“Parents could soon be able to check the Leaving Cert grades of each school. The new Fine Gael-led Government is set to find itself on a collision course with teachers over its plan …” (more)
[Independent, 2 March]
“The Union of Student in Ireland (USI) has warned that third level fees must be a red line issue during Government negotiations ahead of the inception of the 31st Dáil …” (more)
[Union of Students in Ireland, 1 March]
“The Fianna Fail party, in power in Ireland since 1997, had supported science well enough over the last decade or so to allow the small country to dramatically raise its international profile. This year it even scraped into the top twenty science-producing countries in terms of citations per research paper. Irish scientists now have to worry about whether this progress will be maintained under Fine Gael …” (more)
[Alison Abbott, The Great Beyond, 28 February]
“… With €50bn of the bailout needed to fund public pay and pension liabilities – mainly of existing staff – and a further €100bn in future liabilities, the cost of the bank bailout, awful though it is, pales in comparison. But, unlike the banks, politicians depend utterly on the public service. Our new emperor isn’t to blame for this. But his pension entitlement as a former teacher is a symbol of an age-old problem …” (more)
[Marc Coleman, Independent, 27 February]
“A Fine Gael-led government will face a High Court challenge if it proceeds with plans to make 40,000 students starting college in the autumn pay back part of the cost of sending them to third level …” (more)
[John Walshe, Independent, 25 February]
“Fine Gael policy department confirmed to me today that they are opposed to embryological stem cell research. I specifically asked if that means that Fine Gael in government will defund existing stem cell research …” (discussion thread)
[Politics.ie, 21 February]
“Fine Gael may already be set to score a runaway victory in Friday’s general election, but the party’s broad appeal has been underlined by a new student poll which showed that it was set to win more support from Ireland’s third-level students than any other party …” (more)
[TheJournal.ie, 21 February]
“The majority of young people do not support Fine Gael’s proposals for a ‘graduate tax’ and instead favour a loan scheme to fund third level education. An Irish Examiner-Red C poll found more students would prefer to pay up-front fees than be burdened with extra taxes when they enter the workforce …” (more)
[Mary Regan, Irish Examiner, 21 February]
“Enda Kenny has described as ‘preposterous’ Labour’s plans for 3rd level funding saying it would lead to ‘exorbitant, higher taxes’ #ge11″ (tweet)
[RTÉ Election, Twitter, 19 February]
“The Labour Party is today launching a new campaign opposing Fine Gael’s proposals for backdoor third level fees, or a ‘graduate tax’ …” (more)
[Labour Party Blog, 19 February]
“The head of the Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) has become the latest senior trade union figure to advise members of the dangers of electing Fine Gael to Government …” (more)
[Stephen Rogers, Irish Examiner, 19 February]
“This has been floating around Twitter, someone on Boards.ie sent FG an email asking them about a few social issues and got this response …” (discussion thread)
[Politics.ie, 17 February]
“In this programme Barry spoke to education spokespersons from three of the main political parties: Fergus O’Dowd of Fine Gael, Paul Gogarty of the Green Party and Ruairí Quinn of the Labour Party. They were all attending the special delegate conference organised by the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation. Spokespersons from Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin were invited to be on the programme but to no avail.” (podcast)
[Inside Education on 103.2 Dublin City FM, 17 February]
“Fine Gael’s Irish language policy, which proposes that Irish should be an optional Leaving Certificate subject, is as puzzling as it is unsettling. Poll after poll regarding the Irish language has confirmed the majority of the people of this country are supportive of State efforts to protect the language …” (more)
[Anna Ní Ghallachairi, Irish Times, 17 February]
“Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny came under heavy pressure over his party’s controversial Irish-language policy in the first three-way debate of the election campaign on TG4 last night …” (more)
[Paul O’Brien, Irish Examiner, 17 February]
“The incoming government’s record on political reform is to be tracked and graded after a team of leading academics trawled through party pledges and rated proposals for change. Fine Gael scored highest overall when it came to proposals for political reform but most parties scored poorly on plans to change local government …” (more)
[Juno McEnroe, Irish Examiner, 17 February]
“Students from the FEE (Free Education for Everyone) campaign are picketing the offices of Fine Gael today (2:30pm) in protest at the plans of the party to introduce a Graduate Tax system …” (more)
[Free Education for Everyone, 16 February]
“A graduate tax, a national internship scheme, compulsory jobs diaries and a requirement to take part in a FÁS course or lose your dole are among Fine Gael’s plans for Ireland’s unemployed graduates …” (more)
[Gerard Cunningham, NewsWhip, 16 February]
“This week 500 hundred students marched on Fine Gael headquarters to demand the right to make everyone else have to study Irish after the Junior Cert. From the manner of the march, with protesters gagged and forlorn looking one would imagine that Fine Gael was campaigning to proscribe the language and punish its use with threat of prison …” (more)
[Derwin Brennan, Tea and Toast, 16 February]
“It is widely presumed that, after the coming Irish general election, the new government will be led by Fine Gael …” (more)
[Ferdinand von Prondzynski, University Blog, 16 February]
