Stephen Collins: A diplomat wondered why we outsource our defence to the British. He has a pointWe spend less than any EU country on defence, yet wallow in the notion that our neutrality confers some sort of moral superiorityFri Apr 28 2023 - 05:00
Joe Biden’s visit to Ireland contained some hard messages for usBiden’s only mistake on his nearly note-perfect visit, during which he managed to walk the tightrope with skill, was his snub of SunakFri Apr 21 2023 - 14:51
Stephen Collins: Speculation about a swing to radical politics is wide of the markGovernment is in tune with voters on most issues with one big exception: housing is regarded by 52% of voters as the key concern in IrelandFri Apr 07 2023 - 05:00
Labour needs to stop aping Sinn FéinSince losing office the party appears more concerned with apologising for what it failed to do rather than claiming credit for what it achievedFri Mar 31 2023 - 05:00
Stephen Collins: Regional Independents emerge as a surprisingly cohesive groupInterest in influencing Government policy rather than grandstanding on the emotive issue of the eviction ban bodes well for the Coalition lasting its full termFri Mar 24 2023 - 05:00
Biden’s achievements over two years in White House are remarkable Stephen Collins: Intensely proud of his Irish roots, US president has a string of political and economic victories - whether the electorate recognises it or notFri Mar 17 2023 - 05:00
Stephen Collins: Political determination to develop offshore wind platforms has been shamefully lackingIreland risks squandering a golden economic opportunity unless the Taoiseach takes personal charge and drives projects forwardFri Mar 10 2023 - 05:00
Rishi Sunak’s skill and political courage bode well for Anglo-Irish relationsThe nous shown by the UK prime minster in resolving the protocol impasse might save Tories from annihilationFri Mar 03 2023 - 05:00
Donaldson’s best tactic is to sell the protocol arrangement unapologetically At a stroke, the DUP leader could bring stability to Northern Ireland, gain influence with Sunak and win friends in Starmer’s Labour PartyFri Feb 24 2023 - 05:00
Ambitious, young TDs are heading for the exit. Is political life becoming unbearable?Several politicians are likely to announce their retirements before the end of the current Dáil. Fine Gael will be hardest hitFri Feb 17 2023 - 05:00
Stephen Collins: Sunak is inching toward a protocol deal but he’ll have to call bluff of opponentsIt’s unlikely that the DUP and hardcore Tory Brexiteers will ever be satisfied, so there’s a strong case for making a deal with the EU anyway and finally moving onFri Feb 10 2023 - 05:00
Whether we like it or not, Russian ambassador does have a point on Ireland’s neutralityState’s position is not, and never was, the moral stance some of its strongest advocates proclaimThu Feb 02 2023 - 15:01
Stephen Collins: Irish politics reached a new level of absurdity over the last 10 daysAt a time when politicians routinely face threats and intimidation, Opposition and media should think twice about launching a groundless campaign against a MinisterFri Jan 27 2023 - 05:00
Stephen Collins: Why does Ireland elect so many Eurosceptic MEPs?It should not be forgotten that twice in the first decade of this century voters rejected treaties designed to improve workings of EUFri Jan 20 2023 - 05:00
DUP and British government are the ones now facing pressure over NI protocol, not the EUThere is no pressure on the EU now to make further concessions. It is down to the British and the DUP to come to terms with what was agreed back in 2019Fri Jan 13 2023 - 05:00
Benefits of political stability may now trump desire for changeStephen Collins: Brexit fiasco in the UK has put a serious dent in the notion that radical change is always for the bestFri Dec 23 2022 - 00:00
Irish unity is a dangerous and distracting mirage Chances of a united Ireland coming to pass in decades ahead are remote, but endless speculation has put issue at centre of political debateFri Dec 16 2022 - 05:00
Stephen Collins: Chances of Sinn Féin leading next government are slimmer than many realiseSF will almost certainly need a large coalition partner, and polling shows vast majority of FF supporters oppose any such arrangementFri Dec 09 2022 - 05:00
IRA’s continued links to criminality should be reality check for Sinn Féin supportersInvolvement of party councillor Jonathan Dowdall with gangland boss Gerry Hutch has lifted the veil on a dark corner of Irish lifeFri Dec 02 2022 - 00:00
If recession doesn’t force a Brexit rethink then nothing will Keir Starmer every bit as keen as the Conservative leadership to ignore damage of hard Brexit to UK economyFri Nov 25 2022 - 05:00
Biden has arguably achieved more in his first two years than Obama or Clinton did in two termsBy beating Trump in 2020, US president performed a vital service not simply for American politics but for the entire worldFri Nov 18 2022 - 05:00
Cabinet reshuffle: Will Donnelly survive and who will get what ministries?Will Micheál Martin opt for Foreign Affairs? Can Stephen Donnelly survive the changes? And where will Simon Harris end up?Fri Nov 11 2022 - 05:00
Danish election good news for centrist politics Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael need to ignore all the prophets of doom and focus instead on showing that they know how to run the countryFri Nov 04 2022 - 05:00
Stephen Collins: Could Sunak face down the Tory fundamentalists and reset UK-EU relations?British politicians still dare not acknowledge the terrible damage Brexit has done, so the new PM faces the same dilemmas as Theresa May didFri Oct 28 2022 - 05:00
