Pat Leahy

1 week ago | irishtimes.com | Pat Leahy

The State could face financial penalties totalling as much as €28 billion for failing to sufficiently reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, experts say. Latest projections show Ireland is further away than ever to reaching climate targets. Under EU agreements, countries that fail to meet their obligation to cut emissions in half by 2030 will have to purchase carbon credits from other countries who have exceeded their targets.

1 week ago | irishtimes.com | Pat Leahy

The Government has decided to approve drafting of the Occupied Territories Bill. But is it not drafted already? Yes and no. Independent Senator Frances Black first tabled a Bill to ban trade with Israeli entities based in the Occupied Palestinian Territories back in 2018, long before the current conflict in Gaza. The then Government blocked it on the basis that as trade is an EU competence, the legislation would be illegal under EU law.

1 week ago | irishtimes.com | Pat Leahy

Among politicians and political correspondents, Gavan Reilly has a reputation for being the political nerd that other political nerds call “the Guv’nor”. He has an encyclopedic knowledge of the minutiae of political life, elections, parliamentary procedure and the operations of government.

1 week ago | irishtimes.com | Pat Leahy

Minister for Arts and Culture Patrick O’Donovan will seek funding to “extend and expand” the basic income scheme for artists, which is due to expire this summer. A pilot scheme, under which 2,000 artists have been paid €325 a week, has been operating for the last three years but is due to conclude in August. Artists’ groups have been lobbying for its extension, citing considerable anxiety in the sector over the future of the scheme.

2 weeks ago | irishtimes.com | Pat Leahy

The Electoral Commission quietly published a fascinating piece of research last weekend. For years, academics who teach political science at Ireland’s universities have been (rightly) crying out for a proper, regular election study. Now the commission has finally obliged; sure, it will give the pointy-heads something to do over during the summer holidays. There’s a lot in it. But here are a few things that jumped out at me about the state of our politics today.