#On The Plinth

A COMPREHENSIVE SERIES OF ARTICLES ON THIS TOPIC

Elaine Loughlin: Sinn Féin hints at plan for Irish energy independence
Elaine Loughlin: Simon Coveney under scrutiny for Iran embassy plans
A growing number of Fine Gael members are extremely uneasy with the move, claiming it gives credibility to a brutal regime in Iran.

Tue, 29 Nov, 2022

Elaine Loughlin: For once, let’s put rights and respect for survivors at the centre of redress
Elaine Loughlin: Humphreys goes from stumbling minister to vital cog in party’s engine
Keeping Heather Humphreys in her current role is very much what the party wants

Tue, 22 Nov, 2022

Paul Hosford: The Celtic Tiger warned us — bad planning is no solution to the housing crisis
Paul Hosford: Is this the Ireland we want to continue to build?
This country is now a place where a job and a college degree are not sufficient for all to earn a decent standard of living

Tue, 01 Nov, 2022

Elaine Loughlin: Retrofit plan will go up in smoke if we can’t find people to do the work
Elaine Loughlin: Greater good is served by ensuring families cannot be evicted this winter
This country has always had an uneasy relationship between tenant and landlord

Tue, 18 Oct, 2022

Elaine Loughlin: Retrofit plan will go up in smoke if we can’t find people to do the work
Elaine Loughlin: Babies' visits to Oireachtas highlight childcare challenges that parents face
Parents — notably, both mothers — brought their babies along to their workplace in the Dáil and Seanad recently. Their visits underline how far we have to go to facilitate all working parents

Tue, 11 Oct, 2022

Elaine Loughlin: Retrofit plan will go up in smoke if we can’t find people to do the work
Elaine Loughlin: Delay takes the good out of goodwill gesture to Ireland's frontline workers
What started as a way to honour healthcare staff now looks like a measly half-hearted afterthought — and it's still not been paid

Tue, 04 Oct, 2022

Elaine Loughlin: Retrofit plan will go up in smoke if we can’t find people to do the work
Elaine Loughlin: How Ireland set out to tackle the cost-of-living crisis of 1922
Today's Coalition could usefully emulate the government of 100 years ago which was also grappling with an inflation crisis

Tue, 27 Sep, 2022

Elaine Loughlin: Retrofit plan will go up in smoke if we can’t find people to do the work
Elaine Loughlin: We badly need the kind of political courage that delivered the Shannon Scheme 
The current energy crisis requires the political will that delivered the Ardnacrusha hydroelectric scheme almost a century ago 

Tue, 20 Sep, 2022

Elaine Loughlin: Retrofit plan will go up in smoke if we can’t find people to do the work
Elaine Loughlin: Sinn Féin is keen to play but its team sheet is incomplete
Soaring in the polls, there is plenty of expertise among Sinn Féin's parliamentary party — but there are gaps too for a party seeking to field a team to take up ministerial office 

Tue, 13 Sep, 2022

Elaine Loughlin: Retrofit plan will go up in smoke if we can’t find people to do the work
Elaine Loughlin: Sinn Féin is all about change — except when it comes to climate
Despite its bid to become the party of government, Sinn Féin gives away precious little about its position on climate change 

Tue, 19 Jul, 2022

Elaine Loughlin: Retrofit plan will go up in smoke if we can’t find people to do the work
Elaine Loughlin: When it comes to this budget, even an extra €2.3bn won’t make it easy
Take apart the detail of the summer economic statement and the billions begin to dwindle. In other words — not everyone will get what they want in Budget 2023

Tue, 05 Jul, 2022

Elaine Loughlin: Proposed increases for low-paid workers amount to wages of spin
Elaine Loughlin: Proposed increases for low-paid workers amount to wages of spin
Increasing the minimum wage and fully adopting the living wage are not one and the same thing, contrary to what Mr Varadkar and the rest of the Government might want us all to believe

Tue, 21 Jun, 2022

On The Plinth: Children with special needs are not logistical problems to be solved
On The Plinth: Children with special needs are not logistical problems to be solved
Sometimes a few brief words can stop you in your tracks. For our On The Plinth readers, here is something a bit different to our "Did you know?" section.

