Stephen Collins: Coherent messaging from Coalition is vital as it faces hard decisions

Consequences for UK and Ireland of setting aside of entire Brexit trade deal will be profound

State’s excessive number of TDs may contribute to clientelist nature of politics

Nebulous concept of neutrality could be challenged by any expansion of EU defence

Negative voices perversely allowed to dominate discourse in Irish public life

Embassy in Dublin houses sophisticated spy network that threatens our security

Government merits praise for crises-era decisions and must be unapologetic

Despite common front over Ukraine crisis, UK and EU still poles apart on NI protocol

Government must lead discussion on neutrality in an open and frank manner

Party’s attempt to jump on the bandwagon of popular revulsion is a cynical manoeuvre

Stephen Collins: The sheer hypocrisy of Nato’s Irish critics is stunning

State handouts to compensate everybody for inflation is akin to pouring petrol on flames

Government needs to develop backbone to block opponents and media baying for blood

Despite many flaws, British PM may be around far longer than his critics suspect

Despite its appeal to the young, many of its policies benefit older property owners

We in the Republic need to remember the past without allowing it to poison the present

The prime minister’s fate now lies in the hands of senior civil servant Sue Gray

Liz Truss, a leading contender to replace Johnson, may well seek confrontation

Most people in Republic remain blithely indifferent to the British identity of unionists

Deep hostility to acknowledging as a society we have done well in recent decades

Voters tired of Coalition but who do not see Sinn Féin as viable option may look to Labour

Ambitious and worthy carbon targets will not be met without national agreement

No knowing what the UK prime minister will do next after his erratic behaviour to date

Party looks likely to win most seats, but government formation is rarely that simple

Environmentalists must move away from dogmatic stance against nuclear power

President’s decision on partition event has breathed new life into a narrow nationalism

It is a foundation stone of Ireland’s rise from one of the poorest countries in Europe

Germans have realised strength of centrist politics as we are on verge of abandoning it

Divorce referendum was probably the high point of Labour minister’s political career

Principle of consent forgotten in furore over President's refusal to attend Armagh service

Stephen Collins: Both parties missed chance to differentiate themselves from Sinn Féin

While political and fiscal problems loom, our elected repesentatives are distracted

Stephen Collins: MacDonncha stance on dead gardaí event speaks volumes

We have a seat on the security council but Kabul exit shows we can’t look after our own

Taoiseach had successful year in office particularly in relation to handling of Covid-19

On the day of his funeral a reminder of O’Malley’s defence of democratic institutions

One-time party loyalist and then PD leader obliged FF to shelve ‘core value’: no coalition

Instead of chasing SF populism, Labour needs to articulate vision for Republic

Voters cannot transfer to another candidate of the same party, so where will they go?

Two-faced Sinn Féin calls for construction while blocking building projects

Locking down our society indefinitely to protect the fearful is not an option

All Tánaiste has done is stoke fears and give Johnson another excuse to break his word

UK prime minister ready to use every available trick to wriggle out of international deal

Polls show majority of voters in favour of closer EU defence and security arrangements

Semi-totalitarian powers justified as emergency response have now been normalised

The Irish public’s support for the EU should not be taken for granted, but reinforced

High stakes for all the major political parties in Fine Gael heartland constituency

British monarch’s contribution to peace process has been undermined by Brexit

Sinn Féin remains IRA mouthpiece and is untroubled by its ‘sinister’ database

Stephen Collins: Member states emerging from Covid crisis more bonded than US and UK

Stephen Collins: tricky tax and spending decisions loom

Demand for an early vote is further encouragement to those bent on creating mayhem

Ireland right to oppose vaccine export ban promoted by European Commission president

Coalition also facing internal pressures which could have destabilising impact

Episode could undermine Future of the Media Commission and its likely recommendations

Latest breach of trust by British government over protocol has potential to destroy trade deal with EU

Stephen Collins: Response to Covid strategy is starting to strain Government relations

Attacks on EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen are short-sighted

One of the big lessons of recent history is that SF devours those who do business with it

Pragmatics of NI protocol forced to top of political agenda in Brussels and London

Mistakes made and costs incurred but HSE has outperformed NHS

Trump playbook has taken firm root in Irish politics and his values look set to prevail here

Stephen Collins: Coalition needs to prove it has a plan for final phase of Covid-19 battle

Nationalist Ireland must choose between two competing visions of the future

Brexit saga shows Ireland can play a part in grown up world of international politics

There is an increasingly one-sided presentation of the struggle for independence

US president-elect has done a great service by beating Trump and will be firm on Brexit

RIA historic documents: Monnet questioned if Ireland could face demands of free trade

Irish diplomat gave account of London dig after ‘49 years in a waterlogged grave’

Experts engaging in PR campaign to keep strict lockdown in place for December

Judiciary that protested political interference in the Polish judicial system now requires political intervention to rid themselve(...)

Claiming continuity with Michael Collins helps Fine Gael forget its troubling origins

Stephen Collins: Trump’s threat to electoral process has implications for entire world

If fishing symbolises emotional appeal of Brexit, it also exposes the contradictions

Government badly needs to find alternative strategy to lockdowns

Coalition must show its actions are based on fairness and the budget is a good start

Having said no to Nphet once, it will be easier to do so next time the need arises

If Government weathers Leaving Cert error storm, this could be turning point

Stephen Collins: Amid Brexit, Irish trucks need extra ferries to transit goods to and from continent

Major improvement in Irish test and tracing system remains a priority

Micheál Martin’s measured tone will win support in Brussels and Washington

Stephen Collins: Indecision on new EU commissioner stems from basic miscalculation

Government casts more doubt on ability to lead amid Covid-19 and Brexit challenges

Social cohesion needed to tackle Covid-19 so Coalition must be exemplar of unity

Politician had self-belief to repeat same message for decades until eventually it was accepted by almost everybody

The way it caved in on relatively minor issues like stopping the PUP and ministerial pay does not augur well

The State has left Hanseatic League allies high and dry on bloc’s Covid-19 response

Fianna Fáil leader must take advantage of the Apple tax decision to reboot as Taoiseach

New Government has an opportunity to build on trust public has shown over recent months

Episode should alert the wider electorate to what a vote for the party means

Stephen Collins: Ireland can take pride in its statue of towering anti-slavery figure

Coalition’s ability to govern effectively will depend on high level of trust between party leaders

Trust and discipline key to capacity of next government for decisive action

Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael not at the races in online war of words

Stephen Collins: State will be plunged into worst of all worlds if action is not taken

Covid-19 corrals Irish politics and journalism towards science and solutions

Politicians need to be frank about scale of the economic crisis ahead

Whatever is agreed between negotiating teams will have to be ratified by party members

It would be a positive development if the Greens decide to enter government

Some of the State’s most successful administrations have been propped up by Independents