Local elections are different. They have their own issues, their own candidates, their own dynamic. They can be unreliable bellwethers for national trends. But it is hard not to look at the choices made by voters across Britain this week and not conclude that the country\u2019s political landscape is being comprehensively redrawn. <\/p>\n
Labour suffered such a heavy defeat that its future as a national party is now in question, suggests Mark Paul in his analysis of the results<\/a>. Keir Starmer\u2019s grip on power is more tenuous than ever. Meanwhile, Reform made huge gains far beyond its heartlands across Britain, putting its leader, Nigel Farage, in the frame to be the country\u2019s next prime minister. The nationalists of Plaid Cymru became the biggest party in Wales, while the Scottish National Party came close to an overall majority north of the border. <\/p>\n \u201cThat [Labour] finds itself in such a pickle barely two years after winning a landslide victory in Westminster is astonishing,\u201d writes our London Correspondent. \u201cThat it soared those heights then plumbed its current depths led by the same man\u2026 is a riddle for the ages.\u201d<\/p>\n In Ireland, the two byelections that take place later this month will do little to shake the political order, but the results could help us understand more about some important questions in Irish politics. How secure is Mary Lou McDonald\u2019s leadership of Sinn F\u00e9in? Can the left build on the successful alliance it assembled for Catherine Connolly\u2019s presidential election campaign? And can parties to the right of Fine Gael and Fianna F\u00e1il benefit politically from the recent fuel protests? Pat Leahy reflects on some of these questions in his weekly column<\/a>. <\/p>\n The results of an Irish Times\/TG4 opinion poll <\/a>in Galway West this week, carried out by Ipsos\/B&A, suggest it will be a three-way race between Fine Gael, Independent Ireland and whichever left-wing party emerges from the pack. Currently that looks to be Helen Ogbu of Labour. \u201cOn these numbers, Sinn F\u00e9in has no chance of being in contention for a seat in Galway West,\u201d our editorial<\/a> points out. \u201cThat will likely cause the party to put a mighty effort into the contest in Dublin Central, increasing the stakes for party leader Mary Lou McDonald in her own constituency.\u201d<\/p>\n Two of our political news stories this weekend caught my eye. Drawing on correspondence he secured under the freedom of information law, Jack Power reports<\/a> that Government officials in Dublin queried how nominating former Fine Gael minister Phil Hogan to compete for the leadership of the UN food security agency would benefit Ireland. Hogan, a sort of political fixer for successive Fine Gael leaders, was nominated as the Irish candidate for the role in March. <\/p>\n Pressure is growing on the Government, meanwhile, to stop the export of Irish-made alumina to Russia<\/a> after dozens of MEPs called for the European Commission to take action on the issue. <\/p>\n This follows an Irish Times investigation<\/a>, carried out in co-operation with the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, that found the Aughinish Alumina<\/a> plant in Co Limerick<\/a> is shipping vast amounts of alumina to smelters in Russia where it is used to make aluminium. The aluminium is then sold to trading company ASK, which supplies dozens of Russian arms manufacturers, according to leaked financial documents.<\/p>\n Most of the MEPs calling for a ban come from the European People\u2019s Party (EPP) and Renew Europe, which count Coalition partners Fine Gael and Fianna F\u00e1il as members.<\/p>\n Lara Marlowe has been doing some great reporting from Ukraine for The Irish Times in recent weeks. In her latest dispatch<\/a>, she visits the town of Khodoriv in western Ukraine and describes how one woman\u2019s memory of exile and fear under Russian occupation helps explain Ukraine\u2019s remarkable resolve in defending its independence. <\/p>\n Edward White, an Irish writer and hypnotist, wrote books with two abuse survivors after claiming to be a journalist. He was later convicted of sexual assault of a nine-year-old girl. Now the women whose stories he wrote want Amazon to remove the books from sale \u2013 but the online retailer refuses to do so. \u201cI suppose we\u2019re a little bit naive and gullible and we want to do this to help people,\u201d one of the women tells Mark Tighe<\/a> of her experience with White. \u201cHe took that and ran with it, despite knowing how vulnerable we are.\u201d<\/p>\n The Government has begun pumping money into Irish media, channelled mainly through the media regulator Coimisi\u00fan na Me\u00e1n, in an attempt to support a vital industry buffeted by commercial and technological headwinds. But at what cost to journalistic independence? Colm Keena looks at the debate and finds diverging views<\/a> in his conversations with politicians, analysts and journalists. (The Irish Times does not seek Government funding, though titles owned by the Irish Times Group do).<\/p>\n As Ireland changes, so too does our understanding of the \u201cIrish emigrant\u201d and their place in the national story. Read this survey of the new diaspora<\/a> by Genevieve Carbery, who edits Abroad \u2013 the section of our site devoted to the experiences of the Irish overseas. <\/p>\n The running coach Daniel Kilgallon has played a role in the development of almost every Irish sprint record-holder over the last decade. Ian O\u2019Riordan paid a visit<\/a> to his base, the track at Tallaght Athletics Club in Dublin, to try to understand the reasons for this success. O\u2019Riordan separately reflects on the boom in marathon running<\/a> and wonders whether the Dublin marathon might soon take place over two days \u2013 an idea mooted for London next year. If it means I have more of a chance of getting an entry, I\u2019m all for the idea. <\/p>\n Finally, take some time over Donald Clarke\u2019s fine interview<\/a> with the actor Bill Nighy.<\/p>\n