Tue, 14 Jun, 2022

Elaine Loughlin: Retrofit plan will go up in smoke if we can’t find people to do the work
Elaine Loughlin: Martin faces fascinating choices when his term as Taoiseach ends
With just six months to go, among the factors Taoiseach Micheál Martin must weigh up before his next move is the possibility that it could precipitate a 'domino effect' Cabinet reshuffle

Tue, 07 Jun, 2022

Paul Hosford: The Celtic Tiger warned us — bad planning is no solution to the housing crisis
Paul Hosford: The Celtic Tiger warned us — bad planning is no solution to the housing crisis
The Department of Education's controversial objections are grounded in good sense: Building estates with inadequate amenities is not a good response to the shortage of homes

Tue, 31 May, 2022

Elaine Loughlin: Retrofit plan will go up in smoke if we can’t find people to do the work
Elaine Loughlin: Who do Healy-Rae and the Rural Independents actually represent?
One by one, Michael Healy-Rae and his fellow Rural Independent men stood up last week in the Dáil to poke holes at a bill to provide our working poor with a living wage.

Tue, 17 May, 2022

Elaine Loughlin: Retrofit plan will go up in smoke if we can’t find people to do the work
Elaine Loughlin: Bullying claims no shock to Fine Gael members
The resignation of Cork councillor Karen Coakley amid accusations of bullying and 'skullduggery' did not come as a shock to many within Fine Gael

Tue, 03 May, 2022

Elaine Loughlin: It's sick that Ireland doesn't have illness benefit for low-paid workers
Elaine Loughlin: What chance have parents when disabilities minister can’t meet staff?
Anne Rabbitte's bid to speak openly with staff on the ground is being thwarted by HSE top brass. Why are they doing that?

Tue, 26 Apr, 2022

Elaine Loughlin: It's sick that Ireland doesn't have illness benefit for low-paid workers
Elaine Loughlin: How Helen McEntee became a serious contender to lead Fine Gael
She's started reclaiming FG’s progressive credentials, all the while embodying a refreshing modern outlook on family life

Tue, 07 Dec, 2021

Elaine Loughlin: It's sick that Ireland doesn't have illness benefit for low-paid workers
Elaine Loughlin: Fathers have been treated like an optional extra at birth
Inequality in parenting has always existed, the pandemic and maternity restrictions have simply shown us that this imbalance continues to be accepted

Tue, 06 Jul, 2021

Aoife Moore: Without a seat at the table, young people will be at the mercy of bad policy
Aoife Moore: Without a seat at the table, young people will be at the mercy of bad policy
From rent to education and childcare, key policies that affect young people's lives are decided by those far removed from the coalface

Tue, 29 Jun, 2021

Aoife Moore: Government fails to join the dots in our big ‘outdoor summer’ 
Aoife Moore: Government fails to join the dots in our big ‘outdoor summer’ 
The latest controversy over outdoor drinking is not remotely surprising from a Government that has consistently proved to be short-sighted and reactive. It would be comical if it weren’t all so depressing

Tue, 22 Jun, 2021

The political week in years gone by: A Eucharistic Congress, JFK's visit, Veronica Guerin's murder and a historic handshake
The political week in years gone by: A Eucharistic Congress, JFK's visit, Veronica Guerin's murder and a historic handshake
Deputy political editor, Elaine Loughlin, continues her weekly trawl through the archives and highlights some of the major political events which were making the headlines this week in years gone by.

Mon, 21 Jun, 2021

The political week in years gone by: Cosmonauts, radioactive sheep, victory for Lynch and heaves against Enda
The political week in years gone by: Cosmonauts, radioactive sheep, victory for Lynch and heaves against Enda
Deputy political editor, Elaine Loughlin, continues her weekly trawl through the archives and highlights some of the major political events which were making the headlines this week in years gone by.

Mon, 14 Jun, 2021

The political week in years gone by: Dev - and Dana - elected, more troops to the North and Charles Haughey dies
The political week in years gone by: Dev - and Dana - elected, more troops to the North and Charles Haughey dies
Deputy political editor, Elaine Loughlin, continues her weekly trawl through the archives and highlights some of the major political events which were making the headlines this week in years gone by.

