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Dublin: 15°C Saturday 20 August 2022

Wednesday 9 November, 2016

Opinion: Donald Trump's victory is the shock therapy our broken democracies need
# Opinion
# Opinion

Opinion: Donald Trump's victory is the shock therapy our broken democracies need

Nov 9th 2016, 9:46 PM 200 Views 62 Comments

The mainstream today feel the way that the marginalised voter has felt about the direction of their country for some time now, writes Aaron McKenna.

Saturday 28 May, 2016

'It is not enough to scoff at the rise of extremism, it needs to be stopped'
# Opinion
# Opinion

'It is not enough to scoff at the rise of extremism, it needs to be stopped'

May 28th 2016, 8:15 AM 260 Views 131 Comments

The rise of the extremist right is more insidious and worrying, writes Aaron McKenna.

Saturday 21 May, 2016

Aaron McKenna: The little government that could… If the cynics will let it
# New Beginnings
# New Beginnings

Aaron McKenna: The little government that could… If the cynics will let it

May 21st 2016, 8:15 AM 297 Views 69 Comments

Aaron McKenna thinks the current government could run two or three years and deliver on some real fundamental changes to the way that we run the country.

Saturday 7 May, 2016

For some, like vicious sex attackers, indefinite imprisonment should be an option
# Opinion
# Opinion

For some, like vicious sex attackers, indefinite imprisonment should be an option

May 7th 2016, 8:15 AM 56 Views 0 Comments

Concurrent sentences sometimes make a farce of justice, writes Aaron McKenna.

Saturday 30 April, 2016

What the children’s hospital tells us about public sector decision-making
# Opinion
# Opinion

What the children’s hospital tells us about public sector decision-making

Apr 30th 2016, 8:15 AM 673 Views 146 Comments

In planning the project, political expediency and complacency took precedence over the actual needs of children, writes Aaron McKenna.

Saturday 23 April, 2016

Google row: The EU has shown its contempt for success – and another reason to leave
# Opinion
# Opinion

Google row: The EU has shown its contempt for success – and another reason to leave

Apr 23rd 2016, 8:15 AM 78 Views 78 Comments

The EU’s message to Google: thanks for the free operating system, guys. Please keep producing that, thanks. But you can’t use it to promote your services.

Saturday 16 April, 2016

The EU has long passed its original purpose. Time for Brexit to kill it
# Brexit
# Brexit

The EU has long passed its original purpose. Time for Brexit to kill it

Apr 16th 2016, 8:15 AM 462 Views 108 Comments

A British withdrawal from the EU is the death knell we need delivered to the failed union, writes Aaron McKenna.

Saturday 9 April, 2016

Dublin needs to invest more in itself, not the rest of the country
# Opinion
# Opinion

Dublin needs to invest more in itself, not the rest of the country

Apr 9th 2016, 8:00 AM 576 Views 135 Comments

The reality is that Dublin accounts for 40% of the nations economy and so it attracts an outsized proportion of its investment, writes Aaron McKenna.

Sunday 3 April, 2016

Only way to pay young public servants equally is to end generous pension regime
# Opinion
# Opinion

Only way to pay young public servants equally is to end generous pension regime

Apr 3rd 2016, 8:00 AM 560 Views 117 Comments

When addressing public sector pay, the big elephant in the room isn’t just the upfront costs of recruiting new entrants, Aaron McKenna argues.

Saturday 26 March, 2016

'We need to weed out bogus disability claims for the people that really need it'
# Column
# Column

'We need to weed out bogus disability claims for the people that really need it'

Mar 26th 2016, 8:00 AM 3,342 Views 137 Comments

Aaron McKenna writes that people who truly need the disability payment are suffering at those that are scamming.

Saturday 19 March, 2016

“Everything should be free” brigade rowing in on housing isn’t helping
# Opinion
# Opinion

“Everything should be free” brigade rowing in on housing isn’t helping

Mar 19th 2016, 8:30 AM 267 Views 209 Comments

We need to make it easier for developers to make a fair margin on affordable homes, writes Aaron McKenna.

Saturday 12 March, 2016

Holding Luas strikes on such important days will cost other workers dearly
# Column
# Column

Holding Luas strikes on such important days will cost other workers dearly

Mar 12th 2016, 8:30 AM 164 Views 169 Comments

Unions need to realise it’s not 1913 anymore. There are laws and institutions to protect workers now, writes Aaron McKenna.

Saturday 5 March, 2016

Abolishing water charges is a return to the policies that collapsed our economy
# Opinion
# Opinion

Abolishing water charges is a return to the policies that collapsed our economy

Mar 5th 2016, 8:00 AM 653 Views 319 Comments

Troika observers reading our newspapers must be banging their heads against their desks and screaming at their monitors: “You’re. Screwing. It. Up. Again.”

Saturday 27 February, 2016

Is Ireland going for more parish-pump politics?
# Column
# Column

Is Ireland going for more parish-pump politics?

Feb 27th 2016, 1:20 PM 902 Views 82 Comments

This election has been characterised by a disenfranchised electorate, writes Aaron McKenna.

