Kneecap: A Tortured Artist?
Coachella hit the headlines globally last week as Irish hip-hop trio, Kneecap, emblazoned their uncouth political message onstage. “F*** Israel, Free Palestine” was perhaps the most notable of their many…
Trump v The Socialist March
The battle going on between the Trump Administration and the Ivy League universities is not so much a battle of ideas as a struggle for power. With the rise of…
China and The Second Cold War
Liberation Day was not just about declaring the US independent of the rest of the world. It was about redrawing the lines. It was about identifying where the new Iron…
Why was Conor McGregor in the White House?
America needs to “look after its little bro”, proclaimed MMA star Conor McGregor from a White House podium on St. Patrick’s Day. His mere presence drew swift condemnations from Irish…
Micheál Martin: The Art of the Diplomat
Micheál Martin visited Donald Trump in the White House yesterday. It was a hotly anticipated encounter after the growing potential for tensions between the two long-time allies. I wrote a…
Unlocking Neutrality
After a slow start to the 34th Dáil, neutrality is now the topic du jour. In a relatively unfounded tradition dating back to ‘The Emergency’ (World War II), Ireland claims…
White House Welcome
Those of us in Dublin may have noticed strong gusts of wind this morning. Indeed, Micheál Martin let out a massive sigh of relief at the receipt of Donald Trump’s…
Opposition: A Missed Opportunity
With somewhat conflicted feelings, I dare say I have had a more productive two weeks since my last Political Strategy post than the opposition in Dáil Éireann. On the one…
Occupied Territories Bill: the path to power?
Much of Ireland languishes in an imposed luddite existence after Storm Éowyn. Yet Sinn Féin is focusing on the conflict in the Middle East, not its own constituents. Politicians have…
A Program for Government
In a characteristically delayed approach to the new year, the new Irish Government will finally begin next week. After weeks of fairly uneventful negotiations in Dublin, Fianna Fáil and Fine…