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Gerard Howlin

Gerard Howlin

Irish Examiner

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Next election will herald an age of Independents

Fine Gael reshuffled this week under a new leader, and the Fianna Fáil ardfheis begins on Friday night. The political centre is still above water but...

12.04.2024 10

The Irish Times

Gerard Howlin

The idea this Government has another year is constitutionally correct but politically preposterous

There was a national tizzy nine days ago when Leo Varadkar resigned as leader of Fine Gael. Four days later Simon Harris succeeded him. On April 9th...

29.03.2024 10

The Irish Times

Gerard Howlin

What counts now for flailing Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil is which wins the race for the disgruntled centre

The lasting effects of the lost referendums are limited. There may be squalls at parliamentary party meetings next week, but the people have moved on....

15.03.2024 5

The Irish Times

Gerard Howlin

The world is burning, but Sinn Féin is focusing on the local elections

It beats Banagher, but the passing of the Nature Restoration Law by the European Parliament on Tuesday was overshadowed by the RTÉ soap opera. In a...

01.03.2024 20

The Irish Times

Gerard Howlin

The children’s hospital project has been both meticulously planned and overly rushed

The paradox at the heart of the delayed and increasingly expensive national children’s hospital is that it was a rushed job with a sloppy start. It...

16.02.2024 10

The Irish Times

Gerard Howlin

It’s official: The national mood is lightening. The black clouds are turning grey

The certainty of misery is over. The feel-bad factor that dominated since the advent of Covid is receding and has been for some time. Covid built on...

02.02.2024 10

The Irish Times

Gerard Howlin

The concerns and prejudice boiling over in small towns mark the end of an era for Ireland

We are in a different world in 2024. The political context has changed, but the bigger issue is that so has our culture. The riot in Dublin on...

19.01.2024 9

The Irish Times

Gerard Howlin

The young are caught in a grotesquely unfair trap

We are embarking on the most radical change in the provision of pensions and welfare since David Lloyd George introduced old age pensions at age 70 in...

05.01.2024 10

The Irish Times

Gerard Howlin

There is a grim Irish tradition of arson, from burning big houses to burning refugee centres

There is a lazy pessimism taking over the public conversation. It believes that a political fracture over migration is inevitable. Something has...

22.12.2023 10

The Irish Times

Gerard Howlin

Many attracted to Sinn Féin’s paramilitary past now veering far-right

Two opinion polls in a row had Sinn Féin down three points. It is too soon to say if that is a deeper trend and too soon to encompass fallout from...

08.12.2023 20

The Irish Times

Gerard Howlin

Ireland doesn’t have the right people in the right places in the European Parliament

In a country that fancies itself as fiendishly capable in its diplomatic and political capacity internationally, we are playing a very poor game in...

24.11.2023 10

The Irish Times

Gerard Howlin

Change is coming in Ireland – just not how the Government or the Opposition imagines

The Sinn Féin Ardfheis this weekend will be a stirring call to change. It will seek to showcase political energy, in contrast to what it claims is...

10.11.2023 7

The Irish Times

Gerard Howlin

A government that cannot budget credibly is not a credible government

The fundamental function of government is to deliver a budget and run the state accordingly. The budget announced on October 10th is precedent-making...

27.10.2023 9

The Irish Times

Gerard Howlin

Health estimate is fiction and passing it makes a mockery of the Dáil

Heather Humphreys is the last real Fine Gael Minister. 2024 may be her final year as Minister for Social Protection, but she leaves behind a...

13.10.2023 4

The Irish Times

Gerard Howlin

Ireland is on the frontline of the battle against misinformation

Such is our readiness to believe lies, the Government feels a public consultation on disinformation is necessary. There has been a retreat of...

29.09.2023 10

The Irish Times

Gerard Howlin

Micheál Martin may be Sinn Féin’s greatest accidental cheerleader

There is some truth in Tánaiste Micheál Martin’s accusation that the media are “cheerleading” Sinn Féin to a “slam dunk” victory in the...

15.09.2023 10

The Irish Times

Gerard Howlin

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