32 Minutes: Did broadcast news do its duty in the 2016 US Presidential Election?
If you felt that media coverage of the recent US Presidential Election appeared to lack focus on policy issues, you may well be correct.
Could your political thesis find a wider audience?
Guest post by Michael Brennan, Political Editor of the Sunday Business Post. Every year, there are hundreds of theses completed by students of political science. Some may make it into academic journals and others are the source material for articles in the opinion pages of newspapers or are highlighted by the Political Studies Association of Ireland…
Making America Grate Again – Early thoughts on a shock election
Today I had to give the first lecture of my ‘elections and voting’ course since Donald Trump’s shock victory. To be honest, I’m glad it wasn’t yesterday. I found myself genuinely upset by the result, to the point where any sort of objective analysis was probably impossible. Anyway, I had a good night’s sleep and spent the…
Workshop: Votes, Votes, Votes; at home, abroad and at 16
On 16 November 2016, there will be a one-day workshop looking at voting rights reform in Ireland. There will be two areas of focus; voting rights for emigrants and reducing the voting age to 16. The programme includes academics and campaigners. The workshop will take place in the offices of the National University of Ireland…
The Irish Citizens’ Assembly: yet another Irish mini-public on constitutional reform
The inaugural meeting of the new Irish Citizens’ Assembly was held in Dublin Castle last Saturday. Its establishment and the fact that it follows in the wake of the 2012-14 Constitutional Convention marks Ireland out as a world first in the repeated use of a ‘mini-public’ (deliberative) approach to constitutional review, an approach that includes…
Irish Polling Indicator: Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael battle it out for top spot
In the first Irish Polling Indicator for the 32nd Dáil, Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil are leading the polls with estimates around 26% each. The Irish Polling Indicator pools all Irish opinion polls to arrive at an overall estimate of where the parties stand. Fine Gael support has not changed since the February elections. The…
An international audit of Irish political parties
The first results of the Political Party Database project were published recently in Party Politics. Irish political parties were included in this international audit of the state of party politics in 19 democracies. In summary, the data show Irish parties in pretty good health: they’re well funded (in large part by the state) and well…
Apple state aid decision in a nutshell
Epthinktank Written by Cécile Remeur, In late August 2016, the adoption by the European Commission of a state aid decision on Ireland’s tax rulings in favour of tax-resident companies related to Apple raised substantial debate, with regard to the multinational enterprise (MNE) concerned and the amount to be recovered. Taxation and state aid relating to…
Northern Ireland at the Edge: What’s next after Brexit?
Northern Ireland at the Edge: What’s next after Brexit? Thursday, 15 September 2016 2.00-5.00 pm Queen’s University Belfast More information and booking here • Places are free • Booking is essential This conversation focuses on the consequences of the UK’s future relationship with Ireland, north and south. Should the UK withdraw from the EU (as…
Much Ado about Constitutionality and Collective Responsibility
Guest post by Ken Carty (University of British Columbia) The pundits and editorial writers have worked themselves up over a bill to provide for abortions in the case of private members fetal abnormalities – a bill that may never pass out of the Oireachtas. The behavior of some ministers, we are told, ignores the constitution…
Irish Politics Forum 