Radical change in the St Andrews Agreement is requiredThe 2006 deal effectively gives the DUP and Sinn Féin a veto over the formation of the executive and encouraged the drift from more moderate unionist and nationalist parties to the extremesFri Oct 21 2022 - 05:00
Ireland has been saved by fiscal prudence. Alas, there are no votes in thatThe contrast with Britain’s economic mess, from Brexit to unfunded tax cuts, is an arresting reminder of the consequences of recklessnessFri Oct 14 2022 - 05:00
Stephen Collins: Steve Baker’s extraordinary Brexit apology opens door to closureAfter many false dawns in the Brexit process over the past six years, there is now an opportunity to bring some closure to the issueFri Oct 07 2022 - 05:00
‘Call it a frontstop’: How Leo Varadkar sold the Northern Ireland protocol to Boris JohnsonA deal struck at the Wirral, England, on October 10th, 2019, by then taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Boris Johnson replaced the 'backstop’ with the Northern Ireland protocolSat Oct 01 2022 - 05:00
Danger facing UK now is that it could in time become the Argentina of EuropeThe fate of our nearest neighbour under Liz Truss should be closely watched by the Irish electorateFri Sept 30 2022 - 05:00
Campaign against wind farm off south Dublin coast is classic Irish protest movementOpposition to turbines on Bray and Kish banks styming development of substantial renewable energy sources close to DublinFri Sept 23 2022 - 00:00
Stephen Collins: Monarchy’s positive role in Anglo-Irish relations could have a political spilloverDifferences on the protocol are minor: the real problem is symbolism and Queen Elizabeth demonstrated the enormous power of symbolic gesturesFri Sept 16 2022 - 05:00
Stephen Collins: Truss has a chance to reach a deal on Northern Ireland protocol Giving senior roles to ERG hardliners might protect her from attack in the event of a compromise agreementFri Sept 09 2022 - 05:00
Covid response should be the model for tackling the cost of living crisisExchequer has the money to fund simple, direct measures to help every citizen cope thanks to corporation taxFri Sept 02 2022 - 05:00
Coalition leaders must confront those who would tear down the State bequeathed by Michael CollinsSinn Féin is trying to bamboozle us into believing that the IRA’s most recent and bloodiest terror campaign should receive retrospective justificationFri Aug 26 2022 - 05:00
Irish democracy owes much to the Farmers’ Party and the Labour PartyCandidates committed to the Treaty succeeded in the June 1922 general election despite death threats and laid the groundwork for a stable systemFri Jul 29 2022 - 05:00
Liz Truss victory in Tory leadership race would worsen UK-EU relations furtherTruss is the candidate of the ERG — her victory is likely to mean a further worsening of UK-EU relationsFri Jul 22 2022 - 01:00
Stephen Collins: Irish politics heading in same direction as self-destructive BritainSeeing off the Sinn Féin confidence motion should be the first step in a determined campaign for the futureFri Jul 15 2022 - 00:00
Dublin breathes sigh of relief as Johnson bows outHowever, leading candidates to succeed as prime minister are polishing up their credentials as opponents of the protocolThu Jul 07 2022 - 11:40
Poll star: Stephen Collins on Jack Jones, pioneer of polling in modern IrelandA charming memoir casts light on how polling has become an indispensable tool for measuring changes in Irish public opinionMon Jul 04 2022 - 19:02
Dublin must plan for the unpalatable but possible return of a hard borderThe State will have to make hard choices to remain in the single market in the event of an EU-UK trade warFri Jul 01 2022 - 05:00
Varadkar’s Dáil attack on Pearse Doherty was important and justifiedMore TDS need to follow Varadkar's lead in standing up to Sinn FeinFri Jun 24 2022 - 05:00
Confrontation between EU and UK looking more and more likelyThe Irish Government has been urging Brussels to adopt a cautious approach but how long that position is tenable is a moot pointFri Jun 10 2022 - 05:00
Jubilee a good time to acknowledge Queen’s positive role in peace processThe queen’s visit to Ireland in 2011 was the culmination of decades of effort by her to promote reconciliation between the two islandsFri Jun 03 2022 - 05:00
Time to re-examine Ireland’s ill-defined idea of neutralityNato membership makes no sense but we do need to take a more active role in EU defence co-operationFri May 27 2022 - 05:00
National Maternity Hospital decision is a welcome sign of the Government's backboneStephen Collins: Coherent messaging from Coalition is vital as it faces hard decisionsFri May 20 2022 - 01:00
Stakes are high as Boris Johnson once again puts himself firstConsequences for UK and Ireland of setting aside of entire Brexit trade deal will be profoundThu May 12 2022 - 01:00
Stephen Collins: Does the Irish public really need 19 more TDs?State’s excessive number of TDs may contribute to clientelist nature of politicsFri May 06 2022 - 01:00
Stephen Collins: Macron’s victory may force our hand on neutralityNebulous concept of neutrality could be challenged by any expansion of EU defenceFri Apr 29 2022 - 01:00
Stephen Collins: Holohan appointment a political molehillNegative voices perversely allowed to dominate discourse in Irish public lifeFri Apr 15 2022 - 01:00
Stephen Collins: Expulsion of Russian diplomats reflects a dawning realityEmbassy in Dublin houses sophisticated spy network that threatens our securityFri Apr 01 2022 - 01:00
