Category: Newswhip

Less than one quarter of asylum seekers from three countries rocked by popular protests against undemocratic rulers since the New Year were given permission to stay in Ireland since 2001, department of justice figures reveal. Of the 404 asylum applications from Tunisia, Libya and Egypt received, 306 were refused by the minister for justice. The…

An internal party poll carried out by Fianna Fáil shows tánaiste Mary Coughlan will have a fight on her hands to hold on to her seat, facing a two-pronged attack from party colleague Brian Ó Domhnaill and independent candidate Thomas Pringle. The survey, seen by local newspaper the Donegal Democrat, shows Pearse Doherty (Sinn Féin)…

Fine Gael plans to abolish the television licence, replacing it with a public broadcasting charge ‘to apply to all households and applicable businesses, regardless of the device they use to access content’. The party’s manifesto gives no details of what ‘devices’ it has in mind, instead detailing ways in which the tax would be collected…

Too much alcohol can affect your romantic prospects, the drinks industry has warned in a pre-Valentine’s day press release, but what’s extraordinary is how the industry defines “too much”. Brewer’s droop is of course a well-known phenomenon, but just how much is too much? “Two bottles of wine might not seem like a vast quantity…

A plain English guide to political terms, produced by the National Adult Literacy Agency, may become a must-read publication in the next few weeks as voters struggle to cope with the endless stream of jargon on radio, television, and even twitter feeds. “This guide, along with other elements of our campaign on literacy and political…

Last March, as American investigators unveiled Colleen La Rose, aka “Jihad Jane”, seven people were arrested in Ireland in connection with the case. The story, featuring blonde, blue-eyed all-Americans and Al Qaeda plots, got worldwide coverage. Reports at the time quoted unnamed security sources saying the seven were suspected of involvement in an international plot…

Next time a politician complains of being overworked, you could do worse than point out this statistic: among the bills unfinished by the 30th Dáil because of the election are two dating back to the 29th Dáil. The two bills are the Privacy Bill, introduced in 2006 by then justice minister Michael McDowell along with…

Party political donations watchdog SIPO has no record of any advice to Sinn Féin on the legality of donations its TDs make to the party and constituency organisations. Sinn Féin TDs are proud of their record as politicians unsullied by financial motives, and regularly point to the fact that, along with Socialist MEP Joe Higgins,…

Also published in Donegal on Sunday, 2 January 2011 Almost unnoticed among the government press releases this week, transport minister Noel Dempsey quietly laid the plan for a Donegal—Dublin motorway to rest. Announcing the completion of the M7, Dempsey noted that the opening of the last 36km stretch marked not only the end of the…

James Bond, immaculate in a tuxedo and bow tie, makes his escape from an assassination attempt by abseiling down the walls of the world-renowned Cashel Casino, formerly the Rock of Cashel, the traditional seat of the kings of Munster before they moved to Thomond Park. Or George Clooney and Brad Pitt plot an elaborately complicated…