Ray Kinsella asked an extremely important question about the parties who are fighting the election - “how many political parties are fighting the general election on the grounds of the common good”.

Experts warned against it and the opposition predicted that universal health insurance (UHI) would never get off the ground.

The OECD report highlights growth, stabilisation and reducing unemployment but for many on the ground, austerity and emigration continue to take their toll, writes Ray Kinsella

The impact of austerity cuts and the State’s contractually driven approach to the healthcare professions must change if hoped-for improvements are to be realised, writes Ray Kinsella

As the first of four scheduled repayments to the International Monetary Fund this month falls due, Economist Ray Kinsella suggests that Greece should leave the eurozone, as its punishing repayments and austerity programme demonstrate that democracy is long dead in Europe

Employers are to be made responsible for drink and drug testing staff, Cabinet ministers are today set to discuss new measures to address cases where people do not pay water charges and Mourinho agrees a new Chelsea deal. These are some of the latest and most read news stories on irishexaminer.com this morning.

Ray Kinsella says Central Bank governor Patrick Honohan has made a big contribution but political forces and other interests were too strong to reinstate the principle of public service.

Greece cannot be saved by austerity policies. There are worse things than an exit from the eurozone, writes Ray Kinsella , and one of these is remaining within it on these terms

Significant changes to family law have been agreed by Cabinet which will extend guardianship rights to same- sex couples and cohabiting partners.

New laws will recognise the diversity of Irish families, according to the Justice Minister.

The Taoiseach has said the new Child and Family Relationships Bill is "the most important change in family legislation since the foundation of the State".

The Schaeuble Doctrine eschews cutting deals, but it ignores the lessons of history at its peril, writes Ray Kinsella

I can’t fathom Ray Kinsella’s thinking in his article (Irish Examiner, December 18) headlined ‘West has responsibility to engage Russia’. 

The politics of power and the arrogance of the military-industrial complex in the US is what started the momentum towards what is now unfolding in Russia, writes Ray Kinsella

The Children and Family Relationships Bill does not value marriage and constitutes a far-reaching attack on the needs and rights of children, suggests Ray Kinsella

Although I share Clive Hyman’s concern at Professor Ray Kinsella’s objectivity (Letters, September 2) in calling on Irish universities to offer scholarships to young people who have suffered in Gaza, I find his denigration of the twin Irish tragedies of emigration and terrorism, distasteful and offensive.

Health insurance reforms designed to get more people to sign up for private health cover and to do so at an earlier age may fall short of expectations.

Concerns are being expressed about the Government's plan to make people aged over 35 pay more for health insurance when they take it out for the first time.

It would be a mistake to dismiss the massive swell in support for Independents as a simple protest vote; it is at the heart of a breakdown of trust in mainstream party politics, writes Ray Kinsella.

Welcome to your Thursday morning briefing. Let us ensure you're up to speed on what's happening and are prepared for the day ahead.

IN his recent thoughtful article on Universal Health Insurance published in the Irish Examiner, Ray Kinsella acknowledges that the Department of Health has “undertaken a huge volume of preparatory work” to underpin the introduction of UHI.

Re Ray Kinsella’s universal health insurance report, I have the following observations, as a retired orthopaedic surgeon:

There is no coherent strategy for universal health insurance, there is no Government consensus, and, in light of swingeing health cuts, any commitment seems disingenuous, says Ray Kinsella.

The healthcare budget of the public system has been mauled over the last four years. This is set to continue into 2014. There are two consequences.

Six of the country’s leading economists have strongly criticised the Coalition’s decision to exit the bailout without a credit line, saying bumpy economic conditions could force Ireland to seek one later but under harsher terms.

Ray Kinsella - Bailout exit will not bring fiscal sovereignty

Across Europe in recent years, a number of alternatives to the political status quo have developed. It is time that Ireland followed suit, writes Prof Ray Kinsella

DECLAN Ganley feels that he’s publicly misrepresented.

WOULD you like to see an alternative way forward?

Well, a run on the banks, the imposition of capital controls in a eurozone country and the ground cut from under its economy.

Cyprus’ refusal to accept the terms of a troika-imposed bailout has exposed eurozone ‘solidarity’ as a myth and shows the true forces arraigned against Ireland, writes Ray Kinsella

With a regressive attack on welfare and little to generate domestic demand, the budget has militated against a sustainable recovery, writes Ray Kinsella

Budget 2013 will leave all sectors of society reeling and feeling the pain for some time to come. Ray Kinsella offers a primer on what we can expect and how we can cope

The German orthodoxy of austerity and control, without the necessary support and vital breathing space, ensures struggling eurozone countries cannot recover, writes Ray Kinsella

Policies forced on bailed-out states are about showing the ‘big boys’ are in charge, writes Ray Kinsella

In order for our banks to regain public trust, they need to change their culture, and remember their core purpose — of service to the community, writes Ray Kinsella

Spain is just the first of the core eurozone countries to crack and is unlikely to be the last as the response to the crisis from the relevant EU authorities remains wholly unconvincing, writes Ray Kinsella

THE 950 job cuts announced by Ulster Bank could have a major negative effect and damage Ireland’s reputation, according to a leading economist.

THE 950 job cuts announced by Ulster Bank will have a major negative effect and, from Ireland Inc perspective, generate reputational damage.

Economic conditions laid down by the troika are stalling the recovery and hurting the Irish people, but it is still not too late to take drastic action, argues Ray Kinsella