The long-anticipated referendum on repealing the 8th amendment, known by proponents and opponents alike at the time of its initial adoption as the ‘pro-life amendment’, has delivered a result widely and understandably described as ‘seismic’, ‘historic’ and ‘momentous’. In a high turnout (64%, second among standalone referendums only to the 1972 vote on EC entry…
Guest post from Lisa Keenan and Gail McElroy, Trinity College, Dublin. This blog presents the arguments from a paper published in Irish Political Studies by the authors. Free access to the paper is available for the month of January here. In 2016, the Republic of Ireland joined over 100 countries world-wide that use gender quotas at…
Guest Post from Dr. Caroline McEvoy, School of Politics and International Relations, University College Dublin [This post draws on research published in Politics & Gender available here.] 22% of TDs in the 32nd Dáil are women – a result largely attributed to the introduction of gender quotas in the 2016 general election. This is a…
Post by Muireann O’Dwyer School of Politics and International Relations, UCD As the dust settles after the publication of the longest ever Programme for Government, it’s a good time to start taking a deeper look at the promises contained within the published plans for the new government. A document born of long negotiation, it is clear…
Posted on behalf of Michael Courtney, Dublin City University This blog outlines the main arguments from a recent article published in Irish Political Studies by the author. The article is available free to download until the end of August at http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/07907184.2015.1021796 There is considerable contemporary interest in maximising the efficacy of Irish democracy. This has…
Posted on behalf of Dr Anne O’Brien, National University of Ireland Maynooth. This blog presents the arguments from a paper published in Irish Political Studies by the author. Free access to the paper is available for the month of March at http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07907184.2014.922960#abstract Media depictions of women in Irish politics are far from unproblematic. The…
By Claire McGing, NUI Maynooth Parliaments, of which the Dáil and Seanad are no exception, are highly gendered institutions. Since the rules were written by men at a time in which women were not expected to participate in politics, the very norms, rules and culture of parliament conform to a male lifestyle. This is why the idea of…
Declaration of interest: The author is the research director of the Irish Constitutional Convention The Irish Constitutional Convention has almost completed its work. At its most recent meeting it dealt with the last of the eight topics assigned to it by the Government. All that remains is for the Convention to use its remaining time…
Declaration of interest: I am one of the members of the academic team advising the constitutional convention on its work programme. The Irish Constitutional Convention is most of the way through its work programme. Many journalists and other commentators were critical of the Convention when it was launched. But among those who have witnessed its…
So I recently learned that The Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Bill 2011 will soon be passed as law. Looks like some really progressive stuff, especially when you look at the ongoing hyper monetization of politics that is taking place in the usa. I can’t wait to see the parties publish comprehensive accounts, which should let…
Irish Politics Forum 