Connolly defends her attendance record in face of column allegations

Thu, Apr 16, 2009

Labour councillor Colette Connolly has refuted allegations regarding her attendance at meetings as “appalling and totally untrue..”

Speaking about statements made in last week’s Grassroots column, the Shantalla councillor said that the continued pronouncements and judgements of whether she will be elected or not are just risible and can be dismissed as evidence of the obvious desperation on the part of the author.

New faces to hold on in June?

Thu, Apr 09, 2009

The 2004 Local Elections heralded sweeping changes on the Galway City Council - eight new faces, two new parties in Sinn Fein and the Greens, and a new alliance to control the election of Mayor.

Enda Kenny - Taoiseach apparent?

Thu, Apr 09, 2009

Is Enda Kenny Taoiseach material? His critics, especially those in Fianna Fáil, want to make his leadership the central issue in the next election. They perceive he is the Achilles’ heel of FG and believe voters will baulk at a change of government with him as leader.

Hi Noone — Fianna Fáil chooses popular Claregalway man to contest locals

Thu, Apr 09, 2009

When Cllr Mary Hoade chose to run in the Tuam ward, the race was on to find her replacement in Oranmore, a race made all the more urgent by a confident Fine Gael and resurgent Labour.

Galway politicians will have to spend less on their election campaign this time around

Thu, Apr 09, 2009

Galway politicians will have to run their campaigns on a tighter budget than before as this year’s Local Elections will see spending limits applied to candidates and parties for the first time.

Galwegian becomes youngest ever chair of a political party

Thu, Apr 09, 2009

Salthill man Andrew Murphy has become the chair of the Green Party National Executive Committee, the youngest person ever to hold such a position in Ireland.

Val Hanley finally gets on FF ticket

Thu, Apr 09, 2009

First he was, then he was not, then he was again - Val Hanley’s Lanigan’s Ball style efforts to get on the Fianna Fáil ticket for Galway City West, finally paid off this week.

Galway City Central is not a foregone conclusion

Thu, Apr 02, 2009

This week, Insider is going to take a look at the number of first preference votes received in 2004 by candidates in the old West Ward and potentially what the outcome may be in the new Galway City Central ward in June for the sitting councillors, repeat candidates, and new candidates.

Firstly, from an electorate of 11,500, Insider believes that 55 per cent will turn out to vote. If this is the case, 6,325 people will be deciding who will represent them in City Hall.

Labour’s red rose set to bloom

Thu, Apr 02, 2009

Last weekend’s national Labour Party conference in Mullingar set out its platform for the forthcoming elections.

The art of Fianna Fáil-ure

Thu, Apr 02, 2009

Conor Casby’s nude portraits of Brian Cowen, which have been causing a sensation these last few days, reminded me of a story I once heard about Brendan Behan.

Josette leads Labour’s new charge in the county

Thu, Apr 02, 2009

Right now and heading into June’s Local Elections is a good time to be a candidate for The Labour Party. Labour could take four - perhaps if lucky five - seats in the Galway City Council, but can it do the same in the county?

The party has only one county councillor - Colm Keaveney - and Labour knows that it has an uphill battle to secure more seats in areas that have traditionally been barren ground.

Is Fianna Fáil out to get Josie Conneely?

Thu, Mar 26, 2009

What is Fianna Fáil doing in Connemara? The fortress of Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs Éamon Ó Cuív is grinding slowly, very slowly, to making a decision regarding the team that will contest the Local Elections on June 5.

Budget choices will determine our future

Thu, Mar 26, 2009

After the justified hoopla from Ireland’s rugby grand slam and Bernard Dunne’s boxing heroics, all eyes will be focused on the forthcoming Budget on April 7.

A ‘burst’ Fianna Fáil

Thu, Mar 26, 2009

“Before we go any further let’s have the split”. It’s a phenomenon the used to plague Sinn Féin until recently, but it looks like it might happen in that other Republican party Fianna Fáil - or at least its Galway city branch.

Sixth candidate enters EU North West race

Thu, Mar 26, 2009

A new Independent Donegal based candidate, Fiachra Ó Luain, has entered the race to win an EU seat for the three seat North West constituency in June’s European Elections.

Mr Ó Luain, a 27-year-old from Carndonagh, Co Donegal, is the latest entrant into the election race that includes Fianna Fáil MEP Sean Ó Neachtain, Fine Gael MEP Jim Higgins, Independent MEP Marian Harkin, Libertas founder Declan Ganley, and Sinn Féin Cllr Pádraig MacLochlainn.

Cometh the hour, cometh the man

Thu, Mar 26, 2009

Could it be that the political resurrection of Val Hanley is almost complete? That in its hour of need Fianna Fáil are looking to him to help win back a seat in Galway City West?

The heart of banking regulation

Thu, Mar 12, 2009

The Great Depression of 1929 is the only economic event comparable to our current morass. A post mortem study in the 1930s into the cause of the Wall Street crash concluded that it was due to deregulation of the financial sector.

The hacks are already creating the mayoral pacts

Thu, Mar 12, 2009

Although nominations have yet to close for June’s Local Elections, attentions are already being focused on the likely results and the potential mayoral pacts that may be created post June.

Most support a ban on election posters but making it a reality will be difficult

Thu, Mar 12, 2009

At Monday’s Galway City Council meeting, Independent Cllr Donal Lyons will call for a “voluntary ban on all political posters in the city area for the forthcoming Local and European elections”.

If the political poster goes, what will replace it?

Thu, Mar 12, 2009

There is a growing movement - or, more accurately, a growing feeling - that the day of the election poster is coming to an end. If it is though, what might replace it?

E-paper

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