance: 1,416km. Counties Visited: 7 (Wexford; Cavan; Meath; Westmeath; Longford; Donegal and Mayo) Week five – I didn’t think I’d be still driving! As you read this, some of the votes for the Seanad Election have already been cast. The Fine Gael members of Cork City Council are casting their votes across all five panels [...]

Diary of a Seand Candidate – Week 4

Posted by on April 5, 2011 at 8:39 pm

Week four! Ballots papers will issue this Friday, April 7th. This week has been frenetic if nothing else. I have covered six counties in as many days: Laois; Kilkenny; Carlow; Kildare; Wexford and Wicklow, covering 2,124km and drinking diesel as I went. If anything the driving this week gave me an opportunity to reflect on [...]