Two Aherns and an odd denial in the Burke affairLast Wednesday, Dermot Ahern, the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs, made a startling revelation, which has been…Wed Jun 10 1998 - 01:00
Now for a few £30,000 questionsThe proposed extension of the terms of reference of the Moriarty tribunal to include an investigation into payments made to Ray…Wed Jun 03 1998 - 01:00
Say No to Amsterdam and annoy our bettersJust because many of the arguments deployed in favour of voting No in Friday's referendum on the Amsterdam Treaty are demented…Wed May 20 1998 - 01:00
Unionists conned on the giving up of armsThe Unionist community has been conned about decommissioning since the peace process started in 1994Wed May 13 1998 - 01:00
Release of prisoners worth price of peaceAt about 11.45 a.m. on the morning of Monday, June 16th, last year, a member of the IRA walked up to two police officers in Church…Wed May 06 1998 - 01:00
Public is well served by Haughey judgmentCharles Haughey will be 72 this September and since his most recent fall from a horse he is looking every day of his ageWed Apr 29 1998 - 01:00
Denial of recognition central to conflictAmong the host of Irish, British, American and other figures that deserve credit for the wondrous achievement of the Good Friday…Wed Apr 22 1998 - 01:00
Nothing of substance between the partiesThe electors of Dublin North and Limerick East will not have much to choose from this day week when they vote in the by-elections…Wed Mar 04 1998 - 00:00
Powell, an unwitting exemplar of true powerEnoch Powell served in cabinet for only 15 months and yet was probably the most powerful British politician of his generation…Wed Feb 11 1998 - 00:00
Arms trial and Bloody Sunday will never bear comparisonNow that the frenzied obsession with Bill Clinton's sex life has abated a bit, perhaps the doings of some other personages nearer…Wed Feb 04 1998 - 00:00
Coverage of sex circus squeezes out the real newsOver the last several weeks the Iraqi government has refused to permit United States members of a United Nations inspection team…Wed Jan 28 1998 - 00:00
Ceasefire is at risk unless concessions can be madeThe IRA ceasefire is again in danger, and not because of the recent spate of sectarian killings of CatholicsWed Jan 21 1998 - 00:00
Restricted Ansbacher inquiry may haunt TDsThe obstruction of investigation into the Ansbacher accounts is likely to become a contentious political issue here soon, so …Wed Jan 14 1998 - 00:00
How the Hanahoe raid was formulatedOn September 30th, 1996, a meeting of several senior Garda officers took place in the Serious Crime Office of the Garda Central…Wed Jan 07 1998 - 00:00
McCreevy's budget was a PD skip and dance routineThere has been a lot of justifiable wonderment about the £20 million grant to the GAA over a three-year period, announced by …Wed Dec 31 1997 - 00:00
Reasons to be happier but faults still existA friend called from the US yesterday to complain about the bishops and the EucharistWed Dec 24 1997 - 00:00
Long wait for the truth about informer's murderA year ago the then opposition spokesman on justice, John O'Donoghue, promised that if Fianna Fail was returned to office after…Wed Dec 17 1997 - 00:00
Focus in fight on drugs has gone to potA few weeks ago I talked to several drug addicts in Dublin and to people involved in the treatment of drug addictsWed Dec 10 1997 - 00:00
Troubling questions about trial of HollandThe conviction of Patrick Holland last week on a charge of possessing cannabis for the purposes of sale or supply and his imprisonment…Wed Dec 03 1997 - 00:00
It's time to play our cards and alter the ConstitutionThe coyness of David Andrews last Sunday over Articles 2 and 3 fairly represents the negotiating position of the Irish State (…Wed Nov 26 1997 - 00:00
A crisis the body politic most richly deservesWhatever constitutional/political crisis may now emerge on the abortion issue or in a future case is thoroughly deservedWed Nov 19 1997 - 00:00
Farewell to that failed political entityMary McAleese was impressive yesterday. And reassuringWed Nov 12 1997 - 00:00
Labour ought to select new leader from realigned leftThere are two outstanding candidates for the leadership of the Labour PartyWed Nov 05 1997 - 00:00
Amendment `cure' may be worse than diseaseOn July 7th, 1992, Ray Burke was asked at the Beef Tribunal about discussions that occurred at a Cabinet meeting on June 8th, …Wed Oct 29 1997 - 00:00
