One issue has dominated the agenda on what was an already busy week for politics. The decision to lift the eviction ban was a shock reversal of what was expected from Tuesday’s cabinet meeting, according to Jack Horgan-Jones. The maelstrom of personal stories from worried renters gives the opposition an easily-understood attack line from now until the next election.
Coalition tensions are also mounting over plans to reduce private car usage, with Green ambitions to introduce congestion charges. Not only do the divisive issues have the power to destabilise the coalition, but they also prompt Hugh Linehan to ask why the government can’t seem to look around corners. From the moratorium to the climate crisis, from drone activity at Dublin Airport to stalled offshore wind farms, it “suggests the state can’t deal with the scale of the projects it takes on, and is failing.”
Cormac McQuinn also highlights the potential minefield for the government if it opts for holding three referendums relating to gender equality in November.
Plus the panel choose their Irish Times article of the week:
An Irish businessman in Singapore: ‘You’ll get a year in jail if you are in a drunken brawl, so people don’t step out of line’
Protestants in Ireland: ‘We’ve gone after the young generations. We’ve listened and changed how we do things’
Is this the final chapter for Books at One as Dublin and Cork shops close?
In Dallas, X marks the mundane spot that became an inflection point of US history
Kitty Holland’s explainer on referendums relating to the constitution’s article on ‘women in the home’
Fiona Reddan’s deep dive into why Ireland has Europe’s most expensive housing market
Conor Capplis’ passionate article in favour of Paul Mescal taking the Oscar for Best Actor at this weekend’s Academy Awards