Saturday 20 February, 2016

“Tax the rich” isn’t going to solve our problems after the election
# Opinion
# Opinion

“Tax the rich” isn’t going to solve our problems after the election

Feb 20th 2016, 8:00 AM 443 Views 192 Comments

‘Why would you move to Ireland, as a doctor or an executive looking to invest, if you could take a job elsewhere and earn more after tax?’, writes Aaron McKenna.

Saturday 13 February, 2016

What's the best way to destroy violent gangs? Legalise the drugs
# Column
# Column

What's the best way to destroy violent gangs? Legalise the drugs

Feb 13th 2016, 8:00 AM 1,993 Views 161 Comments

The main currency propelling these gangs is the supply and sale of illicit drugs. We can remove their power, writes Aaron McKenna.

Saturday 6 February, 2016

Overweight people should pay more tax. Others can't pay for our folly
# Column
# Column

Overweight people should pay more tax. Others can't pay for our folly

Feb 6th 2016, 8:00 AM 6,860 Views 214 Comments

Operation Transformation is not fat-shaming. We can’t mollycoddle to spare people’s feelings, writes Aaron McKenna.

Saturday 30 January, 2016

Lawyers grew fat on fees as the banking inquiry wasted our time and money
# Opinion
# Opinion

Lawyers grew fat on fees as the banking inquiry wasted our time and money

Jan 30th 2016, 8:40 AM 130 Views 68 Comments

Political inquires are expensive spectacles set up by politicians trying to appear macho, Aaron McKenna writes.

Saturday 23 January, 2016

'Erect a monument to the IRA’s foiled Marita Ann gun-smuggling operation? I don't think so'
# Opinion
# Opinion

'Erect a monument to the IRA’s foiled Marita Ann gun-smuggling operation? I don't think so'

Jan 23rd 2016, 8:00 AM 1,939 Views 193 Comments

Sinn Féin want a monument to gun-smuggling ship if Kerry council backs plan to add names of Fusiliers to monument.

Saturday 16 January, 2016

'We shouldn't fear the 'racist' label when bringing criminals to justice'
# Column
# Column

'We shouldn't fear the 'racist' label when bringing criminals to justice'

Jan 16th 2016, 8:00 AM 103 Views 137 Comments

It is wrong to ignore this issue, but equally wrong to punish every man, woman and child who enters Europe for the crimes of a few.

Saturday 9 January, 2016

Enda Kenny is almost certainly going to be returned as Taoiseach
# Opinion
# Opinion

Enda Kenny is almost certainly going to be returned as Taoiseach

Jan 9th 2016, 8:15 AM 80 Views 386 Comments

The question of the election of 2016 will be: “Who will Fine Gael rule with, and how long will it last?”

Saturday 19 December, 2015

Most criminals reoffend. So, what's the answer? Locking them up and throwing away the key?
# Column
# Column

Most criminals reoffend. So, what's the answer? Locking them up and throwing away the key?

Dec 19th 2015, 8:00 AM 984 Views 89 Comments

For repeat offenders of any crime, after a certain point there is perhaps very little we can do as a society to help them, but other countries are shaking things up, writes Aaron McKenna.

Saturday 12 December, 2015

Make no mistake, we’re already sowing the seeds of the next recession
# Column
# Column

Make no mistake, we’re already sowing the seeds of the next recession

Dec 12th 2015, 8:00 AM 342 Views 74 Comments

There is going to be another recession in the future, but how we prepare for it is up to our politicians, writes Aaron McKenna.

Saturday 28 November, 2015

Why are our taxes paying for magic fairy stories to be told in schools?
# Opinion
# Opinion

Why are our taxes paying for magic fairy stories to be told in schools?

Nov 28th 2015, 8:15 AM 199 Views 221 Comments

State-funded religion classes are a waste of time and should be scrapped, Aaron McKenna writes.

Saturday 21 November, 2015

Irish neutrality won’t be respected by the likes of ISIS, so why hold so dear to it?
# Column
# Column

Irish neutrality won’t be respected by the likes of ISIS, so why hold so dear to it?

Nov 21st 2015, 8:00 AM 1,139 Views 205 Comments

Ireland will be neutral until the day, unlikely and all that it is, that we require someone else’s military assistance, writes Aaron McKenna.

Saturday 14 November, 2015

Think Ireland's corporate tax is unfair? Wave goodbye to Apple and thousands of jobs if we change it
# Column
# Column

Think Ireland's corporate tax is unfair? Wave goodbye to Apple and thousands of jobs if we change it

Nov 14th 2015, 7:01 AM 1,606 Views 161 Comments

Anyone in our political sphere who proposes to jeopardise this arrangement from within is an economic saboteur, writes Aaron McKenna.

Saturday 7 November, 2015

Aaron McKenna: To hell with the NIMBYs, injection centres are a great idea
# Column
# Column

Aaron McKenna: To hell with the NIMBYs, injection centres are a great idea

Nov 7th 2015, 8:15 AM 56 Views 47 Comments

Injection centres are not just services for addicts.They are services for every decent person who wants needles and users off the streets.

