menu_open
Stephen Collins

Stephen Collins

The Irish Times

We use cookies to provide some features and experiences in QOSHE

More information  .  Close

Electing ‘characters’ as MEPs could harm our country

The time has come for Irish voters to take the European elections seriously and pay proper attention to the implications of their choice for the...

19.04.2024 8

The Irish Times

Stephen Collins

Notion that Fine Gael would benefit from a period in opposition is absurd

The election of Simon Harris as the youngest ever Taoiseach next week should improve the prospects of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil winning enough seats...

05.04.2024 10

The Irish Times

Stephen Collins

Simon Harris can invigorate Fine Gael and attract new candidates

Leo Varadkar did the right and brave thing for himself and the country by stepping down when he came to the conclusion that he had nothing left to...

22.03.2024 10

The Irish Times

Stephen Collins

‘Not the usual dire warning’: Why a prediction about Russia invading the EU spooked diplomats

A senior Nato figure stunned EU ambassadors at a briefing in Dublin last week when he told them that it was not a question of “if” Russia would...

08.03.2024 30

The Irish Times

Stephen Collins

Let’s be real. If Russia ever targets Irish undersea cables, we will turn to the Royal Navy

The hollowness of Irish neutrality is more apparent by the day, as the Russian threat to the European Union becomes ever more ominous and the prospect...

23.02.2024 20

The Irish Times

Stephen Collins

Friends of Bruton recall ‘a man so without guile he’d never have organised a good conspiracy’

John Bruton was that rare political animal: a visionary who was not afraid to articulate views and policies that did not command majority support but...

08.02.2024 9

The Irish Times

Stephen Collins

Politicians do not have much faith the referendums will pass. Shouldn’t they be more worried?

Politicians across the political spectrum believe there is a good chance that the proposed Constitutional changes relating to the family will be...

25.01.2024 30

The Irish Times

Stephen Collins

Confident predictions about upcoming elections are worthless

All of the political parties are gearing up for an election some time in the next 12 months. Whether it will be early or later in the year is...

12.01.2024 5

The Irish Times

Stephen Collins

A swathe of the population believes they live in a hellhole, but the evidence suggests otherwise

The challenge facing mainstream politicians across the western world in the year ahead will be how to cope with populist opponents who propagate...

29.12.2023 10

The Irish Times

Stephen Collins

How the Downing Street Declaration took shape: ‘He chewed the b****x off me but I took a few lumps out of him’

Thirty years ago today, on December 15th, 1993, I travelled to Downing Street to witness one of the key moments in 20th century Irish history – the...

15.12.2023 10

The Irish Times

Stephen Collins

When so many gardaí are quitting, something is seriously wrong

The contempt for civilised values displayed by the rioters in Dublin last week echoes in extreme form the pervasive narrative that has taken a grip on...

01.12.2023 6

The Irish Times

Stephen Collins

Sinn Féin has a ballot paper in one hand and a legal writ in the other

The Sinn Féin ardfheis last weekend was dominated by Palestinian flag waving and promises of housing for all, but a deep insight into how the party...

17.11.2023 40

The Irish Times

Stephen Collins

What Andy Farrell and the Ireland rugby team could teach the politicians of this island

The wars raging in the Middle East and Ukraine put the local row over the restoration of powersharing institutions in Northern Ireland into...

03.11.2023 6

The Irish Times

Stephen Collins

President Higgins’s pronouncements on foreign policy are reckless, inappropriate and dangerous

It may be a trivial issue in the midst of the crisis now gripping the Middle East but President Michael D Higgins has once again breached...

20.10.2023 10

The Irish Times

Stephen Collins

Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael supporters have bonded in the face of a common foe

A fascinating aspect of last week’s Irish Times/Ipsos poll was the exposure of a core divide in Irish politics between those who want to see Sinn...

06.10.2023 10

The Irish Times

Stephen Collins

Micheál Martin’s decision to stand and fight makes coalition with Sinn Féin less likely

The most significant event in Irish politics over the past few weeks was not the return of the Dáil, but the firm commitment by Tánaiste Micheál...

22.09.2023 10

The Irish Times

Stephen Collins

Stephen Collins: Ireland has come through Brexit in much better shape than Britain

The British government’s decision last week to defer the introduction of planned post-Brexit customs checks once again on food products coming from...

08.09.2023 10

The Irish Times

Stephen Collins

bd44fc85cbd56e1bf0614cb7cfadb543