Darren Scully's sadness and Ian O'Doherty's indignation share a common ancestry - one rooted in a belief that they are reluctantly, courageously, ready to speak aloud what many people think but won’t say. By Gavan Titley.

The deportation of the Izevbekhai family highlights the complexity which surrounds the issue of immigration and asylum seekers, writes Gavan Titley. 

Pamela Izevbekhai and her daughters, Naomi (10) and Jemima (9) were deported from Ireland on Tuesday morning. Having been arrested at 1.30am, they were flown to Amsterdam at 6am, to be placed on a flight to the Nigerian capital Lagos later that day.

Introducing this very special, pewter coated, ermine lined commemorative edition, Gavan Titley reflects, maturely, on symbolism, politics, and domopolitics.

When ermine is the new black

Sigh. A long, sustainted Pat Rabbitte special. Kevin Myers is attracting a lot of attention today. To respond, or not respond? It depends. It’s not worth engaging with what he meant - as he doesn’t propose actual arguments - but it may be worth considering what he means, as a symptom of something else. By Gavan Titley.

Election 2011 is the most important political event in the history of the state. It provides the people of Ireland with the chance to play Bill Cullen and hire the best, those with the liathróidí, nimbleness and expertise to find different ways of telling us there is no alternative. Gavan Titley introduces Crisisjam’s election week celebration of technocracy, now.

At a stroke, with a stroke, the provisions of the Finance Bill, the 437,000 on the live register, the 50,000 set to emigrate and planning permission for the final stage of the Corrib gas pipe: all disappeared. And in their place: a beleaguered fightin man appeared; a man from the 'real world' making brave appeal to the battered, courageous truth behind 'lazy media narrative'; a man committed to overcoming his own marginalisation and wresting some degree of power for his downtrodden, sidelined tribe.

Criticism, analysis, response: The BudgetJam live blog. Email your comments here or comment below.

Criticism, analysis, response: The BudgetJam live blog.  

12:50 Gavan writes: