Noel Whelan: FG may have to bite bullet on Micheál Martin
- Opinion
- March 11, 2016, 01:00
If negotiations are to succeed then Fine Gael can not rule out Mícheál Martin becoming Taoiseach first
Noel Whelan: Eight points at which it went wrong for the coalition
- Opinion
- March 4, 2016, 07:42
It is now clear that Fine Gael’s campaign was fixed on a disastrous course
Influence of transfers in Election 2016 must not be overstated
- Irish News
- March 2, 2016, 01:00
Anlaysis: Although first count results can be overturned, it is still a rare development
Noel Whelan: Coalition with Fine Gael looks like best option for Fianna Fáil
- Opinion
- February 26, 2016, 01:42
The party as likely to perform as well in the next election coming out of government as they are from opposition
Noel Whelan: Fine Gael has nothing left to offer voters except fear
- Opinion
- February 19, 2016, 01:00
FG have applied British Tory script without adapting appropriately to the Irish context
Noel Whelan: It’s a FG-FF coalition – or another election
- Opinion
- February 12, 2016, 03:29
At this stage, regardless of how you look at it, outgoing government will fall about a dozen seats short of overall majority
Noel Whelan: Volatile vacuum at heart of Fine Gael’s fiscal space
- Opinion
- February 5, 2016, 03:43
McHale is telling the Government that if and when additional money comes along most of it will already be committed to new overhea(...)
Noel Whelan: In defence of Independent TDs
- Opinion
- January 29, 2016, 01:00
Independents’ purposes and objectives are more complex than the crude caricatures
Noel Whelan: Spotlight on when evil came to door in guise of church
- Opinion
- January 22, 2016, 04:42
Film tells story of investigation by ‘Boston Globe’ into cover up of clerical sexual abuse
Noel Whelan: Fine Gael’s new mantra is built on a false premise
- Opinion
- January 15, 2016, 03:23
This election is not about choosing who can keep the recovery going because those choices are not made here in Ireland
Noel Whelan: Government had no option but to embrace Dáil reforms
- Opinion
- January 8, 2016, 01:54
For almost five years Coalition failed to carry out pre-2011 promise of a “democratic revolution”
Marriage vote that shook the world
- Social Affairs
- December 28, 2015, 11:54
Same-sex marriage: referendum didn’t just amend Constitution - it changed lives
Noel Whelan: Migrants revitalise and renew us
- Opinion
- December 18, 2015, 01:07
Their life stories and their heritage will be part of the narrative of our country’s future
Noel Whelan: In defence of the Irish county councillor
- Opinion
- December 11, 2015, 03:35
I grew up in a councillor’s home. Our house was the first port of call for many who needed help. Among the typical visitors I reca(...)
Noel Whelan: Beware politicians bearing news of opinion polls
- Opinion
- December 4, 2015, 01:38
The task of seeking to divine national political implications or constituency-by-constituency impact of any particular poll is a d(...)
Noel Whelan: Don't pay attention to pre-election pledges about coalition
- Opinion
- November 27, 2015, 02:33
Nothing concentrates the minds of politicians like the fear of a further election. Next year will be no different.
Noel Whelan: FG’s ambitious health plan simply flushed away
- Opinion
- November 20, 2015, 01:23
The fudged, vague agreement with Labour was this week pushed off into the never never
Noel Whelan: This time around Labour’s goal is political survival
- Opinion
- November 13, 2015, 01:07
Party will once again warn electorate about dangers of Fine Gael majority government
How the Yes was won: the inside story of the marriage referendum
- People
- November 6, 2015, 11:50
Weekend Read: Can you campaign without posters? Should well-known gay people be kept out of sight? What will persuade middle-aged (...)
2015, but some remain preoccupied with women politicians’ dress
- Opinion
- November 6, 2015, 01:05
There will be a more pronounced female tone to the election debate next year than ever before
Noel Whelan: Kenny gaffe over army and ATMs part of pattern of deception
- Opinion
- October 30, 2015, 01:00
Comment part of strategy to remind voters of how serious crisis was and Fine Gael’s part in turning it around
Noel Whelan: Fears about West Belfast influence over Sinn Féin gain credence
- Opinion
- October 23, 2015, 01:00
Concerns about party being in government in Republic reinforced by report on paramilitary activity
Noel Whelan: Budget underlines the insanity of a November election
- Opinion
- October 16, 2015, 03:35
The measures will reassure voters the recession is over
Noel Whelan: A November poll in Fine Gael’s interest and voters will know it
- Opinion
- October 9, 2015, 04:08
Going early is an admission they failed to address homelessness or hospital overcrowding.
