Person: Elaine Loughlin

A COMPREHENSIVE SERIES OF ARTICLES ON THIS TOPIC

<p>A baby wounded in Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip is treated in a hospital in Khan Younis. Hospitals in Gaza are completely overwhelmed. Picture: AP Photo/Fatima Shbair</p>

S columnists

Elaine Loughlin: Children with the wounds of war are everywhere

Omar, a “sweet little boy with gentle, gentle eyes” is nine years old. But he keeps those eyes closed for long periods now, willing the images of his mother, father, and twin brother to come into sharp focus in his mind.

<p>Micheál Martin at the Be'eri kibbutz during his visit to Israel, Palestine, and Egypt. Picture: Miri Shimonovich/DFA</p>

ourview

Irish Examiner view: Progress towards peace in Gaza requires listening to all sides

Elaine Loughlin: Sweeping change in the next Dáil as political dynasties end

Elaine Loughlin: President Higgins was right to call out Ursula von der Leyen on Israel

Elaine Loughlin: Despite a record €22bn set aside in budget, there is no money for health

SElaine Loughlin: Budget 2024 is building a future beyond next year's finances

Buckle up, it will be a rocky few months for the Cabinet

It was all sunshine and smiles as ministers took a trip to Co Wicklow this week. But it’s set to be a rocky road all the way to Christmas once members of Government get back to their offices in Dublin.

Sat, 09 Sep, 2023

S Elaine Loughlin: Why aren’t the Greens demanding we buy Conor Pass?

“How is that not already a national park?” has been the reaction of many to news that Kerry’s Conor Pass is on the market.

Fri, 04 Aug, 2023

Elaine Loughlin: Roads or rail? Time to get on the right track

Politicians and the public need to get real as our over-reliance on the car must end

Sat, 29 Jul, 2023

Elaine Loughlin: In Ireland, too many women still live in fear in their own homes

Deepa Dinamani has become the 261st woman to to die violently here in 27 years: Ireland clearly has a long way to go to change a toxic culture that has existed here for far too long

Sat, 22 Jul, 2023

Elaine Loughlin: Political class of '23 will need to pull their socks up when Dáil returns in autumn

With the summer break now here, there have been some solid performers but no stars — others have struggled under the pressure, while a few barely scraped through

Sat, 15 Jul, 2023

Elaine Loughlin: As RTÉ debacle rumbles on, what other bombshells are passing us by?

There are some who must be delighted with the cover that the RTÉ scandal has provided.

Sat, 08 Jul, 2023

Elaine Loughlin: Fate of special court would be parting gift to SF in power

If Sinn Féin wins the next election, one of its first tasks will be to make the Special Criminal Court a permanent fixture — this from a party that opposed the court for years.

Sat, 01 Jul, 2023

Elaine Loughlin: Ryan Tubridy saga another nail in coffin of traditional media

In a world of fake news and a growing threat from AI, traditional media needs to meet the high standards that it sets itself, or trust will be lost.

Sat, 24 Jun, 2023

Elaine Loughlin: Neutrality forum already facing unfriendly fire

The Government could find it hard to act on any recommendations made by the forum, writes Elaine Loughlin

Mon, 19 Jun, 2023

Elaine Loughlin: Voices from the centre must be heard in hate speech row

Those who do not come down strongly on either side — or who have yet to form a view — fear being cancelled if they speak up and ask questions

Sat, 17 Jun, 2023

Elaine Loughlin: A new rural political party cannot be polarised

Trying to package rural Ireland into one neat little box will fail and deep down those vying to establish a rural party must know that.

Sat, 10 Jun, 2023

Elaine Loughlin: Abortion services in Ireland can feel like a black-market amenity

There is no list of who to go to if you need such care, you can’t simply Google GPs who provide abortion services

Sat, 03 Jun, 2023

S Elaine Loughlin: Background diplomacy helps to spread the Sinn Féin brand

Long seen as EU-sceptics, Sinn Féin has been embarking on the Ferrero Rocher circuit in recent times in a bid to rebrand and push its policy among other European governments.

