Sinn Féin accused of ‘fearmongering' over the threat of conscription of Irish citizens
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RTÉ News
8 minutes ago
- RTÉ News
Behind the Story: Why Irish seas 'urgently' need more legal protection
Ireland needs its own legislation to safeguard marine protected areas, an expert has warned. Marine biologist Rebecca Hunter told Behind the Story that the damage to the seas around Ireland is "quite alarming". "This year alone there are records of Atlantic Salmon that has declined by 90% since the 1970s," she said. "So, in the past 50, 60 years – not even a human lifetime – 90% of Irish Salmon have been lost. "The European Eel, which would return to Irish rivers, is down 97%." Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are areas that are protected and managed over the long term, with a primary objective of conserving habitats and/or species. The Government approved the general scheme of a Marine Protected Areas Bill in December 2022. However, it was reported in June that the coalition could drop the law in favour of folding it into the offshore wind consenting scheme. "An exercise is being undertaken to explore how the Maritime Area Planning Act 2021 could be revised as an alternative approach, so that the overarching objectives of MPA Bill might be met through amendment of that act," Minister for Housing James Browne has said. Ms Hunter said legislation needs to give Ireland the power to designate marine protected areas for species and habitats of national importance. "Ireland already has some marine protected areas that come from the EU Habitats Directive," she said. "I think currently something like 8.3% of Irish seas are protected through those designations." However, Ms Hunter said there are two issues with relying on EU legislation alone. "The EU Habitats Directive never made a requirement for any management measures to be put in place when those sites were designated," she explained. "They often become what's known as paper parks: [so] they exist on paper, but in effect no activities are being stopped, reduced or managed in any way to protect the species. "The EU Habitats Directive covers species and habitats that are important at an EU level; but that misses a large number that are important at an Irish level". Ms Hunter said there needs to be standalone legislation on marine protection. "National marine protection would allow Ireland to bring forward a new list of species that require protection in Irish waters and it must include the provision that management measures are in place," she said. "Ireland is signed up to the target of achieving at least 20% protection by 2030 – at the minute it's about 8.3%. "Ireland is one of the countries furthest behind in its level of protection". Ms Hunter said the seas need their own piece of legislation for protection, rather than "be shoehorned into a piece of legislation that is designed to manage human activities". Marine and coastal habitats Ms Hunter said recent reports suggest that areas are at risk. "The latest reports on the condition of marine and coastal habitats within some of Ireland's marine protected areas are showing that a huge number of these are in an unfavourable status," she said. "There's a whale-watching company in Cork that closed recently because there are no longer the whales to keep that business going". Ms Hunter said some marine species are closer to extinction than people may realise. "There are animals in Irish seas which are closer to extinction than many of the big species we may think of when we hear that word [such as] snow leopards, giant pandas," she said. "There are animals like the flapper skate, the angel shark – they are ranked as being closer to extinction than any of those other species." Ms Hunter said the decline is due to a number of factors including climate breakdown, water quality issues and habitat loss. 'Our sense of identity' Ms Hunter explained her love for the sea came from her childhood. "It's like another world out there," she said. "I grew up, spending a lot of time in Donegal, around Lough Swilly. "There's so much different marine life that Ireland has - the size of Ireland's sea is about seven-times larger than the size of the island itself". Ms Hunter said Irish waters contain "huge numbers of sea birds and coastal animals" as well as 26 different types of whales and dolphins. "Even more recently discovered animals that were thought to be lost: there are angel sharks in Tralee Bay and there's even coral reefs". Ms Hunter said such creatures are "deeply bound into our stories and our sense of identity". As part of her research, she spent four months on a vessel in 2009. "It's a wonderful experience, it can be a tough experience," she recalls. "There were a lot of storms; we had to actually rescue a rower trying to make his way over the Atlantic Ocean at one point. "You learned to stick your life jacket under one side of your mattress to sort of push your mattress up against the wall. "That held you in in your bed, so that the storms didn't chuck you out of your bed halfway through the night".
