“Neutrality remains one of the most widely supported pillars of Irish foreign policy, rooted in historical experience, post-colonial identity, and a long-standing preference for international mediation rather than military alignment.” ~Patricia MacBride The Irish News ☕️🥐

My favourite submission from recent years in Irish courts...why doesn't the High Court simply declare me to be the President?

Sorry lefties, it's a scientific fact that Ireland is insufficiently right wing | my latest for the Irish Times

The framing of this article and its headline is really frustrating. It really shows that the Centre doesn't want this experiment in local democracy to work. www.irishtimes.com/politics/202...

Aside from the fact that this is extremely alarming why the fuck would part of our EU presidency brief include anything to do with NATO? We're not in NATO.

The unchallenged idea that the more money you spend = the more left wing you are is idiotic. www.irishtimes.com/podcasts/ins...

My politics would not be particularly close to John Moran's but this tallies with every single thing I've heard about his tenure as Mayor. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael councillors have been behaving incredibly immaturely and are terrified of a Mayor who is not at their beck and call

Good discussion on Irish politics from @social-democrats.bsky.social conference, partly discussing options for a left-only government after next election youtu.be/22vmYLRuDe4?...

They spent months making up a Catherine Connolly in their heads and getting mad at her!!!

Should we let loose Satan's demonic hoards on the Earth to begin an orgy of blood, violence, and torture? Supreme court: sorry that's a political question.

The Phoenix on Irish Times arguments re the triple lock

it's crazy that Micheál Martin's first instinct when facing sharp criticism is to pull a "how dare you" as if he isn't of the nastiest, cattiest men in Irish politics

1. Wild to see this response to reforms that are broadly perceived as pro-industry. Private sector cannot be trusted with housing 2. Wonder if this counts as the legal action that holds back progress on housing, the type the government are so keen to blame for everything

I think you're missing my point. Abiding by the UN Charter and requiring UNSC authorisation to engage in armed action abroad isn't a violation of Irish national sovereignty. The only armed action demanded by national sovereignty is self-defence, which the triple lock does nothing to prevent.

Blaming the weather man for the weather while spending the last 4 decades willfully ignoring climate science to the extent we face billions in fines because of EU emissions rules. A government of out and out grifters and clowns.

The Irish Times thinks the triple lock means "ceding national sovereignty". This is only true if you think "national sovereignty" means being able to send your troops into any country for any reason, without UN authorisation.

Abolishing the triple lock does not strengthen Ireland’s defence. It weakens our neutrality and removes a core democratic safeguard. This change is being pushed despite clear public opposition, and it should be resisted.

Me listening to Brendan O'Connor panel on a Sunday morning

It feels like there's a campaign to treat every unification measure as a bitter sacrifice for people in the 353 while taking every care not to upset the people in the 44 who won't be voting for unification under any circumstances. Can't we talk about the possible benefits at all?

not sure why European leaders are pretending to believe that democratic legitimacy means anything to them, it certainly doesn't give them any pause when they're all buddying up with the governments of Azerbaijan, Morocco and the UAE

Citizens aren't stupid or selfish for rewarding politicians that address their local issues. In our overly centralised system, they have no other route to get things moving. The localism of national politics won't change unless power is devolved to local authorities and regions. shorturl.at/kUj77

To summarise this article (and all her others): look at what the English are saying about us, we should be ashamed of ourselves! www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2026...

Much-needed contribution to the mostly one-sided debate about the triple lock

Ah yes. For people with no skin in the game, politics is just a big game of chess or Risk or The Cones Of Destiny or whatever.

Is our sense of nationhood so fragile that we can't tolerate someone saying 'Boxing Day'?

Building social cohesion by identifying certain groups in society, blaming them for all ills and demanding they be cast out I am very smart. Make me Taoiseach.

The principle of sovereignty does not include the right to deploy your military in other countries without international approval. In fact it's literally the opposite!

Media commentators too easily assume that the PBP position on defence is the accepted position of the entire opposition/left. 2024 manifestos of SF, SocDems, Labour call for increased spending on Defence Forces (to meet LOA2) while maintaining triple lock and neutrality.

Serious commentary for serious people

This bit of the Arbitration (Amendment) Bill follows the Supreme Court's suggestion in Costello (2022) to update the Arbitration Act 2010 to prevent automatic enforcement of awards that threaten Ireland's 'constitutional identity'. The bill passed second stage last night.

What’s the point in engaging in good faith with someone like this?

Four months after it was promised, we finally have the government's transport investment plan between now and 2030. It's bad. Roads are in, public transport is out. A lot of public transport projects being put on the long-finger to make funding available for new roads.

REMINDER of this event on Irish and Indian Constitutions at DCU's St Pats campus at 4:30 this evening Delighted to be joining @seanrainford.bsky.social @aoifemod.bsky.social @suryaroy.bsky.social @donalcoffey.bsky.social @dculibrary.bsky.social All welcome

Excellent piece by Andrew Jackson, UCD Law School: On Environmental Democracy and the Collisons’ “Abundance-Verse” elajucd.com/2025/11/21/o...

In this forthcoming comparative paper, I argue that India's basic structure doctrine and the finality of referendums in Ireland both play an equivalent constitutional role of taking 'final say sovereignty' away from politicians. Pre-publication draft: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

Join us at DCU's St Pats campus for an evening seminar comparing the Irish and Indian constitutions, hosted by the Ireland India Institute, next Wed 26 Nov. Some leading constitutional lawyers and historians will explore shared influences and challenges between 🇮🇳 and 🇮🇪. All welcome

Article with @dondeniamh.bsky.social & Rory Rowan in today's Irish Times - a response to the relentless media commentary deriding Ireland's neutrality. As Catherine Connolly, and the movement behind her, has shown, neutrality remains popular. Something to build on, not abandon.

Well worth a read

We are just out of the election where a resounding majority of the voting public endorsed Catherine Connolly and we are already seeing think pieces about how the Irish public can be brought to see the error of their ways. This strategy of chiding the electorate is as offensive as it is ineffective.

The Overlooked Gap

Ireland: has left wing people and right wing people, people who want a united Ireland and people who don't, people who speak Irish and people who don't, people who like neutrality and people who don't. Opinion writers: So full of contradictions! Such a schizophrenic silly little country!

J.M. Kelly, original author of the keading Irish constitutional law textbook and later Fine Gael Minister and Attorney General, advocating an active presidency in 1966.

Upon today's results, Matt Cooper calls for the end of presidential elections and for the Chief Justice to automatically fill the role of President. open.spotify.com/episode/7qKc...

Absolutely delighted for our @uniofgalwaylaw.bsky.social alumna, Catherine Connolly, on her likely election as President of Ireland! Gach rath ort, Catherine! #Áras25 (Photo by Aengus McMahon, taken at our conference on Replacing the Offences Against the State Acts in 2024)

I wrote a piece for @thejournal.ie about the govt's approach to the Occupied Territories Bill. I argue that diluting the OTB would be a political choice, not a legal requirement. The govt has so far tried to avoid defending this policy choice by making vague appeals to confidential legal advice.

She'll be an active president, she's a voice of conscience and integrity, she understands the Constitution, she always challenges consensus, she's united the left like never before, what more reason do you need?

A new Ireland

Let's hope this flame still burns after #Aras25 💜❤️💚