Sat, 27 May, 2023

Official opening of the new Garda Control Centre for Dublin Metropolitan Region

S Elaine Loughlin: Harris lays down a marker as he hones in on the top job

The political ambitions of the double-jobbing minister have been far from secret for some time, but his performance this week comes at an interesting juncture for Fine Gael

Sat, 20 May, 2023

Elaine Loughlin: The Church was wrong but condemning all those within it is not so black and white

It is easy to see the Church as a callous entity that continues to prioritise self-preservation over atonement but people are nuanced and multifaceted

Sat, 13 May, 2023

S Elaine Loughlin: Opposition have little to add to positive moves on housing

THE Government’s approach to housing isn’t perfect, but Sinn Féin and others need to realise that constant moaning won’t deliver a single home.

Sat, 29 Apr, 2023

Elaine Loughlin: In Deirdre Gillane, Watt chose the wrong adviser to cross

A key strategist in Micheál Martin’s inner circle and rarely in the headlines, Deirdre Gillane's rebuke of Robert Watt put her firmly in the spotlight

Sat, 22 Apr, 2023

Unrecognizable girls embracing and sitting on stairs

Elaine Loughlin: Anti-transgender narrative seeping into the mainstream

There has been little thought or compassion shown towards those who have been singled out — a small cohort of extremely vulnerable people

Sun, 02 Apr, 2023

Housing motion just the beginning of campaign of pressure on Government and Independents

Many Government TDs must have been squirming in the Coalition back benches as they effectively endorsed the lifting of the eviction ban.

Wed, 22 Mar, 2023

Elaine Loughlin: Retrofit plan will go up in smoke if we can’t find people to do the work

Elaine Loughlin: Fixing the housing shortage was never private landlords’ job

The Coalition is fixated on landlords leaving the market — when it should really focus on the undersupply of homes which in turn is creating generations of accidental tenants

Tue, 21 Mar, 2023

Elaine Loughlin: Sinn Féin hints at plan for Irish energy independence

Elaine Loughlin: Will Micheál Martin lead Fianna Fáil into the next election?

Jack Chambers is the name that comes up when succession is discussed as talk grows of general election on November 24

Tue, 14 Mar, 2023

'I don't own them': Mick Wallace clarifies wine bar controversy

Ireland South MEP Mick Wallace has confirmed he does not own three wine bars even though he always felt he did. It comes after the politician claimed in a Tiktok clip that he has three wine bars in Dublin.

Sun, 19 Feb, 2023

Elaine Loughlin: Government trapped by its across-the-board cost-of-living supports

Advocacy groups say supports should be targeted at those most in need — but now that we're used to universal subventions, the Government will find it difficult to start saying no

Tue, 14 Feb, 2023

Elaine Loughlin: Sinn Féin needs Paschal to survive too — nobody wants a snap election

Party badly calculated the numbers back in 2020 and cannot afford to make the same mistake again

Tue, 24 Jan, 2023

Elaine Loughlin: Taoiseach’s micromanaging could be a boost for Coalition ministers

Leo Varadkar's 'land grab' of key issues has ruffled feathers but some — notably including a Fianna Fáil minister — say his involvement could help them get crucial reforms over the line

Tue, 17 Jan, 2023

Elaine Loughlin: McDonald is seeking votes and transfers in fresh fields and pastures new

Aiming to form a coalition without the Civil War parties, Sinn Féin is going deep into 'their' turf with a transfer-friendly message to woo Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael voters

Tue, 06 Dec, 2022

Elaine Loughlin: Not every institution is being made pay for past mistakes

A levy for mica crisis — and rightly so — but redress scheme for mother and baby homes leaves a lot to be desired

Tue, 25 Oct, 2022

Elaine Loughlin: Greater good is served by ensuring families cannot be evicted this winter

