Irish Water needs to be abolished and have its responsibilities given back to local councils in order to save the taxpayer money, Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin has insisted.

The departure of the no-nonsense senator sees Fianna Fáil return to being stale, male, and pale, writes Political Correspondent Shaun Connolly

In my days as a young political reporter if you’d asked me the difference between Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil one of my first thoughts would have been: Fianna Fáil are far more craic.

Rebel ex-minister Lucinda Creighton has said for the first time that she expects to fight the next election under the Reform Alliance banner.

IT was Nov 16, 1994, and I was so excited that I made an excuse to get off work and cycled home to watch telly. There was a motion of “no confidence” in Fianna Fáil Taoiseach Albert Reynolds amid controversy relating to his appointment of Harry Whelehan as President of the High Court.

HE’S really pleasant, but wouldn’t be an intellectual heavyweight like Garret.

I WAS pleased Fianna Fáil rose four points in the polls because I can’t stand the lies. I can’t stand the pretence that an alien tribe called Fianna Fáil came in and “ruined the country”, leaving the plucky Coalition to “clear up the mess”.

WEDNESDAY’s presidential debate on Prime Time exposed the hypocrisy of most of the candidates.

“I TOLD Mattie six months ago that if he was going to stay in Fianna Fáil, I wouldn’t be voting for him.”

Brian Cowen today announced he is standing down as leader of Fianna Fáil but will remain at the head of Government until the March 11 General Election.

JUST last August, he accused Transport Minister Noel Dempsey of behaving like a “latter-day prince entitled to royal treatment” after the minister took the Government jet to Donegal rather than travelling by road.

IF only the real Anglo Irish car crash could be disposed of so quickly.

LESS Sex And The City, more Lolly And Leinster House, but the online premier of the monthly expense claims of Oireachtas members still drew quite the crowd.

TREVOR Sargent’s representations to the gardaí to drop a prosecution begs the question that if a squeaky clean TD can do that, what are less honourable TDs getting up to? Some applaud Sargent for going quickly and with dignity, unlike Willie O’Dea.

ACROSS Europe a raft of new websites, advertising campaigns and information points is focusing more attention on the European Parliament elections than ever before.

US ELECTION fever appeared to grip Senator Mary White last night as she announced plans to run for the Irish presidency — almost a full four years before polling day.

EVEN in the ranks of Fianna Fáil there is recognition that the recent pay-rises for the boys and gals have caused serious damage with the electorate.

ALL newspaper columnists face the same dilemma: how much of ourselves should go into an article? Should we select a topic, adopt a lofty tone, present the arguments, and come to some clever conclusion by weighing up the evidence? Or should we just say, “This is what I believe”?

ELLEN PURCELL (Irish Examiner letters, June 4) asked if family issues had a bearing on the outcome of the general election.

CONCERN was growing last night about the whereabouts and well-being of a senior Fianna Fáil minister who is said to be in a state of total bewilderment following his party’s Ard Fheis last weekend.

HAVING read Deputy Ned O’Keeffe’s comments on Michael Collins (Irish Examiner, May 8), it struck me what a tragedy it was that they didn’t know he was a closet Fianna Fáiler before they shot him.

IT was Charlie Haughey who came up with the great little silver bullet that every senior Fianna Fáil leader and minister has loaded into the cylinder since then.

IT’S not all about visibility. Hughie Baxter’s image is everywhere in the North West constituency.

NOEL Whelan, (Irish Examiner, Sept 11) is always amusing as an indicator of how and why the thinking Fianna Fáiler is frightened by Pat Rabbitte.