Politics

Sinn Féin is on the ropes at the moment giving the SDLP a chance to make up lost ground within the nationalist community. Suzanne Breen reports

Exclusive: Village reveals the use of Shannon and Dublin airports by a plane used by the CIA to abduct suspects in its 'war on terror'. By Vincent Browne and Colin Murphy

A study by Village has found that just under half of Sinn Féin's most senior elected representatives on both sides of the Border have been IRA members and some remain so. By Suzanne Breen

The Irish Independent opinion poll's apparent endorsement of Sinn Féin, following a week of relentless negative publicity for the party, is less a testament to its integrity, its policies and its electoral strategies than it is an indictment of the political establishment.

Micheal McDowell is pushing through an amended Criminal Justice Bill with no details of what the amendments are, despite warnings from civil rights groups. Is whittling away our rights legitimately protecting Irish citizens or pushing us closer to a police state? Hilary Curley reports

Conor Lenihan gave up a career as a journalist, success as a telecoms executive and the possibility of millions for a life in politics. And he's not about to give it up. He talks to Katie Hannon

As the Kildare by-election approaches, Ailbhe Jordan tracks Fianna Fáil candidate Áine Brady

The "Butterfly Effect" is a scientific idea that illustrates how small and apparently insignificant events in one part of the world can cause a tornado or an earthquake in another part, thousands of miles away.

A small group, mainly of former republican political prisoners, initiated a project last year to publish significant and progressive books about Irish politics which are out of print or not widely available. Their first republished work was C Desmond Greaves' definitive book Liam Mellows and the Irish Revolution.

Figures show Shannon is becoming more important to the US war effort. By Colin Murphy