Pat Leahy

Pat Leahy columns

Why has immigration fizzled out as an issue?

Dramatic decline in numbers seeking asylum will be seen by some as evidence that Ireland has become less welcoming. But that’s what the Government wanted

Speaking rights for Michael Lowry would not be on my list of issues critical to our democracy

Row is yet more evidence of politicians’ preoccupation with trivia as storm clouds gather abroad and housing crisis worsens at home

Taoiseach was cock-a-hoop after his meeting with Trump, but a quick reality check followed

I have never seen such obvious stress as I saw on the faces of Irish officials sitting on the Oval Office couch praying for the ordeal to end. I have never seen such relief afterwards

‘I think the French and Germans are right to be worried’: Former US national security expert on what’s next in war on Ukraine

Tom Wright may be the most influential Irishman you’ve never heard of. He was part of the team responsible for advising Biden on Russia and Ukraine

Trump’s supporters count themselves as conservatives, but what he’s doing is radical

Europe is now seeking to transform itself into a military power. The sooner we grasp this in Ireland, the better

Government’s speaking-rights stroke is hardly an existential threat to democracy

The world is a changed place and Ireland must figure out how to deal with those changes. Would it not be an idea to have some debate about this in the national parliament?

Micheál Martin is still the adult in the room, but now with added barbs and an air of impatience

There’s a sense that this is probably the last extended act in a long political career and that time is short

So the North still says no. But for how much longer?

The South has no hesitation saying yes to unity – as long as it doesn’t cost any money or involving changing a flag or an anthem

It normally takes a government a bit longer than this to look so out of touch

Preparing for the inevitable consequences of a heating world is an urgent task for governments everywhere. Ours hasn’t given it remotely enough attention

Angry Dáil scenes were partly the result of Sinn Féin’s determination to be a more aggressive Opposition

What we witnessed was the end of a consensus in which the big parties all agreed that parliament had to work. The feelings that erupted won’t dissipate quickly

Have our politicians forgotten what happens when you lose control of the public finances?

Things are good now, but there’s a worrying sense in our new government that the economy will look after itself

Government getting nervous about contentious Occupied Territories Bill

Government likely to pursue a middle way, promising to enact the proposed legislation but kicking it into a process to draw up amendments and consider possible costs

We need to see an explosion in house building and new ideas this year

If the next government wants to solve the housing crisis, then it will have to treat it as a crisis

These four trends reshaped Irish politics in 2024

The Dublin riots changed politics, but not in the way anyone expected

Explain Irish politics to visiting foreign relatives with Pat Leahy’s informed sceptic’s guide

Wondering about how you’ll explain Irish politics to visiting foreign relatives – or to yourself? Wonder no more

Smart people still insist the truth of a patent absurdity – that Gerry Adams was never in the IRA

The observation that ‘the past is never dead – it’s not even past’ seems especially true in Northern Ireland

Ireland’s five biggest problems: War, climate change, an EU crisis, housing and Trump

The next government faces immense challenges that require guile, nerve, judgment and luck

Someone should take Simon Harris’s phone away before he bankrupts the country

The Taoiseach isn’t the only one losing the run of himself – the election is turning into a massive auction

Here’s what we should be asking politicians in the aftermath of Trump’s victory

Political insulation from the cost-of-living crisis has been paid for by bumper corporation tax receipts – and now those receipts are under threat

Dilemma about how Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil are going to manage being partners and rivals remains unresolved

A campaign dominated by Simon Harris and Micheál Martin would suit Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. I don’t think it’s going to happen

Three things the Irish election should be about - but won’t

Climate, immigration and the sustainability of our economic model are subjects no one wants to talk about but they are not going away

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