Noel Whelan: Auction politics are back with a vengeance
- Opinion
- September 25, 2015, 06:00
Government ratcheting up the sense that lots of goodies are on their way
Noel Whelan: British media’s hostile treatment of Corbyn is undemocratic
- Opinion
- September 18, 2015, 05:00
‘It is as if the Oxbridge university elites, who dominate much of Britain’s political media have determined that Labour is not en(...)
Noel Whelan: Government by invisible ink – Fennelly criticisms go unheeded
- Opinion
- September 11, 2015, 05:00
‘Ministerial comments suggest that the record-keeping in government is all very hit-and-miss – and deliberately so’
Noel Whelan: One key word in Fennelly report spells trouble for Enda Kenny
- Opinion
- September 4, 2015, 05:00
The Fennelly report found other witnesses more credible than the Taoiseach on key points
Noel Whelan: Bye-bye silly season, hello serious season of political debate
- Opinion
- August 28, 2015, 05:00
‘We haven’t even begun to have a real election debate about the policy choices. Instead we just seem to be lapsing back into old-s(...)
Noel Whelan: Why I can’t accept Hillary Clinton’s dinner invitation
- Opinion
- August 7, 2015, 01:35
‘You, Hillary, Dinner (Hot Damn!)’ – an email invitation in Texan from the Hillary Clinton presidential nomination campaign
Noel Whelan: Debacle, disaster – we’re running out of words for Irish Water
- Opinion
- July 31, 2015, 05:00
‘This is going to be one of the biggest issues in the general election campaign. Government party candidates on the frontline are (...)
Noel Whelan: Something all the political parties could agree on
- Opinion
- July 24, 2015, 05:00
Dáil reform should start with secret ballot on election of Ceann Comhairle
Another week, another new political grouping?
- Opinion
- July 17, 2015, 01:00
Polls show new political party fatigue is already beginning to set in
History needs to be written through the prism of the time
- Opinion
- July 10, 2015, 01:02
Boom time tax cuts reflected broad consensus
Voters appear to be sticking to their guns
- Opinion
- July 3, 2015, 01:05
Polls suggest Kenny would be better off waiting until spring for election
Noel Whelan: Too close for comfort – is it time to ditch political lobby system?
- Opinion
- June 26, 2015, 05:00
‘By parking most of their political staff in the Leinster House complex newspapers and broadcasters end up being Dublin-2 -centri(...)
Noel Whelan: We can be proud of Irish Consul’s efforts in dark days in Berkeley
- Opinion
- June 19, 2015, 05:00
‘The Twitter feed is but one small element of the public effort in which the Consul General Philip Grant and his colleagues engage(...)
Noel Whelan: Time to stop politicians’ ‘tell them nothing’ policy
- Opinion
- June 12, 2015, 05:00
‘This country needs a dramatic culture shift towards real transparency’
Hard to see how ‘verbal assaults’ on Murphy were in O’Brien’s interests
- Opinion
- June 5, 2015, 05:00
Noel Whelan: ‘The first principles of public relations, it seems is that when your spokesperson becomes the story you’re losing’ (...)
Noel Whelan: We had been blind to prejudice facing gay community
- Opinion
- May 29, 2015, 05:00
‘Even on the Yes side many of us had, however, failed to appreciate the true extent to which passing this referendum would matter (...)
Noel Whelan: Exhausting, draining and life changing: the Yes campaign
- Politics
- May 24, 2015, 11:22
How the most extensive and effective civic campaign ever seen in Irish politics was built
Noel Whelan: Amid forgiveness in Mullaghmore we should not forget the past
- Opinion
- May 22, 2015, 05:00
‘While some may breathlessly trumpet Gerry Adams’s magnanimity in shaking the prince’s hand, the real bravery for peace was on the(...)
Noel Whelan: Remember real people when you vote in marriage referendum
- Opinion
- May 15, 2015, 05:00
‘They and their families have a real and very human need to be recognised as equal’
Noel Whelan: Fine prospects for Fine Gael in the byelection
- Opinion
- May 8, 2015, 00:04
‘Byelections always become effectively bi-polar events. The pro- and anti-government electors quickly rally behind the stronger-lo(...)
Noel Whelan: What’s the difference between civil partnership and marriage?
- Opinion
- May 1, 2015, 05:00
‘Constitution protects rights of married people, but not rights of people in civil partnerships’
Noel Whelan: No side posters may prove counterproductive
- Opinion
- April 24, 2015, 05:02
'Many children are already being born with the assistance of surrogacy'
Noel Whelan: Enda Kenny wants Seanad reform – but not yet
- Opinion
- April 17, 2015, 05:00
Taoiseach’s conversion is more Augustinian than Pauline
Noel Whelan: Evictions will be new trigger for protest and political unease
- Opinion
- April 10, 2015, 05:00
Many of the repossession proceedings are at the judgment stage
Noel Whelan: What progress has Fianna Fáil made on 12-point recovery plan?
