General Irish politics discussion thread

As I said there is no precedent anymore.

If the government or anyone else wants to muzzle a President they need to be clear on it, which was my original point. The government should clear up the matter for once and for all.

Although Ireland is still in debt to the Troika, most countries never finish paying national debt anyway. Furthermore, economic growth can make the debt smaller. Ireland has a budget surplus. So why won't the government abolish the universal social charge (USC)? The USC means that many secondary schools have vacancies they can't fill because teachers can't afford to rent or buy residential properties within a reasonable distance of those schools, especially in cities.

There is a point of view that the USC is a reason for the high cost of living in Ireland.

I'm not an expert of taxes. I was playing devil's advocate.

I have never heard that point of view from any economist. Do you have a link?

@Peregrinus "The questions is not whether it legally required, but rather whether it is proper or appropriate, for citizens who hold certain offices to restrain their exercise of that right in certain respects. ........ And I'm suggesting that it's not appropriate for the President to trespass on functions which the Constitution explicitly assigns to other organs of the State. "

Peregrinus, I will defer to your greater understanding of the Constitution and the roles set out there. And I would have the same difficulty if the President were to oppose the government and to attempt to interfere with the operation of any policy. But, perhaps wrongly, I feel the President , and the past three presidents, have stretched convention and custom in order to speak on matter of importance to the Irish people, whether on the diaspora, equality homelessness and that this is a progressive and welcome development. It is also a practice that the government seem to accept, however unwelcome it might be.

He has certainly contributed to the debate and put our record as a non aligned state with our considerable, and I would say admirable, role as peace keeper into the limelight

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Well he has apologised for his ill tempered remarks about Prof Richardson, so that's a start.

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/taoiseach-refuses-to-comment-on-president-michael-d-higgins-remarks-on-irelands-foreign-policy-and-neutrality/a478722985.html

That is very much your opinion. And it is the typical demeaning we hear from those who want us to end neutrality. Instead of doing that, why not just make the case on it's own merits.

As Supreme Commander of the Defence Forces, he also needs to apologise to the people under his command who he insulted.

That's just cherrypicking.

We have had a long and diostinguished role in peacekeeping.

Make the case for joining NATO if you wish, there is zero need to denigrate and demean.

Just pointing out the facts. As I said, our long and distinguished role in peacekeeping is overhyped and overblown, part of an Irish mentality to overstate our place in the world, and that role is overshadowed by the contribution from many poorer countries. Furthermore, even the minor role has diminished significantly in recent years because of the Triple Lock, and this has nothing whatsoever to do with joining NATO, which is just another red herring thrown in to divert.

You can have a rainbow and unicorns view of Ireland's place in the world, or you can look at the reality through the stats.

It plays a much bigger role in the mindest of the Irish than it has practical effect in the wider world. The perception in Ireland of our peacekeeping is way out of line with the international perception of it.

Basically we are seen in the international community as playing our part in the UN peacekeeping effort but nothing more than that. Within Europe, our triple lock is increasingly see as a method of us avoiding our responsibilities to regional peacekeeping. No matter what happens in Ukraine, Russia, and probably China, will veto UN-led peacekeeping in the area. It will be up to the EU, NATO and the OSCE to step up, and Ireland will stand idly by as usual.

If criticism is trying to 'de-legitimise' then we are going nowhere in any consultative process tbh.

He criticised some of them. They are quite free to reject that and give an alternative view.