Presidential campaign cheapened by dirty tricksIf Mary McAleese fails to become President, it will be because of a combination of dirty tricks, prejudice and her own relentless…Wed Oct 22 1997 - 01:00
Tribunals expose lack of government accountabilityThere will shortly be three tribunals of inquiry into allegations or suspicions of wrongdoing in public officeWed Oct 15 1997 - 01:00
Protect us all from `experts' in the ArasSeveral of the presidential candidates have been talking absolute nonsense about the constitutional role of the PresidencyWed Oct 01 1997 - 01:00
Time for authorities to do what they are meant toOn Friday July 11th, the chairman of the Revenue Commissioners, Cathal Mac Domhnaill, gave evidence at the Mc Cracken tribunal…Wed Sept 24 1997 - 01:00
Decision on Ansbacher is a new low for politicsWe reached a low point in Irish public life last Thursday, the day the Dail refused to include an investigation of the Ansbacher…Wed Sept 17 1997 - 01:00
Tribunal to flog two half-dead horsesBy far the most extraordinary revelation of the McCracken tribunal was that in 1990 there was £38 million on the books of Guinness…Wed Sept 10 1997 - 01:00
Tragedy is likely to do more harm to monarchyFor much of her life as a Princess, Diana courted and manipulated the mediaWed Sept 03 1997 - 01:00
Report's zeal impresses, but proposals disappointIt is not just a good report, it is a great report. The investigatory zeal and effectiveness were hugely impressiveWed Aug 27 1997 - 01:00
It would be healthy for Dana to run for PresidentIt is all the fault of Hugo Preuss. He and his Die Entwicklung des deutschen StadtewesensWed Aug 20 1997 - 01:00
Why John Hume should not become the next PresidentJohn Hume should not become President of Ireland. Not for his sake, nor for the sake of the Presidency of IrelandWed Aug 13 1997 - 01:00
Protect the messenger who works in the public interestEamon Dunphy was right in December 1992 to remind readers of the Sunday Independent of the political pedigree of Democratic Left…Wed Aug 06 1997 - 01:00
Basis for Garvaghy march decision disquietingIT was the basis for the decision, rather than the decision itself, to permit Orangemen to parade through Garvaghy Road on Sunday…Wed Jul 09 1997 - 01:00
There is no point to the SeanadHUNDREDS of candidates are engaged in another frenetic election campaign, this time for a redundant institution: the SeanadWed Jul 02 1997 - 01:00
Crying out for zero tolerance on the doubleSo John O'Donoghue is not going to be Minister for Justice after all. What a pityWed Jun 25 1997 - 01:00
Ceasefire possible if modest requests are metFOR almost 12 months now several journalists, including myself, have been led to believe there is an unequivocal IRA ceasefire…Wed Jun 18 1997 - 01:00
Papers, politicians and the pursuit of powerIN ALL probability, the front-page editorial in last Thursday's IrishWed Jun 11 1997 - 01:00
Trusty skipper Bertie will have his hands full even with "FF leaning" Independents on boardIF IT HAD been known last Thursday that Fianna Fail would get just 39Mon Jun 09 1997 - 01:00
Questions to answer, promises made and not keptIT HAS been an unsatisfactory election campaignWed Jun 04 1997 - 01:00
Focus on crime, tax displaces tackling of povertyTHE Right has won the election already, irrespective of whoever is elected to office on June 6thWed May 28 1997 - 01:00
Has Bruton been entirely frank with tribunalJOHN Bruton became Taoiseach in December, 1994 following the enforced resignation of Albert ReynoldsWed May 07 1997 - 01:00
Two views of John Bruton for two tribunalsAT the Dunnes payments tribunal on Monday the TaoiseachWed Apr 30 1997 - 01:00
The power of private wealth holders in public lifeTHE revelations concerning payments to Charles Haughey throughout his last stint as Taoiseach from 1987 to 1992 were shocking…Wed Apr 23 1997 - 01:00
Opinion polls are affecting Spring's memoryON Saturday last Dick Spring told the Labour Party conference in Limerick: "I will not recommend any form of coalition with either…Wed Apr 16 1997 - 01:00
TELEPHONE TAPPINGSir, - The headline to your report on my response to Nora Owen's Dail statement on the tapping of my telephone was unfortunate…Fri Apr 11 1997 - 01:00
Getting shrill over Aintree but not a murderON SATURDAY last a Government spokesman in Dublin said the IRA disruption of the Aintree Grand National "utterly disgraceful". …Wed Apr 09 1997 - 01:00