- Opinion
- April 3, 2015, 05:00
It’s too late for Fianna Fáil to recover before the next election
Noel Whelan: It’s the economy, stupid: why FG is on the up
- Opinion
- March 27, 2015, 05:00
‘Fianna Fáil seems stuck where it was at the 2011 election at about 17 per cent’
Weary of the green: peace process fatigue is setting in on both sides of Atlantic
- Opinion
- March 20, 2015, 05:00
Noel Whelan: Sinn Féin is forced to practise grown-up politics where tough decisions must be made scarce resources
Banking inquiry highlights need for Dáil reform
- Opinion
- March 13, 2015, 05:00
Prof David Farrell set out criteria for assessing whether a parliamentary democracy is or can be effective
Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil coalition is the most likely outcome of the next election
- Opinion
- March 6, 2015, 05:00
Fine Gael strategy is to warn of instability and step up attacks on Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin
The jailing of water protesters: intimidation at the heart of the matter
- Opinion
- February 27, 2015, 05:00
‘When suggestions first arose that some water protesters were intimidating water-meter installers it was dismissed as establishmen(...)
Marriage equality referendum campaign: it’s time to get personal
- Opinion
- February 20, 2015, 11:50
We need more passionate contributions, like those of Pat Carey and Seán Fleming
Centre-right governments have no interest in seeing this new left-wing Greek government succeed
- Opinion
- February 13, 2015, 12:01
‘The response of EU governments to new Greek government has as much to do with politics as economics’
Noel Whelan: Right time to allow secret ballot for Ceann Comhairle
- Opinion
- February 6, 2015, 12:01
This Government should change Dáil rules as part of political reform plan
Abusive verbal attacks on President Higgins mark a new low in political discourse
- Opinion
- January 30, 2015, 12:00
‘Play ball, rather than the man’ rule would be a good starting point for greater civility
Noel Whelan: Leo Varadkar can move on now
- Opinion
- January 23, 2015, 12:01
‘People ask whether Varadkar will lead Fine Gael and I offer the view that he probably will’
UK posturing over TV debates may be a taste of what we can expect here
- Opinion
- January 16, 2015, 12:00
State funding for political parties acts as a bar against new parties
- Opinion
- January 9, 2015, 12:01
Political scientists estimate sitting TDs and Senators enjoyed significant electoral advantage even before State funding
Why was a court ruling required to decide fate of pregnant woman on life support?
- Opinion
- January 2, 2015, 12:01
‘All the medical evidence available to the High Court at its special hearing on Christmas Eve could or should have been available (...)
2014: The Year of Recovery, or the Year of the Water Uprising?
- Opinion
- December 19, 2014, 00:02
‘We may look back at 2014 as the year when, after initial tensions, Ireland shifted gently from civil war politics to a more typic(...)
Same-sex marriage: why the proposal may not be accepted by voters
- Opinion
- December 12, 2014, 12:01
‘Most of those who will vote will only engage at or near the end of the campaign’
Fine Gael know they are in real trouble
- Opinion
- December 5, 2014, 06:38
Irish Times poll confirms Fine Gael’s best chance of staying in government after the next election is with Fianna Fáil
Is the time right for a new political party?
- Opinion
- November 28, 2014, 12:01
‘It would take a lot of political charisma and an impressive set of policies, not to mention lots of funding’
Stormy times ahead as public political mood could become more volatile
- Opinion
- November 21, 2014, 12:01
Opinion: ‘Even if Alan Kelly’s package does defuse the controversy about water it will not and cannot assuage the wider mood of a(...)
Brian Farrell had a healthy scepticism of politicians but was never cynical about politics
- Politics
- November 14, 2014, 12:01
Opinion: ‘He had a deep sense of the democratic authority held by the people and assumed the role of being their voice in studio’ (...)
How the Economic Management Council undermines Cabinet and Government
- Politics
- November 7, 2014, 12:01
Opinion: ‘The EMC has enhanced the role of unelected officials and advisers at the expense of those elected to govern’
Irish Water’s PPS demand was pushed through after two-minute debate at Dáil subcommittee
- Politics
- October 31, 2014, 12:01
Opinion: Senator Feargal Quinn aims to reverse Irish Water’s new power
Irish Water: where it all went wrong
- Politics
- October 24, 2014, 12:01
Opinion: Deputies warned Government of ‘deeply flawed’ water Bill
Following a litany of failures, has Fianna Fáil lost its way?
