Soapbox

Author: editor

  • We’re not going to talk about Judy.

    David Lynch, director of Twin Peaks, Blue Velvet and Mulholland Drive, has died. His death at 78 comes after a short but intense battle with emphysema, diagnosed late last year and undoubtedly the result of eight decades of constant smoking, often straight into the camera during one of his daily weather updates. A musician and…

  • What an Irish President actually does for a living.

    The 2018 campaign to elect Ireland’s president is well and truly underway, with the electorate set to cast their votes later this October. Despite being one of the most recognisable and important figures in Irish political and cultural life, there remains a fair amount of confusion as to what the purpose of the presidency actually…

  • GE16 – The bigger picture.

    The votes are counted, the seats are filled. We still don’t have a government of course, thanks to the ongoing punch and judy show of coalition negotiations. Some immutable facts remain however, amidst the legislative hubbub:   Fine Gael are still the biggest party in Ireland, with 50 seats. Fianna Fail are the second biggest,…

  • D’you who grinds my gears? You, No side.

    So, this is where we find ourselves, the only clear debate on the marriage referendum so far, took place on the Late Late show. Super. A saccharine chat show was the only debate that maintained a semblance of discipline. It was the utter antithesis to the cacophony of Dunphyesque screams on Primetime and the Vincent…