Debate on potential reform of the Triple Lock
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Irish Times
an hour ago
- Irish Times
The Irish Times view on the budget debate: striking a difficult balance
A clear danger is emerging in the run up to October's budget. It is that all the spare cash available will be spent as Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael each try to get as many of their own policies into the package as they can, with the Independents also pitching in. Rather than taking a balanced view of the outlook, the negotiations thus turn into a haggling exercise. There were media reports this weekend of – unnamed– ministers saying that the economic outlook had not changed much and the budget can go ahead as planned. In this context, pressure will come on, in addition to the €9.4 billion package of tax cuts and spending increases outlined in the Summer Economic Statement, to have additional once-off measures. Ministerial statements, while suggesting there will not be a full cost-of-live package, have become more equivocal on this point. Ministers may be correct to believe that the short-term budgetary outlook has not changed markedly, with the US and EU striking a trade deal. But two points are relevant here. The first is that the two sides have really just set a framework for future talks and a lot remains to be signed off. Also, a separate US investigation into the pharma sector carries danger for Ireland., The second point is that, as Gabriel Makhlouf, the governor of the Central Bank has said, the Government needs to be careful not to add further demand to an already strongly-growing economy. This is all the more the case given the significant planned increase in State investment. READ MORE The balance will be hard to get right. But it must err towards caution. As well as the short-term issues, the economy is now facing significant uncertainties over the next few years. The trade environment is far from settled and tensions between the US and EU may still emerge. Meanwhile, the US president is determined to attract pharma investment back to the US from countries such as Ireland and this could threaten both jobs and tax revenue. And that is before we consider a troubled and rapidly changing international political situation. Ignoring these factors and squabbling over budget giveaways is the wrong approach.
Irish Times
2 hours ago
- Irish Times
Sinn Féin presidential candidate would not divide left-wing vote, says McDonald
A Sinn Féin candidate would not divide the left-wing vote in the presidential election , according to party leader Mary Lou McDonald . 'There's mixed views across the party,' Ms McDonald said on whether Sinn Féin will field a candidate, and whether that candidate would be her. The party has options, she said, adding that decisions will need to be made over the next couple of weeks. 'Like the rest of the party, I'm weighing things up in my own mind.' Although Independent TD Catherine Connolly is running for the presidency, Ms McDonald said she does not think a Sinn Féin contestant would divide the left-wing vote. Co-operation between the Opposition parties 'has been really, really powerful at moments in the course of this Dáil'. READ MORE But, within a proportional representation system, 'transfers decide those elections', she said. The party will weigh things up and arrive at the best decision, she said. 'My bigger hope is that the campaign is actually a space for us to have an important and serious political conversation about Ireland – that it doesn't turn into a personality contest'. Ms McDonald was speaking during a boxing exhibition in Dublin's Sheriff Street, where visiting Palestinian boxers from El Barrio club played against the Docklands Boxing Club. Nada Al-Khawaja the only woman in a five-person boxing squad from El Barrio Boxing Club in Ramallah who participated in an event with Dublin boxers at the Sheriff Street Boxing Club in Dublin. Photograph: Bryan O'Brien/The Irish Times What is happening in Palestine 'is a demonstration of evil in our time', she said. 'It is genocide playing out in real time and unfortunately too many people are simply standing by and watching.' Hosting the Sinn Féin-organised event, she called for 'a more proactive stance from the Department [of Justice]' on the granting of visas for Palestinians to attend events such as this. The call comes in the wake of the cancellation of a planned trip to bring a group of Palestinian hurlers to Ireland. The paperwork 'has to be in good order', she added. The six Palestinians over for the boxing trip are being hosted by the community, and include Tamer Tourjman (20) from Jerusalem, who has been boxing for more than five years. He was here for a month before on a boxing tour, and will stay for a week to participate in a training session with Olympic champion Kellie Harrington on Tuesday. The group will also go to Waterford, Drogheda, Dundalk and Belfast. Nada Al Khawaja (18) is a business student from Ramallah and the only woman on the team. 'Being a woman boxer, especially in Palestine, is something new in our culture,' she said. 'People give me that look [of] 'what are you doing' when I tell them I am boxing.' Ms Al Khawaja said Ramallah is not a safe place but it is the safest in Gaza and has not experienced the same massive destruction as elsewhere. Palestinian and Irish flags festooned Sheriff Hall and playing fields for the visitors and locals who gathered for the event, while a banner displayed the messages: 'Show Israel the Red Card', 'Let Palestine Live' and 'Do not play with Israeli apartheid'. As the visitors were awaited, musicians played traditional Irish music and Sheriff street-born singer and songwriter Christian Elliott performed. Later, Azia Abushark, a Palestinian who has lived in Ireland permanently since 2015, played the Kanun, a traditional Middle Eastern stringed instrument. His family in southern Gaza calls him every week or fortnight. 'They are living in a tent with no food – only bread and water'. Palestinian ambassador Jilan Wahba Abdalmajid told the audience: 'It seems that every day there are more brutal, more savage actions taken by the Israelis towards the people in Gaza as well as in the West Bank.' Asked about the recent Hamas video showing emaciated hostages and about criticism of the footage by President Michael D Higgins, she said: 'The taking of hostages is something that we do not agree with'. She also disagreed with the 'killing of innocents on both sides'. Dr Wahba Abdalmajid said the hostages with Hamas are being starved like everyone in Gaza. She expressed respect for President Higgins and his 'position towards justice and towards international law'.