Saturday 31 October, 2015

A basic income could get rid of the welfare state
# Opinion
# Opinion

A basic income could get rid of the welfare state

Oct 31st 2015, 8:15 AM 137 Views 63 Comments

The basic income does what it says on the tin. Every citizen over a certain age would receive an income from the state, writes Aaron McKenna.

Saturday 24 October, 2015

You want to ban novels in schools that contain sex? Hello, 1960s Ireland
# Opinion
# Opinion

You want to ban novels in schools that contain sex? Hello, 1960s Ireland

Oct 24th 2015, 8:05 AM 1,003 Views 54 Comments

There has been controversy about the book Noughts & Crosses being on the Junior Cert curriculum. The description of passionate young love, later sex and (hang on to your seats) an abortion all speaks to things that young adults are likely to encounter in their lives, writes Aaron McKenna.

Saturday 17 October, 2015

Low earners can’t have a free ride and pay no income taxes at all
# Opinion
# Opinion

Low earners can’t have a free ride and pay no income taxes at all

Oct 17th 2015, 8:00 AM 641 Views 102 Comments

It is right and proper that we all contribute to the running of the state. If you’re not that well off, and are earning very little, you still should contribute something.

Saturday 10 October, 2015

Is it time we give up on Dublin's O'Connell Street?
# Opinion
# Opinion

Is it time we give up on Dublin's O'Connell Street?

Oct 10th 2015, 8:05 AM 3,455 Views 49 Comments

Instead of wading into the sea to demand the oncoming tide go back, we might stop a minute and wonder why O’Connell Street is going through a seeming relentless process of regression, writes Aaron Mckenna.

Saturday 26 September, 2015

Is Dublin really a kip?
# Column
# Column

Is Dublin really a kip?

Sep 26th 2015, 8:00 AM 2,282 Views 142 Comments

Joe Duffy needs to get out more in Dublin if he thinks it’s a kip, writes Aaron McKenna.

Saturday 19 September, 2015

'People with disabilities and the homeless aren't being taken care of because of your vote'
# Opinion
# Opinion

'People with disabilities and the homeless aren't being taken care of because of your vote'

Sep 19th 2015, 8:00 AM 229 Views 45 Comments

We know, deep down, that if it’s a choice between a 1.5% cut to USC or a 2% cut, most people will vote for the latter no matter what the additional cash could do for people in wheelchairs camped outside government buildings, writes Aaron McKenna.

Saturday 12 September, 2015

If I'm in lingering pain, I should have the choice to end my life
# Opinion
# Opinion

If I'm in lingering pain, I should have the choice to end my life

Sep 12th 2015, 4:20 PM 1,324 Views 68 Comments

We should put the topic of Euthanasia on the table for a national debate towards legalising it here in Ireland, writes Aaron McKenna.

Saturday 5 September, 2015

'We cry about the Magdalene laundries but throw refugees into rat infested holiday camps'
# Opinion
# Opinion

'We cry about the Magdalene laundries but throw refugees into rat infested holiday camps'

Sep 5th 2015, 5:30 PM 170 Views 277 Comments

‘Ireland loves nothing more than to toot its own horn as a saintly global peacemaker.’

Saturday 29 August, 2015

Dublin won't save rural Ireland, it needs to grow up and be allowed to save itself
# Opinion
# Opinion

Dublin won't save rural Ireland, it needs to grow up and be allowed to save itself

Aug 29th 2015, 8:00 AM 718 Views 61 Comments

We need to decentralise control of the purse strings, rather than government departments, writes Aaron McKenna.

Saturday 22 August, 2015

Unless you can magic up a few houses, welfare recipients will need to move away from Dublin
# Opinion
# Opinion

Unless you can magic up a few houses, welfare recipients will need to move away from Dublin

Aug 22nd 2015, 8:00 AM 148 Views 280 Comments

It’s an unpalatable solution politically, but the truth is workers and students need to be in a place while those in receipt of welfare cannot make the same claim.

Saturday 15 August, 2015

The taxman is right to chase Airbnb hosts. Here’s why
# Opinion
# Opinion

The taxman is right to chase Airbnb hosts. Here’s why

Aug 15th 2015, 8:00 AM 1,156 Views 63 Comments

Allowing those who rent their rooms via the sharing website to be tax exempt will simply put more professionals and students on the streets in times of severe rental crisis.

Saturday 8 August, 2015

Ted Heath a paedophile? Not until he's proven guilty
# Opinion
# Opinion

Ted Heath a paedophile? Not until he's proven guilty

Aug 8th 2015, 9:29 PM 397 Views 104 Comments

The former British prime minister has a right to his presumed innocence.

Saturday 1 August, 2015

New fines begin the overdue fightback against pesky cyclists
# Opinion
# Opinion

New fines begin the overdue fightback against pesky cyclists

Aug 1st 2015, 8:00 AM 224 Views 131 Comments

With the backing of powerful bureaucratic interests, cyclists have been getting a free ride where it comes to their responsibilities on the road.

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