News
Interview with Ibrahim Halawa and Lynn Boylan MEP
In March 2018, the Irish man Ibrahim Halawa who spent more than 4 years in prison in Egypt, came to the European Parliament in Strasbourg to talk about his experiences [...]
Worrying gaps in Europe’s readiness for the knowledge economy
There are worrying gaps in Europe when it comes to the ability of different EU countries, regions and cities to innovate and develop knowledge-based economies. That’s my take from a [...]
Halawa’s acquittal a ray of hope in an otherwise bleak landscape
The news this week that Ibrahim Halawa was acquitted in Egypt of all charges against him caught many of us by surprise. After so many false hopes in his farcical [...]
My weekly inspiration
I'm inspired by the French vote for liberalism over extremism, protectionism & racism. As I was away on holidays last week I didn’t get a chance to write about Emmanuel Macron’s [...]
Trump’s firing of Comey “terrifying” “Nixonian” “thuggish”
When I turned on the radio this morning I nearly fell out of bed when I heard the news headlines announcing the bombshell that Donald Trump had fired the American [...]
Macron win won’t alleviate massive voter dissatisfaction
The French presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron did very well last weekend after receiving almost 24% of the vote in the first round of France’s presidential elections. But the far-right candidate [...]
My weekly inspiration
My weekly inspiration this week are the families of the 4 courageous Coast Guard Helicopter crew who lost their lives when Rescue 116 crashed off the Mayo coast last month. [...]
Will terrorist attacks increase Le Pen vote?
I’m afraid Thursday’s terrorist attack in Paris could lead to an increase in support for France’s far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen in Sunday’s first-round of elections. Her recent vow [...]
Theresa May’s election gamble
This morning I was all ready to write about Turkey’s slide towards an increasing dictatorship following Sunday’s referendum that will give even more power to the Turkish president Recep Tayyip [...]
My weekly Inspiration
My inspiration this week is Saffiyah Khan the young British woman of Bosnian and Pakistani background who calmly stood up to a bully from the EDL (English Defence League) during [...]
A fabulous new theatre for Galway
Today I’m back in my office in Galway after a frenetic four week schedule jetting back and forth from Ireland to various parts of Europe. I love returning home after [...]
Politics of ‘demonisation’ creating divided and dangerous world – Amnesty
Amnesty International today released its annual report on the state of human rights across the world. It makes for grim reading and it is a damning indictment of leaders, governments, [...]