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What you want to say –10 June 2026 As always, following on Dr. X’s suggestion, it’s all yours, “announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose”, feel free.

20 years of this place! The Cedar Lounge Revolution is 20 years old today. Yep, this was the first post from the Cedar Lounge Revolution, June 10th 2006. Difficult to believe it's weathered the subsequent two decades more or less intact. It has been a sort of collective, a diary, a sounding board,…

That must have been an interesting Renew Europe ‘event’ yesterday. Couldn't help but notice in the piece on the Rotunda and consultants controversy that the Taoiseach was answering questions on the issue in Cork. Not such a strange thing, but interesting detail: During a press conference at a…

The other guy blinked Not entirely surprised by this: The board of the Rotunda Hospital has acquiesced to the demand of Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill that its public-only consultants take on no private work. The board said in a statement on Monday evening that it has “unanimously…

If Burnham wins Makerfield… Good to see that John McDonnell was talking at the Robert Tressell Festival - interviewed by Marie Sherlock, Labour TD, no less. His take on the British Labour leadership election is intriguing: said if Burnham does win he expects members of the cabinet to make it clear…

A ‘left wing government within touching distance’? So said Holly Cairns of the Social Democrats. The Irish Times political podcast was sceptical of that proposition, and made the point that currently an SF/FF government is more likely post-election, than any left government. Certainly the polls do…

Couldn't help but notice in the piece on the Rotunda and consultants controversy that the Taoiseach was answering questions on the issue in Cork. Not such a strange thing, but interesting detail: During a press conference at a Renew Europe event in Cork, Martin was asked if he could envisage a scenario where funding was withheld from the Rotunda. He replied: “The bottom line there is the consultants voluntarily signed up to the public-only contract and many of us are very surprised at the turn of events.”

Yep, this was the first post from the Cedar Lounge Revolution, June 10th 2006. Difficult to believe it's weathered the subsequent two decades more or less intact. It has been a sort of collective, a diary, a sounding board, with a spin off into an online Archive, podcast and other areas including reasonably regular meet-ups for a pint. To be honest it's all your fault, all of you, because while it waxes and wanes somehow people keep coming back with thoughts, opinions, ideas. Thank you everyone.

As always, following on Dr. X’s suggestion, it’s all yours, “announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose”, feel free.

Good to see that John McDonnell was talking at the Robert Tressell Festival - interviewed by Marie Sherlock, Labour TD, no less. His take on the British Labour leadership election is intriguing: said if Burnham does win he expects members of the cabinet to make it clear to Starmer he must stand down, with Burnham then being handed the leadership unchallenged.

So said Holly Cairns of the Social Democrats. The Irish Times political podcast was sceptical of that proposition, and made the point that currently an SF/FF government is more likely post-election, than any left government. Certainly the polls do not suggest a left-government is likely on the figures available. Given the day that's in it - twenty years in of this site, where the prospects of the left have brightened and dimmed, though perhaps not to the extent a left government was even close to being a serious prospect, what do people here think?

Not entirely surprised by this: The board of the Rotunda Hospital has acquiesced to the demand of Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill that its public-only consultants take on no private work. The board said in a statement on Monday evening that it has “unanimously decided to bring the hospital’s arrangements into line with the Government’s policy on the terms of the public-only consultant contract”.