By Mick Barry TD On 30 October, the Sinn Féin Ard Fheis voted to end the party’s long-standing opposition to the non-jury Special Criminal Court (SCC).  The motion was put forward by the party leadership and carried by a 2-1 majority. The current incarnation of the SCC was brought into being in 1972 to try members of the IRA and ...

By Mick Barry TD The “Katherine Zappone affair” clearly showed that cronyism is alive and very well in the upper echelons of Ireland’s political establishment.  It’s clear to anyone with an ounce of wit that the Foreign Affairs Minister must have agreed to create a job for Zappone as a special envoy at the United Nations back in late February ...

We have already reported on the unacceptable behaviour of Brian Leddin TD for the Green Party in Limerick. He was part of a small WhatsApp group that was replete with sexist, misogynistic language, and specifically targeted two women, including local independent Cllr Elisa O’Donovan.  Although some of the most violent aspects (including ‘joking’ about Cllr O’Donovan being “ended” and “sleeping ...

By Steph Lacey It has been revealed that misogynistic, sexist, and threatening WhatsApp messages have been exchanged between a small number of men and women interested in planning and heritage issues in Limerick city, one of whom is Limerick Green Party TD Brian Leddin.  These horrific messages were primarily aimed at an unnamed well-known female professional and Limerick city councillor ...

By Conor Payne The revelations about the smear campaign against Maurice McCabe have lifted the lid on the workings of the tops of the Gardai and the establishment as a whole. Despite talk of incompetence and ‘administrative errors’ the reality is clear: the tops of the Gardaí acted consciously to discredit a whistleblower with false allegations of child sexual abuse. ...

Since his death on 8 January, the Irish establishment has been unanimous in its acclaim for former civil servant TK Whitaker.

Right wing columnist, David Quinn warned in the Irish Independent (13 January, 2016) that, “We should be more worried about rise of hard left than tiny alt-right.”

First JobstownNotGuilty trial begins. Defend the right to protest!

The clock continues to tick down towards the biggest political trial in decades. In April 2017, the first trial of adults for the false imprisonment of Joan Burton and her assistant will commence in the Criminal Courts of Justice. In advance of that, on 19 September, a 17 year old will go on trial in the Children's Court for the same offences.

On Friday 23 June a referendum will take place on Britain and the North’s membership of the European Union. Kevin Henry answers the questions many working class people have about the consequences of breaking from the EU.