- Politics
- October 17, 2014, 12:01
Opinion: ‘In the newly arrived era of recovery politics Fianna Fáil is finding it difficult to decide which way to turn’
Budget 2015: Government ill-prepared for switch from recession politics to recovery politics
- Politics
- October 10, 2014, 12:01
Opinion: ‘The Government is about to launch its first post bailout budget without any detailed overall economic road map’
Paddy is getting impatient waiting for Enda to be frank
- Politics
- October 3, 2014, 12:01
Opinion: Taoiseach’s avoidance of media debate on McNulty affair is part of a pattern
Debacle over McNulty Imma appointment exposes sorry tale of failure to reform politics
- Politics
- September 26, 2014, 00:01
Opinion: ‘This walks, talks and looks like a stroke. It was stroke. Fine Gael should have the decency to stop digging’
North still ‘caught in the grip of sectarianism’
- Politics
- September 19, 2014, 12:03
O’Loan warns of peace processes unravelling
Cabinet plays catch-up over budget strategy
- Politics
- September 12, 2014, 12:01
Opinion: Is it any wonder Leo Varadkar spoke out on health spending and the budget?
No time for show-time politics in lead-up to budget
- Politics
- September 5, 2014, 12:01
Opinion: Ministers’ signals of tax cuts have fuelled voter expectations
Abortion amendment didn’t happen by accident
- Politics
- August 29, 2014, 06:52
‘The ground has shifted in the last 12 years but not in the direction the pro-life side would like or to the extent the pro-choice(...)
Commentary since death of Albert Reynolds has corrected the neglect of his achievements
- Politics
- August 23, 2014, 00:01
Opinion: Former taoiseach not alone in collapsing coalition relationship
The questions Enda Kenny must answer on justice and policing controversies
- Politics
- August 3, 2014, 12:01
Opinion: If Shatter’s proceedings come to trial they could prove the most politically dramatic court hearings since 1970
A minister with a refreshing frankness – his strength and Achilles heel
- Politics
- July 26, 2014, 01:00
Apart from frankness, Varadkar has other assets. He is young, competent and telegenic
Hard to discern any coherent rationale to Kenny’s choices
- Oireachtas
- July 20, 2014, 01:00
Opinion: Seeds may have been sown for a breakdown in relationship with TDs
Deepening housing shortage shows the crisis has been wasted
- Politics
- July 12, 2014, 01:00
Opinion: Unemployment and the lack of affordable accommodation are fuelling political instability
Fine Gael reshuffle signals make or break time for Kenny
- Politics
- July 5, 2014, 00:01
Opinion: Giving the European Commissionership to Hogan in line with expectations gives Kenny more space to rebrand his Government(...)
Invincibility and disengagement shaped Crowley’s decision to switch grouping
- Politics
- June 28, 2014, 13:22
Opinion: Fianna Fáil MEP is most successful Irish election candidate ever
Confrontational interviews: do they work?
- Politics
- June 21, 2014, 00:01
Opinion: Conflict makes for more dramatic television than the calm exchange of ideas
Sinn Féin is destined for a dramatic Dáil advance when the next election comes
- Politics
- June 14, 2014, 00:01
Opinion: Party did not get immediate electoral bounce out of the economic downturn
Testing times ahead for the Taoiseach
- Politics
- June 8, 2014, 12:01
Opinion: Kenny’s Coalition management skills now look ropey
Who are all the newly elected Independents?
- Politics
- May 31, 2014, 01:01
Opinion: Many of the Independent councillors were endorsed by their local Independent TD
Breakdown of public funding of parties offers incomplete picture
- Politics
- May 24, 2014, 01:01
Opinion: Sipo renewed its call for legislative change to require parties to publish full accounts
Government spin machine brings out the artillery
- Politics
- May 17, 2014, 00:01
Opinion: Trumpeting future spending is seen as the best defence against mood of anger
Alan Shatter was architect of his own downfall
- Politics
- May 10, 2014, 00:01
Opinion: As a minister, he squandered political capital on needless spats
Mary Lou McDonald’s credibility seeps away as she defends Gerry Adams
- Politics
- May 3, 2014, 00:01
Opinion: Sinn Féin has deployed a very astute candidate strategy for the European election
Why the Minister for Education should stay at home
- Politics
- April 26, 2014, 00:01
Opinion: Teaching is the real loser in conference spat between Minister and teachers
Coalition clashes breaking out in public
- Politics
- April 19, 2014, 00:01
Opinion: Labour talks up divisions while Fine Gael plays them down
Why we need binding quotas for female election candidates
- Politics
- April 12, 2014, 00:01
Opinion: Power’s article amounted to a scathing rebuke of her own party
Tough questions over Garda commissioner’s resignation remain
- Politics
- April 5, 2014, 06:00
Opinion: A lost opportunity for Oireachtas justice committee
A shambles in government political communications
- Politics
- March 29, 2014, 00:01
Opinion: Are department and the Cabinet support systems able to deal with a crisis?
Elections will test Fianna Fáil recovery prospects
- Politics
- March 22, 2014, 00:01
Opinion: Ardfheis aims to maximise campaign exposure