Fionnán Sheahan: Israel has copied Ireland's Brexit playbook, exposing our Washington complacency
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The Irish Sun
12 minutes ago
- The Irish Sun
I will ‘definitely not' run for presidency, says Taoiseach Micheal Martin as he discusses National Development Plan
TAOISEACH Michael Martin has said he will "definitely not" run for Irish presidency this year. Speaking to Morning Ireland Advertisement 2 Minister Peter Burke has been calling to cut VAT rate for the hospitality sector Credit: � 2025 PA Media, All Rights Reserved Mr Martin said he was elected to "lead And an Asked if he would consider putting his name forward, Advertisement Read more in News "I have that obligation to the public. No disrespect to the presidency, but I gave commitments to the people that I will serve for the next five years and that's what I'm going to." There are a lot of names floating in association with Fianna Fiall in He added: "Party will consider that over the next number of weeks." Mr Martin also discussed the revised version of NDP which was announced yesterday with a total investment of €275.4 billion. Advertisement Most read in Irish News Latest It adds more than €40 billion for housing and water services, €22.3 billion for It also cited €2 billion to be delivered to Tetchy scenes in Dail as Micheal Martin accused of calling Mary Lou McDonald liar in Irish Mr Martin has explained that the money allocated to the NDP investments in the public sector comes from the government's projections of surpluses over the next number of years. He continued: "There is the additionality of €14 billion from the receipts from Advertisement "Now allocations have come from, it would be specifically dedicated to the metro which is clearly a climate infrastructural piece, because obviously the more people we can get on public transport the better in terms of climate. "I can't see KEY PRIORITIES The Government also promised to cut the VAT rate for the hospitality sector in the Mr Martin added: "Nothing yet is finalised in terms of the budget. Advertisement "We will be prioritising disability and we will be prioritising child poverty. "We will be targeting our measures and social protection to those most." Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment Peter Burke has been calling to cut VAT rate for the hospitality sector. The Minister said the cut is a "jobs measure to sustain employment" in the sector. Advertisement Speaking on RTE's "At this point in time, over 200,000 people are employed in it. It's a €9 billion sector. And it's so important to try and keep that sector sustainable. 'VIABILITY MEASURE' "This is a jobs measure to sustain the employment in that sector, which is critically important to me as Minister for "It is a viability measure, they are under significant pressure." Advertisement Mr Burke added: "We've had a lot of additionality from government, part of it over the last three years, in terms of regulatory requirements in the trajectory to a living wage and sick pay in so many areas that have put significant pressure on the sector and have reduced their margins. "We've pushed 90,000 jobs into the economy over the last 12 months. "And considering when we're at or about full employment, to put 90,000 extra households with additional income into them with more jobs is very significant." 2 Michael Martin has said he will 'definitely not' run for Irish presidency this year Credit: Collins Photos Advertisement
Irish Post
an hour ago
- Irish Post
Born in Britain, still not English
THERE are quite clearly some people who were born and raised in Irish families in England who consider themselves English. I don't have any problem with that.I don't fully understand it, but that's not meant as any kind of judgement. I'm only going by my own experience, and such was the intensity of being Irish in that upbringing that being English just never occurred to me. Of course, I can see how that is different for different people. Coming from those huge, urban Irish immigrant communities, I can't quite see how you come out of that not being Irish—but, you know, to each their own. English. Half-Irish-Half-English. British. I've heard all of them and, like I say, while I can't quite grasp those identities, that doesn't mean they aren't valid. The failure of understanding is mine, isn't it? I know I can define and defend my identity—God only knows I've gone on about it quite enough—so I've no need to denigrate someone else's. I do have some bad news, though, for those who do see themselves as English: it might just be the case that they don't want you. The English, I mean. The English-English, if you like. Fittingly enough, as I'm writing this in the month the death was announced of Norman Tebbit, the 1980s hardline Conservative MP. Back in the eighties, Tebbit was one of my early confirmations of how I wasn't English when he rolled out his infamous 'cricket test'. It all sounds quite innocent by today's standards, but Tebbit's notion was that if you had been raised and were living and working in England but did not support England in the cricket, then what were you doing here? As neither a cricket fan nor an England fan, I knew I was going to fail that loyalty test every time. I was never going to be English in Tebbit's eyes—and that suited me fine. But we've gone way past cricket now in Brexit-flavoured England. What follows is not a conversation from the dark corners of the internet, nor one between fringe figures. It comes from The Spectator