Donal Fallon: How Margaret Thatcher and her knitted jumper helped nip the first attempt at Brexit in the bud, 50 years ago
While referendums are somewhat commonplace in Ireland, thanks to Bunreacht na hÉireann's requirement for questions to go before the citizenry, they are much rarer occurrences next door.
Fifty years ago this month, Britain and a considerable chunk of this island were asked to answer a question: 'Do you think the UK should stay in the European Community (Common Market)?' Coming less than three years after British membership of the European Economic Community, the referendum was in some ways more complex than the 2016 one that ultimately removed Britain from the EU.
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RTÉ News
2 hours ago
- RTÉ News
UK consumer sentiment suffers first big fall in nearly 3 years, Deloitte says
British consumer sentiment had a marked fall for the first time in nearly three years last month, reflecting increased worries about job security, a Deloitte survey showed today. Deloitte said its consumer confidence index dropped by 2.6 percentage points to 10.4% in the second quarter, its lowest since the first quarter of 2024. The fall was the first since the third quarter of 2022 - when inflation hit a double-digit peak and financial markets reeled from former Prime Minister Liz Truss' budget plans - apart from a 0.2 point decline last year which Deloitte did not view as statistically significant. "Concerns of a slowing labour market have left consumers worried about job security and income growth prospects, while persistent inflation and a high cost of living have negatively impacted sentiment towards personal debt," said Deloitte consumer insight lead Celine Fenech. Businesses have blamed increased employment taxes and a higher minimum wage which took effect in April, as well as planned law changes to make it harder to dismiss new employees, for making them more reluctant to hire. Official data last week showed Britain's unemployment rate rose to 4.7% in the three months to May, its highest since 2021, while inflation picked up to 3.6% in June, the highest since January 2024. The Deloitte figures paint a slightly different picture to Britain's longest-running survey of consumer sentiment, from GfK, which drifted in the second half of last year but rose to its highest since December last month. Deloitte's survey of 3,200 consumers was conducted between June 13 and June 16 and the consumer sentiment index is based on six questions about job security, job opportunities, income, debt, children's welfare, and general health and wellbeing. A separate question about the state of the economy saw a 3.9 percentage point rise in its balance, but it was still 18.4 percentage points lower than a year earlier. "Activity in the UK has slowed in recent months, but an uptick in business confidence seen in the latest Deloitte CFO Survey testifies to continued resilience amid geopolitical uncertainties," Deloitte chief economist Ian Stewart said.
Extra.ie
a day ago
- Extra.ie
Community 'safety' group includes violent offenders and killer as members
A failed far-right election candidate who ranted 'I'm going all Texas on it. I got guns' in a disturbing post about asylum seekers is a founding member of 'vigilante' group Sinne na Daoine, has learned. Another founding member of the anti-immigrant group – which claims to have 'over 1,000' members – and a fellow failed election candidate, threatened to 'storm' the Dáil this week in a series of social media posts. And can further reveal – after reporting recently that a convicted father killer was in the group – that a separate person strongly associated with the sinister group is currently before the courts for a violent crime. Sinne na Daoine leader with Ger McNamara. Pic: File The worrying remarks about having guns were made in a 2022 post by Martin Murphy, who ran in last year's local elections for the Irish Freedom Party, in Tipperary's Carrick-on-Suir constituency. He also remarked on a post about former British prime minister Liz Truss and the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen: 'Ask which you would shoot if you only had 1 bullet.' The previous year, the former candidate and current Ireland First 'national organiser' posted a series of tweets calling for Fine Gael TDs and senators to be sent to the 'gallows'. understands Sinne na Daoine was founded last year by approximately ten people, including Mr Murphy and the president of the Ireland First party, Anthony Casey. It has been backed by ex-MMA star and self-styled presidential candidate Conor McGregor. Mr Casey said this week the Dáil needs to be 'stormed already'. The former Kildare South candidate made the comments on a post that claimed the Dublin streets 'run red with the blood of our own'. 'Do you still think @SinneNaDaoine is too extreme? Still think I'm too militant?,' he asked. 'How many innocent Irish lives are you willing to sacrifice? 'Don't be concerned about my 'electability'.' He added, the 'Dáil needs to be stormed already!!' When it was put to him by a follower that he should 'stop pontificating' and 'storm it', Mr Casey replied he will be there 'front and centre'. 'There are over 1000 in Sinne na Daoine now,' he said. 'Trust me, I am working on it, and I will be there front and centre. There's a reason I'm adopting a multi-pronged approach as I've said from the get go.' He continued: 'There are strong patriots around the movement that I need to sit down with first in order to achieve this effectively.' The revelations about its founding members come as can report that a man connected to Sinne na Daoine is currently charged with a serious violent crime. The man can't be named for legal reasons but has previously attended a Sinne na Daoine meeting at which he spoke. recently revealed another man, who bludgeoned his own father to death, is also a central figure in Sinne na Daoine. Ger McNamara. Pic: File Killer Gerard McNamara – who kicked and beat his own father to death – is part of the group that previously revealed has begun staging street patrols and has members in almost every county in the country. A photo from the group's first patrol in Limerick city shows McNamara, 37, posing beside Anthony Casey. The group were dressed in orange vests featuring the Sinne na Daoine logo. An informed source described the group as 'vigilantes' who 'put up stickers on the streets they patrol'. 'They are organised and anyone who wants to join is screened,' said the source. 