This weekend the French electorate go to the polls to vote in that country's referendum on the EU Constitution. And the last three published opinion polls indicate that there will be a majority against of between 52 per cent and 55 per cent. A few days later, the Netherlands follow suit; and, again, unless the opinion polls have got it dramatically wrong, the result there will be an even more substantive no.
During the last local elections, it was the most welcome subject of conversation. When the doorbell would go and you'd go out to find them hopeful among the porch greenery, the subject of Ennis bypass would be seized upon with great relief by all concerned. Except of course when it was Síle de Valera and all anyone wanted to talk to her about was her hip replacement and how well she was looking.
Weblogs are multiplying like a virus and the 'traditional' media don't like it one little bit. Conor Brady looks at the rise and rise of the 'blog'
Meejit spends time Stateside and comapres the Irish and the American media.
For the first time in almost 20 years of visits to Manhattan, I found myself developing, if not a full blown passion, then definitely a crush on the city and a renewed faith in the ingenuity and courage of New Yorkers and other Americans who are refusing to let George Bush and his gang of thugs have it all their own way.
An "insane" protest is how the cathaoirleach of Dún Laoghaire Rathdown Council labelled a march by 1,200 of her constituents last weekend. These loonies were protesting at a proposal by the council to fill in a huge part of the sea along the sea front at Dun Laoghaire and fund a public park on the site by building a ten story high carbuncle which would be out of place almost any where in the world except Las Vegas.
The debate in the Labour Party about forming a pre-election pact with Fine Gael is hotting up in the wake of the overwhelming vote at the Green Party conference in Cork last weekend against any such initiative on their part.
Brought up as I was amid scapulars, relics, holy water, holy wells, the three secrets of Fatima, the prophecies of St Malachy, dock leaves for the nettle stings, men in agony waiting for appointments to see Joyce the bonesetter, going into the jeweller, Mr Ruttle in Ennis for a cure for ringworm, witnessing whitlows being lanced and boils being poulticed by the neighbours; sprinkling Flahavan's porridge oatlets on newborn calves so their overwrought mothers might lick them, I am, and where's the surprise, completely amenable to complimentary medicine.
Development aid may be withheld from countries where the judicial system is corrupt or where serious violations of human rights go unchecked. But requiring Third World nations to foster a free media comes well down the list, writes Conor Brady
The Green Party is becoming the butt of much fun and scorn these days. At the PD conference Mary Harney ruled out doing business with them because she said their policies were "crazy" while Fianna Fáil regularly exults in recycling John O'Donoghue's put-down that Ireland needs the Greens like a head of lettuce needs slugs.