Irish Times

Round-up of press reaction to DUP conference #dup14

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on November 24, 2014, 12:58 pm

| Readers 1605

So what did the Monday papers think of the DUP’s weekend conference in La Mon? In an Irish Times opinion piece under the headline of “DUP leader’s subtle message of co-operation to end gridlock” Gerry Moriarty pulled out Peter Robinson’s statement – buried in his speech – about the need for the DUP and Sinn Fein to do business together. There is still a bitter rump in the party that hates hearing that line but Robinson realised that, in the …

Local press reflect on SDLP conference, support for McDonnell, abortion & other NI leaders

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on November 17, 2014, 9:55 pm

| Readers 1496

The Belfast Telegraph published the results of their straw poll survey of 50 delegates at the SDLP party conference on Saturday. When walking through the exhibition space outside the main hall I declined the opportunity offered to answer the interviewer’s questions. 32% of surveyed delegates did not want Alasdair McDonnell to lead the SDLP into the 2016 Assembly election. And only 36% positively did want him to, leaving 32% undecided (or unwilling to express an opinion). From the mood of …

Conned

John Ó Néill on July 6, 2013, 9:09 am

| Readers 80

Unnerving. This is a must read in today’s Irish Times. It was originally printed last week in the German newspaper ‘Süddeutsche Zeitung’. Entitled, ‘Conned’: a German view of Ireland, it gives an insight into the ‘conning’ of Ireland – over several decades – by its political masters with some added comment and footnotes by Derek Scally. Drawing a line through failures to negotiate an equitable fisheries deal with the EEC in 1973, through Ray Burke and Bertie Aherns giveaway of …

When all your readers are rapidly becoming self directed autodidacts?

Mick Fealty on January 16, 2013, 4:50 pm

| Readers 74

From stone slate to silicon tablet and the importance of getting over a widespread platonic fear of making your ‘digital mark’ so happens that the generational progression in my family means that whilst my granddad started school in March 1879 in the first state school in his rural district, my youngest has yet to start his formal education. So there’s 130 years between my son and my granddad’s first days at school. This is not as exceptional as you might think. …

Is a Yes vote in #euref absurd?

John Ó Néill on March 7, 2012, 12:30 am

| Readers 47

Taoiseach Enda Kenny has already signed the European fiscal compact treaty along with 24 other European Union leaders at a ceremony in Brussels, although it still has to go to a referendum in the republic (at an as yet unknown date). The text of the treaty is provided here and is relatively short. A couple of extracts from Article 3 (below) give the real substance of this. ARTICLE 3 1. The Contracting Parties shall apply the rules set out in this paragraph …

Dead tree circulation continues to decline – Belfast Telegraph dropping at nearly twice rate of News Letter & Irish News

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on March 1, 2012, 6:30 am

| Readers 172

Table showing circulation decline for Belfast Telegraph, Irish News, News Letter and Irish Times - up to date with second half 2011 figures

Looking at the latest set of newspaper circulation figures from the Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC) – July to December 2011 – it is once again a story of decline. You’re unlikely to read anything about this in today’s papers! For the last few years, the Belfast Telegraph has performed better in the first half of each year. However, its overall trend is still down. With an average audited circulation of 53,771 copies in the second half of 2011, the …

… in terms of noise and output, Sinn Féin has proved more effective.

John Ó Néill on January 10, 2012, 9:45 pm

| Readers 48

Following on from yesterday’s piece on Fianna Fáil that Mick flagged up, today the Irish Times continued with Paul Cullen looking at the Opposition with a brief analysis of Sinn Féin’s performance to date (in one of two pieces on the IT website, for more see below). It suggests that: On numbers alone, a much diminished Fianna Fáil can still claim to lead the Opposition – but in terms of noise and output, Sinn Féin has proved more effective. The party …

Fine Gael maintains its lead, but government dissatisfaction rises…

Mick Fealty on July 21, 2011, 8:04 am

| Readers 3

Today’s polls on in the Irish Times… Fine Gael, 38 per cent (up two points); Labour, 18 per cent (down one point); Fianna Fáil, 18 per cent (up two points); Sinn Féin, 10 per cent (no change); Green Party, 2 per cent (no change); and Independents/Others, 14 per cent (down one point). No change, even on February’s election results, is the honest answer (probably best to ignore personal ratings, like the Lotto, they can go down as well as up …

Newspaper sales: could the Irish News overtake the Belfast Telegraph in 2012/3?

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on February 21, 2011, 6:00 pm

| Readers 166

To add some longer term data to yesterday’s Tele takes a hiding post by O’Neill, the graph below outlines the performance (using the six monthly Audit Bureau of Circulation figures) of the Belfast Telegraph, Irish News and News Letter. I’ve added in the the Irish Times sales for comparison. The overall trend is one of decline. However, it is significantly more pronounced for the Belfast Telegraph. In fact if simple linear trend lines are added to the graph, sales of …

Irish Times Letters

Dewi on November 23, 2010, 7:44 pm

| Readers 28

Irish Times Letters – Can’t quite link directly but two fabulous letters in today’s Irish Times: 1) Madam, If all our heroes and patriots stopped turning in their graves we might get some stability – Yours etc. Bill Ambrose, Dublin. 2) A chara – Following the generous offerings of aid from other quarters, can I ask if anything has been heard from the Choctaw Nation? – Is mise, Sean O Coilean, Corcaigh. DewiWelsh Nationalist. Rugby Fan. Know a bit about …

End this FOI game and give us everything (you reasonably can)!

Mick Fealty on August 5, 2010, 6:02 pm

| Readers 6

Hugh Linehan in the Irish Times captures something essential about what Freedom of Information means for public institutions, and that in fact the kind of backwards and forwarding over the precise language of any request is missing the point. He mentions a fascinating paper written by Nat O’Connor for Tasc, in which he argues that democracy is not just about voting, which is actually the last link in the chain, it is also about tracking, criticising government in between elections …

Irish inquiry calls for expulsion of Israeli officer

Aldous Duke on June 2, 2010, 8:16 pm

| Readers 3

The Irish Times reports that Israeli Ambassador to Ireland, Dr Zion Evrony postponed a planned appearance at an Oireachtas committee today to answer questions about the aid flotilla controversy, citing “unforeseen circumstances”. However it also reports today that a leaked report from an inter-agency group including the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Department of Justice, the Department of the Taoiseach and the Garda has recommended the expulsion of an Israeli embassy security officer. It made the recommendation after concluding that …