'One of the women does the screening, and you have to do a FaceTime call or 30-second video [before being allowed onto their online forums].' Killer McNamara was sentenced to eight years in prison, with the final two years suspended, in 2012, for killing his father in a drink-fuelled row. He pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to the manslaughter of Joseph 'Joey' O'Donnell, 48 at Hyde Road, Prospect, in Limerick, on October 1, 2010. Joseph O'Donnell died in hospital from blunt force trauma to the head, hours after his son had kicked and beaten him with a number of household items and a full can of beer. Last week, revealed how a Muslim man was hospitalised with a broken jaw after convicted killer McNamara, who is involved in the far-right 'community watchdog' group, wrongly accused him of inappropriately approaching children in a park. The footage, which went viral on social media before it was labelled 'misinformation' by gardaí, was filmed by McNamara and posted to his TikTok account. McNamara has also addressed his criminal past in a video he posted to his TikTok account. In the video, he claimed he had no idea why people are commenting under his posts that he was a murderer and that he didn't want to have to 'lower himself' by explaining to people what actually happened. He said: 'Who never had a drink with someone, got in a row and hit him in the head?' He added: 'He died three days later. I got charged with manslaughter. He's my dad. I love him. I miss him.' He also doubled down on the video he posted about the man in the park, saying there is 'evidence' of 'this Muslim foreign fella' approaching children – but without providing any proof or evidence to back up his claim. Sinne na Daoine publicised their first and second 'patrols' in Limerick city and Clonmel, in Co. Tipperary, on social media earlier in the year. They have also listed the names of companies or people they label 'plantation enablers' on their website. Meanwhile, Martin Murphy previously attempted to downplay his threatening posts when contacted by us. He said the tweets were posted before he declared his intention to run in the local election and described them as 'gallows humour'.
The Irish Sun
2 days ago
- The Irish Sun
Taliban ‘already murdering Afghans linked to foreign military' days after chilling warning over MoD ‘kill list' leak
THE TALIBAN are reportedly already murdering Afghans linked to foreign militaries - days after a huge MoD data leak. Fears have been growing over the safety of more than 18,000 Afghans whose details were included on the secret list. Advertisement 3 The Taliban regained control of Afghanistan in August 2021 Credit: Getty 3 Details of almost 20,000 refugees fleeing the Taliban were leaked after a top secret email was sent to the wrong person Credit: AP 3 A number of named individuals have already been assassinated Credit: AFP A number of named individuals have been assassinated since the leak with one man shot four times in the chest at close range on Monday one of three assassinations in the past week according to the It comes after the Taliban sent a fleeing the Taliban were leaked after a Royal Marine mistakenly sent a top secret email to the wrong people. Since then panic has been spreading as up to 100,000 could face deadly repercussions from ruthless Taliban rulers who hunt down and kill anyone who helped the UK forces. Advertisement Read more News But sources have insisted it was impossible to prove conclusively whether it was a direct result of the data breach. Afghans were informed on Tuesday that their personal details had been lost including names, phone numbers and their family's details as well as other details that could help the Taliban hunt them down. It is not yet known whether the Taliban is in possession of the database. It includes names of Afghans as well as the names of their individual UK sponsors including Major General. Advertisement Most read in The Sun Breaking Exclusive One Afghan soldier who fled to Britain in fear of retribution, believes his brother was shot in the street this week because the Taliban believed he was affiliated to the UK. "If or when the Taliban have this list, then killings will increase – and it will be Britain's fault," he said. Taliban warns thousands of Afghans secretly airlifted to UK 'we will HUNT you down' "There will be many more executions like the one on Monday." He is convinced his sibling was executed because of his own association with Afghan special forces, known as the Triples. Advertisement He believes that the Taliban sought revenge on his family instead as news of his brother's murder reached him in Britain within an hour of the execution. A day later, Taliban fighters dragged a woman from her home and beat her in the street. A former British military interpreter who witnessed the attack claimed it was because the woman's husband "worked for the West" and is now hiding in Iran. Taliban officials have claimed the details of all the refugees have been known to them since 2022, after they allegedly sourced the information from the internet. Advertisement A dossier listing more than 300 murders includes those who worked with the UK and some who had applied for the UK's Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme. This includes senior Afghan intelligence officer, Colonel Shafiq Ahmad Khan, a 61-year-old grandfather who had worked alongside British forces. He was shot in the heart on his doorstep in May 2022. There has been fury this week over the data breach's deadly implications with one angry former interpreter saying: "We risked our lives for the UK standing beside them day after day, now they are risking our lives again." Advertisement The epic MoD blunder was kept Top Secret for almost three years by a legal super injunction. And the government is still battling the courts to keep details behind the Afghan data leak secret. Thousands of the refugees had to be secretly relocated to the UK and it is set to cost Britain up to £7 billion. A total of 18,714 Afghans were included on the secret list, many of whom arrived via unmarked planes which landed at airport. Advertisement Many of the Afghans who were flown into the country as part of Operation Rubific were initially housed at MoD homes or hotels until permanent accommodation was found. Only around 10 to 15 per cent of the individuals on the list would have qualified for relocation under the emergency Afghan Relocation and Assistance Programme, known as ARAP, opened as Kabul fell to the But the leak means many more now have a valid claim for assistance and relocation.
