Category: Democratic accountability
Food (and fuel) for thought: unpacking Ireland’s fuel protests
Kieran Harrahill 14/04/2026
Over the past week, Ireland has witnessed scenes not seen for a generation. Forecourts running out of fuel, limits placed on purchases, and the blockading of key infrastructure have disrupted daily life across the country. These developments echo the 1970s energy crisis and serve as a reminder of Ireland’s continued reliance on imported fossil …
A Defence of Taxation, Revisited
Nat O'Connor 10/03/2026
In 2014, TASC published A Defence of Taxation. Its argument in favour of progressive alternatives to reducing public services through tax cuts …
Voices of Civic Engagement
Emma DeSouza 03/12/2025
Deliberative democracy has been on the rise globally as more governments embrace citizen participation as a tool in policymaking. Despite this …
Turning away from ‘Authoritarian Populism’
Tiarnán McDonough 18/09/2025
For the last two weekends in a row, protests in central London have given rise to scenes that have been reported around the world and will trouble …
Political Imagination and a Laboratory of Social Possibilities
Mary Murphy 28/04/2025
This short blog is an argument for civil society to grow its capacity to incubate alternatives and to promote the idea of a collective ‘laboratory …
The Speaking Rights Row
Tiarnán McDonough 27/03/2025
The scenes of disorder in the Dáil chamber yesterday will have alarmed many. The row between government and opposition over speaking rights has been …
Fighting for Democracy in an Age of Complacency
Shana Cohen 18/03/2025
The 2025 Programme of Government embraces ‘stability’ in a time of geopolitical upheaval and democratic backsliding. The new government’s …
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Contributors
Paul Sweeney
Paul Sweeney is former Chief Economist of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions. He was a …
![Duggan, Vic]](/assets/img/2017/04/1491994913319631_sq.jpg)
Vic Duggan
Vic Duggan is an independent consultant, economist and public policy specialist catering …
Jim Stewart
Dr Jim Stewart is Adjunct Associate Professor at Trinity College Dublin. His research …