The Journal
11 hours ago
- The Journal
Being a first-time TD: Will I still be doing this at 80? I don't know but I love it for now.
YESTERDAY, FIANNA FÁIL'S Erin McGreehan told us about her experience of being a TD, today we hear from Fine Gael's James Geoghegan. The Dublin Bay South TD was first elected as a councillor in 2019 and before this worked for Renua founder Lucinda Creighton while she was a TD up to 2016. Elected to the Dáil for the first time in last year's general election, Geoghegan tells us that despite his prior experience, the role of a TD is, in some ways, pretty different to what he thought it would be. Is life as a TD what you expected? 'Being a councillor, you would talk to everybody, of every political stripe. I didn't know if the Oireachtas would be like that too, but for the most part, it is. There's a level of respect that's there [across party lines] that would have surprised me,' Geoghegan said. 'The system forces you to work together. It may sound trite, but there's an Irish sense of community there that maybe isn't in other political systems. I think it's important that we hold on to that.' He added: 'Maybe it's important that we do talk that up a little bit. There's a lot of talk about how divisive politics is, but maybe it's important that those who are in politics talk about what it's like behind the scenes.' Pit and peak What has been his highlight of the Dáil term? Geoghegan's highlight so far has been getting a piece of private members' legislation, on compulsory purchase orders, past first stage in the Dáil. The law would consolidate existing CPO laws and reform how they work. Advertisement As Geoghegan describes it, it would also seek to offer 'more of a carrot than a stick' approach by giving the landowner the payment for the property sooner in the process. What's been the low point? 'The lowlights are when you're dealing with [constituents'] queries that no matter how much effort you make, you're simply not going to resolve,' Geoghegan said. 'I've dealt with queries from a child who is autistic and has been kicked out of a creche because they don't have the necessary supports for that child. That's clearly wrong. 'Maybe that mother or father are actually going to have to go to the courts to deal with something like that. That's unbelievably upsetting and frustrating, that despite your efforts, you can't solve it.' Geoghegan also pointed to constituents who come to him over issues with housing or access to health services. 'I'm also conscious that so often the TD's office is the last port of call for people. They've exhausted every avenue, and in some cases, it might be people who just have no other place to go. 'So trying to manage that. And look, you get a lot of wins too, but trying to manage the disappointments, even for the staff who are working for you, that's definitely challenging. 'So I think they're the lowlights. There's no question about it.' Any surprises about being a TD? 'I'd probably go back to the same thing I said at the beginning. It does surprise me how well people of different political parties can actually work together,' Geoghegan said. 'So I'm on the all-party, Oireachtas Committee for Autism…We meet practically once every month, if not more. Related Reads Being a first-time TD: 'The hours are mad, if I finish at 9.30pm it feels like a half day' Being a first-time TD: 'People are much nicer in the Dáil bar than they are in the chamber' 'There's no cameras. It's not in a public committee room. 'We bring in ministers, the key stakeholders, and on such a difficult issue, in terms of assessment of needs, school places, all the kind of stuff, whether you are Fine Gael, Sinn Féin, Labour, SocDems, People Before Profit, most of those parties are represented in that room at those meetings, and just try to actually deal with the issues in front of them. 'And I think if you talk to any of those people involved in the committee, they feel like in many ways, that's some of the most valued work that they do. Perhaps more than the Punch and Judy stuff that happens in the set pieces, like Leaders' Questions.' Final musings 'One of the most important things you can do in this job, and it sounds so cliché, is recognise that you are new. 'You're brand new to this chamber and there's a lot of people in here that have lots of experience, and by listening, observing, watching, it can really make a difference to the work that you're actually doing for the people who are calling your office. 'To my mind, that is the way you can be the most effective TD for the constituency you represent by building networks, building relationships, so that when a problem happens and they call you, you actually have some kind of a way to try and fix it. 'That's my overall conclusion in the first term, come back to me in a few more,' Geoghegan said. Does he see being a TD as a career for life? 'I don't know yet, is the truth. I don't imagine I'm going to be here when I'm 80, and I'm 40 now. I think you should do it as long as you still have the love for it. 'As long as you still love knocking on doors, listening to people's problems, solving people's problems, engaging with the local football club, the GAA club, the rugby club, the community. 'If you still love doing all of those things, then keep putting your hand up and keep running,' Geoghegan said. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