Tue, 08 Jun, 2021

Elaine Loughlin: Mother and baby home survivors deserve answers from commission
Elaine Loughlin: Mother and baby home survivors deserve answers from commission
After last week's astounding revelations by commission member Professor Mary Daly, the three members of the now wound-up commission owe it to survivors to appear before the Children's Committee

Tue, 08 Jun, 2021

Elaine Loughlin: It's sick that Ireland doesn't have illness benefit for low-paid workers
Elaine Loughlin: Ireland's stand on Israeli 'annexation' pushes Palestine up the EU agenda
Cross-party and international support built into an extraordinary declaration which may have ripples far beyond Ireland's shores

Tue, 01 Jun, 2021

The political week in years gone by: Dev's US tour, Bobby Kennedy's assassination and an RTE strike
The political week in years gone by: Dev's US tour, Bobby Kennedy's assassination and an RTE strike
Deputy political editor, Elaine Loughlin, continues her weekly trawl through the archives and highlights some of the major political events which were making the headlines this week in years gone by.

Mon, 31 May, 2021

Elaine Loughlin: Time to give special attention to the need for a Special Criminal Court
Elaine Loughlin: Time to give special attention to the need for a Special Criminal Court
Civil rights groups and members of the judiciary say the court denies the right to a fair trial and the right to be considered innocent until proven guilty, yet there seems to be no political appetite to scrap the juryless court

Tue, 25 May, 2021

The political week in years gone by: Dev's election victory, the Arms Crisis and an historic visit to Buckingham Palace
The political week in years gone by: Dev's election victory, the Arms Crisis and an historic visit to Buckingham Palace
Deputy political editor, Elaine Loughlin, continus her weekly trawl through the archives and highlights some of the major political events which were making the headlines this week in years gone by.

Mon, 24 May, 2021

Elaine Loughlin: Is Fine Gael facing an exodus of senior TDs?
Elaine Loughlin: Is Fine Gael facing an exodus of senior TDs?
As well as expected retirements, party sources speculate that the likes of Leo Varadkar, Simon Coveney and Paschal Donohoe could follow Eoghan Murphy in leaving politics

Tue, 18 May, 2021

The political week that was: Home Rule, contraceptive trains, royal visits and Good Friday Agreements
The political week that was: Home Rule, contraceptive trains, royal visits and Good Friday Agreements
In a new addition to the 'On The Plinth' initiative, deputy political editor Elaine Loughlin, scans the archives and highlights some of the major political events which were making the headlines this week in years gone by.

Mon, 17 May, 2021

Elaine Loughlin: Expectant parents are being forgotten as the country reopens
Elaine Loughlin: Expectant parents are being forgotten as the country reopens
A pregnant woman and her partner can go shopping in Penneys this week but they can't attend a scan together. How long can this situation be allowed to continue?

Tue, 11 May, 2021

Elaine Loughlin: Stephen Donnelly's fumbling of details painfully exposed
Elaine Loughlin: Stephen Donnelly's fumbling of details painfully exposed
Perhaps Stephen Donnelly should be made Minister for Lack of Information, as not having the facts to hand seems to be the adopted approach when asked about most things relating to his portfolio

Tue, 13 Apr, 2021

Elaine Loughlin: It's sick that Ireland doesn't have illness benefit for low-paid workers
Elaine Loughlin: It's sick that Ireland doesn't have illness benefit for low-paid workers
The pandemic has highlighted a persistent issue for mainly minimum-wage or low-paid workers who feel obliged to work even if they are not fit to

Tue, 23 Mar, 2021

Elaine Loughlin: Direct provision has morphed into a permanent unpalatable problem
Elaine Loughlin: Is any political party prepared to put the State's interests first?
Deputy Political Editor Elaine Loughlin says Sinn Féin could learn some important lessons from the Fine Gael-Labour coalition of a decade ago

Tue, 09 Mar, 2021

Elaine Loughlin: Housing minister eyes spotlight - but finds himself in firing line
Elaine Loughlin: Housing minister eyes spotlight - but finds himself in firing line
Deputy Political Editor Elaine Loughlin says it's a big week for Housing Minister Darragh O'Brien, the Government's answer to Johnny Bravo

Tue, 02 Mar, 2021

Elaine Loughlin: Direct provision has morphed into a permanent unpalatable problem
Elaine Loughlin: Direct provision has morphed into a permanent unpalatable problem
Deputy Political Editor Elaine Loughlin says it's finally time to change the Direct Provision system.

Tue, 23 Feb, 2021

Latest

Mick Clifford
Mick Clifford

News

Most Read

Cookie Policy Privacy Policy Brand Safety FAQ Help Contact Us Terms and Conditions

© Examiner Echo Group Limited