(above book launch in Sarajevo) By Peter Emerson Just published, Majority Voting as a Catalyst of Populism (Springer, Heidelberg) — https://www.springer.com/gb/book/9783030202187 — is a critique of binary decision-making. Binary politics are everywhere: in the Dáil although there are better methodologies; in referendums as in Brexit, which was crazy; in Northern Ireland, where the very cause…
The headline stories from the results of last week’s Westminster election in Northern Ireland have been well aired. A setback for the DUP, treading water by SF, a revival by the SDLP and Alliance, the continued marginalisation of the UUP, and the near irrelevance of the other smaller parties. Closer inspection of the figures delivers…
‘Basic Income: Possibilities, Practicalities, Controversies’, Nov 29, 2019, 2-5pm, Geary Institute, UCD. Basic income is one of the most powerful yet also controversial political ideas of recent decades. Having broken out of the realm of political theory, it has taken hold in the public and political imagination as a potential way of reducing inequality and…
By Donnancha Ó Beacháin* Overview As the centenary of Ireland’s division approaches Brexit has pushed the issue of the border to the forefront of politics in Ireland and the United Kingdom. Many believe that this election vote will be used as a proxy for a border poll in Northern Ireland and therefore there has been…
By Dr. Brendan Flynn* Congrats to the editors of the 2019 volume of the Defence Forces Review: Prof. Ben Tonra (SPIRe, UCD), Dr. Eugenio Lilli (Clinton Institute) and Lt. Cdr. Paul Hegarty (Defence Forces Command and Staff School). The publication is a unique example of collaboration between our armed forces and academics and…
Last night’s motion of confidence in the minister for housing, Eoghan Murphy, failed to pass; the vote was 53 for, 56 against, and 35 recorded abstentions. One of the reasons that it might have failed is because the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said that a defeat for the government on this would cause a pre-Christmas election.…
Dr. Theresa Reidy, University College Cork Bye-elections are odd political events. The likelihood of a single vote having an impact on government survival is marginal, even in the relatively tight arithmetic of the current Dáil. And in some way, voters seem to know this. The four bye-elections in Cork North Central, Dublin Fingal, Dublin…
Irish Politics Forum 