Letter from the Editor

SUNDAY newspapers strive to publish stories that set the agenda for the week ahead — last week’s front page report by Hugh O’Connell was headlined ‘Brexit’s back’ and it certainly got that right — even more than we knew then.

While it was clear from Hugh’s interview with Simon Coveney that the almost forgotten B-word was about to make a big comeback, the scale of its return to the news agenda caught almost everyone by surprise. By Tuesday, Coveney’s dismay that Boris Johnson’s government intends to brazenly break international law was the story. For a sense of where it’s going next, turn to pages 10 and 11, plus Dan O’Brien’s assessment on page 28.

For the reader who wrote to me recently asking that assorted Sunday Independent writers “take their knives out of Micheál Martin’s back”, I recommend columns by Eoghan Harris and Jody Corcoran on page 27, neither of which will please the Fianna Fáil dissidents badmouthing the Taoiseach and perhaps sharpening their blades.

And while we’re still on politics, Shane Ross writes engagingly — and from unhappy personal experience — about the mandarins who are so adept at getting the better of career politicians. It reads like something out of Yes, Minister — see page 29.

Today we welcome two fine journalists to our team in Ali Bracken and Rodney Edwards. At a time when the future of quality journalism has never been more uncertain, I’m pleased and proud that the investment in high-quality, original reporting continues under this paper’s relatively new owners, the Mediahuis group.

This investment also includes a redesign of the paper which is under way — you’ll see the first fruits of that in our edition of October 4 when a fully refreshed magazine is unveiled. More on that nearer the time.

Among several notable contributions, Ali has a special report on the significant increase in the number of children being prescribed anti-depressants. It includes the desperately sad story of Jake Lynch, who took his own life aged just 14. It’s on page 6. Circling back to Brexit, Rodney spent time in the Border area last week, along with photographer David Conachy. They found alarm at Boris Johnson’s illegal manoeuvre.

There’s much more — including a string of great interviews in different sections. Enjoy the paper.