This is my 7th annual Summer political reading list. As with the ones that have gone before, the list is extremely personal. Most of the books on this year’s list have been published within the past 12-18 months. All cover broadly political topics and should (IMHO) interest to those who follow politics, be it Irish, European, American or global. The choices are mine. I have read some, not all, but these appeal to me. Some reflect my own political viewpoints, others challenge them. Feel free to add your own suggestions in the comments below. There is a Podcast to accompany this list
As the late great Seamus Mallon often remarked, decisions are made by the people who show up. This dictum could well have served as an alternative title for Campbell’s latest book. He describes the book as part call to arms, part practical handbook… and it is. Continue reading “My Summer 2024 Political Reading List”→
In this column I look at the changes since the 2024 Local and European elections and consider their ramifications and the possibility of even further changes. Though Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are understandably exuberant after each securing 23% of the votes of those who showed up… anyone imagining this as a sign of greater things to come, should think twice. This column forms the basis of my latest Mooney on Politics podcast.
I have lost count of how many times I have started this week’s script and then had to rethink or rewrite it. These drafts have not been overtaken by events, as such, but rather by my taking a little more time to stand back and (attempt) to take a bigger overview of:
what has happened, and
what may be about to happen next
The first draft started with this pithy and succinct summary of the local and European election results, sent to me by a colleague soon after the first count results were announced in a number of councils:
Voters think the government is crap… but they think the opposition is crappier
Wrong, and How You Can Help Fix It 
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