The Journal
26 minutes 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
The Irish Sun
3 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Crisis in Gaza continues to escalate & history will not forgive inaction – Irish govt could do so much more to help
e need to see action from Government on ending the W e need to see action from Government on ending the US military use of Shannon Airport FURTHER ACTIONS Crisis in Gaza continues to escalate & history will not forgive inaction – Irish govt could do so much more to help THE world has watched with increasing horror as the crisis in Gaza continues to escalate. The furious conflict over the war-torn region has seen harrowing images of the humanitarian casualties beamed globally. 3 The crisis in Gaza continues to escalate Credit: Getty Images - Getty 3 Sinn Fein Dublin MEP Lynn Boylan has told how the government could do much more to help Credit: PA:Press Association 3 Muhammad Zakariya Ayyoub al-Matouq, a 1.5-year-old child in Gaza faces life-threatening malnutrition as the humanitarian situation worsens due to ongoing Israeli attacks and blockade Credit: Getty Images - Getty Last week, a chilling report from the Unicef laid bare the scale of the war among innocent civilians. Unicef on Friday urged the international community to act swiftly as conditions continue to deteriorate. Senior director Ted Chaiban did not hold back as he warned: 'Today, more than 320,000 young children are at risk of acute malnutrition. "Today, I want to keep the focus on Gaza, because it's in Gaza where the suffering is most acute and where children are dying at an unprecedented rate. 'We are at a crossroads, and the choices made now will determine whether tens of thousands of children live or die.' Here Sinn Fein MEP Lynn Boylan outlines what she believes needs to be done to help those desperately suffering. ISRAEL'S genocide in Gaza has now claimed the lives of more than 60,000 people – the majority of them women and children. In recent weeks we have seen more than 1,000 Palestinians killed while trying to access so-called aid distribution sites as Israel forcefully starves the people of Gaza. World leaders have stood idly by or worse, are complicit in Israel's genocide and the global leadership we need to end it is not coming from the Western powers. Ireland has played a stronger role than most EU Member States but there is still so much more the Irish Government could do to hold Israel to account and help to end the illegal occupation. I welcome the publication of the report of the Oireachtas Foreign Affairs Committee on the Government's version of the Occupied Territories Bill on Thursday. The Committee was clear in recommending that services be included in the ban on trade with illegal settlements. Now the Government must table a Bill which brings us into full alignment with our international law obligations and which will send a message that international law is not optional and must be implemented. As an MEP – and as Chair of the European Parliament Delegation for Relations with Palestine - I have been fighting every day for a change in EU policy for Palestine. This includes full suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, a two-way arms embargo and sanctions on the Israeli state. KEY ISSUE The Irish Government must continue working with like-minded partners to force a change in EU policy and as Ireland prepares for taking the EU Presidency next year, the Government must make clear they will be championing action on Palestine at EU level. The meeting of the Hague Group in Bogota last month represented a concrete effort by multiple countries to take meaningful action. Those countries have now committed to measures to end Israel's impunity including banning the provision or transfer of arms, munitions, military equipment, and dual-use items to Israel and examining all public contracts to ensure they do not give financial support to the illegal occupation of Palestine. While we must continue our advocacy within the EU, we also need to work with those countries across the world who aren't afraid to challenge Israeli impunity. The transfer of weapons is a key issue and in the case of Ireland, this means we need to see action from Government on ending the US military use of Shannon Airport and to tackle the illegal overflights carrying weapons of war to Israel. The failure by the Government to bring legal action against those airlines regularly violating Irish law is an act of cowardice and we need to see the strong words the Government uses backed up by action on this issue. MAKING IRELAND COMPLICIT IN GENOCIDE Next week, the Oireachtas Finance Committee will publish their report on the Central Bank's facilitation of the sale of Israeli war bonds in the European market. The Government shamefully opposed Sinn Féin's Bill to end this disgusting practice but they can still take action. Continuing to facilitate these bonds being sold in the European market is making Ireland complicit in genocide and provides the Israeli state with financial support to continue their slaughter in Gaza. The Government must bring forward measures to end this. One other issue I have been working on is the issue of visas for students from Gaza who have been awarded places to study in Ireland. Every university in Gaza has been destroyed and the Israeli Government is actively targeting Palestinian academics. Shamefully, the Irish Government is only providing visa assistance to those awarded Government of Ireland scholarships and students awarded other scholarships are being left in Gaza with no help. This policy is as cruel as it is nonsensical and the Government must provide visa assistance to those students immediately. These are some of the further actions the Irish Government should take to hold Israel to account. History will not forgive inaction nor will the Irish people who have made it clear time and time again that they want the Government to do everything possible to end the genocide and end the illegal occupation.