magazine and features Michael Gove, who was until recently a senior government minister, and Matt Goodwin, a political scientist, commentator, and GB News presenter. These are their words, quoted verbatim for the purposes of commentary: Michael Gove: 'Would you say that Kemi Badenoch, or Rishi Sunak or Tony Sewell or Dame Kelly Holmes are not really English?' Matt Goodwin: 'Well, this is a debate. My view is that Englishness is an ethnicity, deeply rooted in a people that can trace their roots back over generations. It is a very distinctive identity and a different identity from Britishness. I think someone can identify as British and can be British but they cannot simultaneously identify as English.' Goodwin continues: 'I take a much thicker view of Englishness and that is that our history, the legacy of our collective identity, the legacy of our culture, goes much deeper and much further back.' Gove then asks him about the Englishness of former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak—pointing out that Sunak was born and raised in Southampton, went to that most English of public schools, Winchester, supports Southampton FC, and is a Conservative. 'Is he not English?' To which Goodwin replies: 'Well, Rishi Sunak could choose to identify as English if he views himself that way, but I think it is also true that there is an English ethnicity, an English group, that goes back generations that Rishi Sunak himself would say, 'I do not have as strong a linkage to that group as other people do.'' Asked to define Englishness, Goodwin says: 'I would say someone who has been born in England, can trace their roots back through many generations, and who would identify with a way of life and a culture that surrounds Englishness as an identity.' Now, all of those words are theirs. I haven't altered them or shaped them to fit an argument of my own. I haven't even explored where such ideas of English ethnic identity lead to, or just how many people it excludes. But one, maybe two generations removed from a farmer in Mayo, a labourer in Cork, or a painter in Dublin—just how English do you think they really think you are? Joe Horgan posts on X at @JoeHorganwriter See More: Englishness, Irish Identity
Irish Examiner
3 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Relief for the industry or a blow to public health: Mixed reaction to delayed health warnings on alcohol
There was a mixed reaction to the Government confirming it would delay putting health warnings on alcohol products, from 'breathing space for a sector under pressure' to 'a blow for public health in Ireland'. At Cabinet on Tuesday, ministers heard that the introduction of health warnings on alcohol labels was being delayed by two years after concerns were raised about the impact of their implementation in the current global trading environment. It comes against the backdrop of fears for Irish business from US trade tariffs propagated by President Donald Trump, with Fine Gael ministers in particular such as Paschal Donohoe and Peter Burke raising concerns in recent months. Part of the landmark Public Health Alcohol Bill, which has seen the introduction of minimum unit pricing and advertising curbs, the measure will now proceed next year as planned but at a 'more appropriate time', Cabinet heard. Ibec organisation Drinks Ireland welcomed the move and said it provided 'much-needed relief' for drinks producers in this country. 'Our members are currently contending with major trade uncertainty, new tariffs on product entering our most important export market, the US, and threats of further tariff escalation,' it said. 'In these uncertain times, companies must be as competitive as possible to survive in international markets. This means tackling regulatory burden and reducing costs for producers.' It claimed that commentary that the now-deferred changes would not impact exports, as the labelling requirement would only have applied here, was 'misguided and disingenuous'. 'The introduction of supplementary requirements uniquely for the Irish market would have placed additional pressure on all companies operating here, and this would of course be more pronounced for SMEs,' it added. The move was also welcomed by the Irish Whiskey Association, which called it a 'reprieve' as some members would have seen packaging and labelling costs increase by over 35%. Meanwhile, Alcohol Action Ireland said it was disappointed by the Government's decision and said the measure was aimed at informing consumers about the health risks that come with alcohol consumption. 'It's not just that the government is allowing its own groundbreaking legislation to be undermined by the very industry it is designed to regulate,' its CEO Sheila Gilheany said. This delay will have real-life consequences that will be felt by ordinary Irish people every day. Labels are crucial to efforts to reduce incidences of cancer, liver disease, and foetal alcohol spectrum disorder in Ireland and indeed to change the conversation about this product which is heavily marketed as risk-free and essential to everyday living.' Ms Gilheany added that the step-by-step approach to implementing aspects of the Public Health Alcohol Bill has been slow and allowed a space where misinformation has flourished. She also criticised the failure to date to introduce stricter curbs for advertising allowed by the law, which would restrict the content of such adverts to 'facts, stripping out the industry myths which are used to recklessly promote alcohol consumption'.
