In the last few days we learned that the Department of Social Protection has been busy tracking down people who have had the temerity to take a holiday while in receipt of Covid-19 welfare support – and punishing them by cutting off that payment. 104 people have had their Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) stopped “as […]
What’s the world coming to when you can’t trust a politician to cut their own salary without actually increasing it by accident? Clarified this evening: voluntary pay cuts taken by the previous Govts lapsed when new Govt was formed, so today's 10% is effectively a renewal of those cuts. e.g. Taoiseach's salary €207,590; Varadkar had […]
As most people have, by now, heard, one of the first legislative priorities for the new Government was to pass legislation enabling all three “super junior” ministers to be paid a bit more: The Dáil has passed laws to increase remuneration for a third ‘super junior’ minister who will now be entitled to an allowance […]
So that wealthy overseas investors could buy up the country? Luke Kelly wrote a poem some time around the 50th anniversary of the Easter Rising lamenting the failure of the Irish state to implement the Proclamation’s pledge to “secure the right of the people of Ireland to the ownership of Ireland.” With the exponential growth in […]
Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín has spoken out against the Government’s new deal with the European Union, saying that Ireland’s record contribution to EU funds amounts to “supporting everyone’s recovery except our own”. The Government signed off on the deal in Brussels yesterday, and it will see Ireland becoming the fifth largest net contributor to the […]
____________________________________________________________ Note from Editor: In recent days, Thomas Byrne TD has denied many of the allegations made in this piece, as reported here. However, given that Mr. Byrne is a member of the Government, and that these allegations are being levelled, credibly, by a long-term associate of his, and given that they go directly to […]
If you missed this delightful little story last week, then let me refresh your memories: After Barry Cowen suddenly, and four years after the event, found himself receiving media attention for his drink driving conviction, Minister for Europe Thomas Byrne went on Virgin Media and said how terrible it was that this had happened to […]
Contributors to this site have been among those pointing to the startling decline of Fianna Fáil which, despite having finally secured the temporary position of Taoiseach, appears increasingly rudderless. Its support among the electorate has nose dived since a poor enough 22% in the general election, to as low as 14% according to some recent […]
Last night, the Minister for European Affairs, Thomas Byrne, went on the Tonight Show on Virgin Media to defend Barry Cowen, the Minister for Agriculture, after the stories in recent days about Cowen’s drink driving offence four years ago, and absence of a full driving licence. While Byrne was on the programme, Ken McFadden, a […]
Apart from delivering Cherish leaflets and attending a small number of meetings and the final rally, most of the huge effort that went into trying to trying to save the 8th amendment was unknown to me. I had been with Sinn Féin in Leinster House for many years and I am afraid to say I was […]
Should Children’s Minister Roderic O’Gorman publicly distance himself from UK campaigner Peter Tatchell, after this week’s controversy? VOTE in our Poll below and leave your comments here and on social media.
We hear all how Sinn Féin represents change from the Fianna Gael/Fine Fáil monopoly. But nobody ever stops to ask – what kind of change does Sinn Féin actually represent? Ben Scallan comments #gript