Amid the current sometimes fevered speculation over the date of the election to the 32nd Dáil, one constant refrain is that the timing of the election is the prerogative of the Taoiseach. Members of Fine Gael, while they might express a personal preference, are punctilious in adding that ‘of course’ it is entirely up to…
Electoral Management Policies and Priorities On 16 October 2015, there will be a half-day workshop looking at electoral management practices in Ireland and abroad. The programme includes election specialists working on electoral management bodies, voter registration and the regulation of political parties. The workshop is taking place in the Metropole Hotel in Cork and everyone is…
Posted on behalf of Dr Clodagh Harris (UCC) The PSAI specialist group on teaching and learning in politics is holding an event in the NUI offices, 49 Merrion Square on Friday September 18th 2015. To register for the event, please contact Stefanie Wojtek at s.wojtek@ucc.ie before 13:00 September 17th. The event is co-funded by the PSAI and…
I’m currently reading José Saramago’s Seeing (a gift from a former student), which tells the story of how panic sets in among a city’s political classes after the vast bulk of the citizens cast a blank ballot in an election. It’s a great read, though I have to admit I thought the storyline a bit…
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…
The largest government party, Fine Gael, and the largest opposition party, Fianna Fáil, have both seen their electoral prospects improve over the last months, according to the Irish Polling Indicator. Fine Gael has recovered from a 22% low early December 2014 and now polls around 27%. Micheál Martin’s party also found the way up, increasing…
This year’s annual conference of the UCD Institute for British-Irish Studies will be on the theme of women in leadership. It will take place on July 6 at the European Parliament’s office in Molesworth Street, Dublin. To register to attend (free registration) see here: http://www.ucd.ie/ibis/newsevents/latestnewsevents/ibisannualconference2015/ Programme: 9:45am Registration 9:50am Welcome by Prof David Farrell (IBIS, UCD)…
Everyone is welcome at this post referendum seminar organised by the Voters, Parties and Elections Specialist Group of the Political Studies Association of Ireland.The seminar will include presentations using data from the 2015 Referendum Study. Please email Jane or Theresa on voterspartieselections@gmail.com to confirm your attendance for catering purposes. Further information on the referendum study is…
The marriage referendum was an emotional roller-coaster. The reports of thousands taking boats and flights home to vote in the marriage referendum were heart-lifting. Ursula Halligan’s revelation in the last week of the marriage referendum campaign that she had hidden her sexuality from everyone, including at times herself was heart-breaking. She cited the referendum campaign…
Posted on behalf of Dr. Jennifer Kavanagh – Waterford IT The controversy surrounding the non-reporting of statements by Catherine Murphy TD made in Dáil Eireann last week appears to have been ameliorated by the pronouncement by Mr Justice Donald Binchy that an earlier court order was not intended to stop the reporting of Dáil statements.…
Irish Politics Forum 