‘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
Stephen Collins: Coalition should exude pride in prudent economicsGovernment merits praise for crises-era decisions and must be unapologeticFri Mar 25 2022 - 01:00
Stephen Collins: Irish-US links crucial in keeping Johnson to his wordDespite common front over Ukraine crisis, UK and EU still poles apart on NI protocolFri Mar 18 2022 - 01:00
We should not be neutral when it comes to naked military aggressionGovernment must lead discussion on neutrality in an open and frank mannerFri Mar 11 2022 - 02:26
Stephen Collins: Sinn Féin’s brazen volte-face on Putin should be seen for what it isParty’s attempt to jump on the bandwagon of popular revulsion is a cynical manoeuvreFri Mar 04 2022 - 01:00
Stephen Collins: Russian hostility should spark analysis of Ireland’s security needsStephen Collins: The sheer hypocrisy of Nato’s Irish critics is stunningFri Feb 25 2022 - 01:00
Stephen Collins: Irish politicians are making same old mistake on inflationState handouts to compensate everybody for inflation is akin to pouring petrol on flamesFri Feb 18 2022 - 01:00
Stephen Collins: Golfgate verdicts show danger of giving in to mobGovernment needs to develop backbone to block opponents and media baying for bloodFri Feb 11 2022 - 01:00
Stephen Collins: Like Haughey, Boris Johnson is a survivorDespite many flaws, British PM may be around far longer than his critics suspectFri Feb 04 2022 - 01:00
Stephen Collins: Are you well off and older? Then vote Sinn FéinDespite its appeal to the young, many of its policies benefit older property ownersFri Jan 28 2022 - 01:00
Stephen Collins: Centenary events foster a simplistic narrative of independenceWe in the Republic need to remember the past without allowing it to poison the presentFri Jan 21 2022 - 01:00
Stephen Collins: NI protocol may be weaponised again as Boris Johnson clings to powerThe prime minister’s fate now lies in the hands of senior civil servant Sue GrayFri Jan 14 2022 - 01:00
Stephen Collins: Brexit and the protocol will haunt Irish politics in 2022Liz Truss, a leading contender to replace Johnson, may well seek confrontationFri Dec 31 2021 - 01:00
Stephen Collins: Talk of a united Ireland being inevitable is wishful thinkingMost people in Republic remain blithely indifferent to the British identity of unionistsFri Dec 10 2021 - 01:00
Narrative of failure has become so all pervasive that it is a threat to our futureDeep hostility to acknowledging as a society we have done well in recent decadesFri Dec 03 2021 - 01:00
Stephen Collins: Alan Kelly must rein in his anger to make Labour electableVoters tired of Coalition but who do not see Sinn Féin as viable option may look to LabourFri Nov 26 2021 - 01:00
Stephen Collins: Social partnership may be key to creating climate consensusAmbitious and worthy carbon targets will not be met without national agreementFri Nov 19 2021 - 01:00
Stephen Collins: Johnson steps back from the brink for nowNo knowing what the UK prime minister will do next after his erratic behaviour to dateFri Nov 12 2021 - 01:00
Stephen Collins: The assumption Sinn Féin will lead next government is flawedParty looks likely to win most seats, but government formation is rarely that simpleFri Nov 05 2021 - 01:00
Stephen Collins: Will the Greens accept the need for nuclear power in Ireland?Environmentalists must move away from dogmatic stance against nuclear powerFri Oct 29 2021 - 01:00
Stephen Collins: Higgins didn’t follow through on McAleese’s message of hopePresident’s decision on partition event has breathed new life into a narrow nationalismFri Oct 22 2021 - 01:00
Stephen Collins: Critics of corporate tax strategy like pampered teenagersIt is a foundation stone of Ireland’s rise from one of the poorest countries in EuropeFri Oct 08 2021 - 01:00
Stephen Collins: Ireland may find out all too soon what radical change really meansGermans have realised strength of centrist politics as we are on verge of abandoning itFri Oct 01 2021 - 01:00
Mervyn Taylor: Quiet man who made a big noise in party politicsDivorce referendum was probably the high point of Labour minister’s political careerFri Sept 24 2021 - 01:00
Stephen Collins: Higgins has put the Government in an invidious positionPrinciple of consent forgotten in furore over President's refusal to attend Armagh serviceFri Sept 24 2021 - 01:00
Labour and Social Democrats are the losers in the Coveney confidence debateStephen Collins: Both parties missed chance to differentiate themselves from Sinn FéinFri Sept 17 2021 - 01:00
Stephen Collins: Politicians lose focus obsessing on Zappone sagaWhile political and fiscal problems loom, our elected repesentatives are distractedFri Sept 10 2021 - 01:00
Sinn Féin efforts to legitimise IRA show contempt for democracyStephen Collins: MacDonncha stance on dead gardaí event speaks volumesFri Sept 03 2021 - 01:00