This country has always had an uneasy relationship between tenant and landlord

Tue, 18 Oct, 2022

Elaine Loughlin: Babies' visits to Oireachtas highlight childcare challenges that parents face

Parents — notably, both mothers — brought their babies along to their workplace in the Dáil and Seanad recently. Their visits underline how far we have to go to facilitate all working parents

Tue, 11 Oct, 2022

Elaine Loughlin: Delay takes the good out of goodwill gesture to Ireland's frontline workers

What started as a way to honour healthcare staff now looks like a measly half-hearted afterthought — and it's still not been paid

Tue, 04 Oct, 2022

Elaine Loughlin: We badly need the kind of political courage that delivered the Shannon Scheme

The current energy crisis requires the political will that delivered the Ardnacrusha hydroelectric scheme almost a century ago

Tue, 20 Sep, 2022

'Special' 9% hospitality Vat rate to be hiked in budget

Medical card to be extended to 500,000 more people by changing eligibility criteria

Thu, 15 Sep, 2022

Elaine Loughlin: Sinn Féin is keen to play but its team sheet is incomplete

Soaring in the polls, there is plenty of expertise among Sinn Féin's parliamentary party — but there are gaps too for a party seeking to field a team to take up ministerial office

Tue, 13 Sep, 2022

Elaine Loughlin: Hard work and humility have brought Dara Calleary back in from the cold

Dara Calleary's response to Golfgate contrasts with Coalition colleagues such as Simon Coveney and Barry Cowen — and not least Robert Troy, who stood down with a classic non-apology

Wed, 31 Aug, 2022

Alison O'Connor: Jack Chambers is laying the groundwork, but doesn’t want Martin to go yet

Avidly pursuing a healthy version of the old chicken-and-chips circuit, the 31-year-old Fianna Fáil junior minister has also been growing politically and is now widely tipped for promotion

Fri, 26 Aug, 2022

Greens worry that Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil are 'stealing their clothes'

Eamon Ryan's party colleagues say the larger two coalition partners are getting the credit for Green Party initiatives

Wed, 20 Jul, 2022

Elaine Loughlin: Sinn Féin is all about change — except when it comes to climate

Despite its bid to become the party of government, Sinn Féin gives away precious little about its position on climate change

Tue, 19 Jul, 2022

Elaine Loughlin: When it comes to this budget, even an extra €2.3bn won’t make it easy

Take apart the detail of the summer economic statement and the billions begin to dwindle. In other words — not everyone will get what they want in Budget 2023

Tue, 05 Jul, 2022

As Sinn Féin prepares for pivotal election, voters north and south ask what the party stands for

Irish Examiner political staff Aoife Moore and Elaine Loughlin run the rule over Sinn Féin's policies on a number of key issues

Mon, 02 May, 2022

Elaine Loughlin: Spare a thought for the Ministers of Zoom

Elaine Loughlin: What is costing our civil service so much?

Voices from both government and opposition benches are raising concerns about the way the State spends our money

Tue, 01 Feb, 2022

Elaine Loughlin: Single-sex education not conducive to a more equal, inclusive society

Single-sex schools hark back to the days of a church-controlled Ireland, an Ireland which banned contraception and gay relationships, and introduced the marriage bar

Tue, 25 Jan, 2022

Elaine Loughlin: For once, let’s put rights and respect for survivors at the centre of redress

Ireland's litany of human rights abuses have left survivors retraumatised by poor official responses: The mother and baby homes redress scheme simply must be done differently

Tue, 16 Nov, 2021

Budget 2022: Here's everything you need to know

Paschal Donohoe said Budget 2022 'meets the twin goals of investing in our future while putting the public finances on a sustainable path'

Tue, 12 Oct, 2021

Elaine Loughlin: How many derelict buildings are there in the State? The Government doesn't know

Refurbishing and renovating derelict and vacant buildings around the country is supposed to be a key plank of the State's housing strategy yet the Government has no idea how many of these vacant buildings exist

Tue, 27 Jul, 2021