Sinn Féin MEP on conviction of former partner
Sinn Féin MEP, Kathleen Funchion, talks about the conviction of her ex-partner, Sean Tyrell, who was convicted under the Harassment and Harmful Communications Act, also known as Coco's Law.
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Irish Independent
7 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Danny Healy-Rae said people in Six Counties ‘fought to be free' as good as anyone
Speaking in the Dáil on a Sinn Féin motion to include northern citizens in the November election, Deputy Healy-Rae supported the claim citing that northern people should not be denied the opportunity. 'They were instrumental and did their part on every occasion. Therefore, we cannot deny them, if that is what they want. But we need to hear from their side that that is what they want,' he said. Deputy Healy-Rae said there is a democratic system 'up there in the Six Counties' as well as the south and more direction and involvement between governments is required. He urged the Irish and UK governments, and the Stormont Assembly, to look at a way forward. 'It would be nice to see that happening. It is a good idea (voting) but we need to get some idea of how long it is going to take. We need to get more transparency for our people down here because I have no doubt they will be asking us a lot of questions in the coming days. We need to have some kind of an answer for them and we are depending on the government to give us that answer,' he said. 'There is no denying that people of the North, in those Six Counties, fought to be free and to be under Irish control as well as any of those who came before us and fought here in the South of Ireland,' he said. He cited the cross-border connection with cataract patients in Kerry, who are bused to Kingsbridge Private Hospital in Belfast for treatment. He also added that northern people are 'honourable' when it comes to buying livestock in Kerry. 'What I know from my dealings with people from the North of Ireland, whether it was in marts around Kerry – in Cahersiveen, Castleisland or Kenmare – is that they are very honourable people. They come down here to buy cattle and they pay for our cattle and our sheep,' Deputy Healy-Rae said.
Irish Times
9 hours ago
- Irish Times
Fianna Fáil is in desperate need of a candidate for the presidential election. Applications are invited
No matter how much it protests that no decisions have been made, it's hard to see how Fianna Fáil can really just sit out October's presidential election . True, the party hasn't contested an election since 2007, when Mary McAleese snatched the nomination from Albert Reynolds and went on to win a bitterly contested race, subsequently serving two successful terms. But the reasons the party didn't contest in 2011 and 2018 – the first because it was in total meltdown after the financial crisis and then because there was a popular incumbent whom it quite liked seeking a second term – don't apply in 2025. Micheál Martin, having restored Fianna Fáil from a state of near-death to the largest party in the State and returned to the Taoiseach's office after last year's elections, has a credible claim to being the party's most successful leader since its founder. Running for elections is what successful parties do. Sitting on the sidelines, especially with Fine Gael running in what could turn out to be a restorative election for its leader, would be a peculiar choice and reflect both an insecurity about the future and a paucity of imagination and resources for the present. If Sinn Féin runs its own candidate – undecided, say party sources, but likely I think – it would be even harder for Fianna Fáil to enter a nolle prosequi. READ MORE Not that Martin and his allies care all that much for the presidency. They are interested in power and there is little if any power in the Áras. But symbols matter in politics. The election of Michael D Higgins in 2011 didn't save Labour , some Fianna Fáilers point out. True. But the election of Mary Robinson opened the door to thousands of voters who would give Labour unprecedented political opportunities. More than that, Robinson's election signalled and was part of opening up what would lead to a different society. It was one of the most consequential elections ever. The problem, as Martin's lieutenants have pondered for many months now, is a candidate: they don't have one. 'Is there a shortlist?' I asked one party panjandrum. 'There isn't even a long list,' he chortled. 'Have you any ideas?' Bertie Ahern spent months publicly offering himself – though less ubiquitously of late, suggesting some private messages of discouragement have been sent. This is probably wise for the party, and for the Bert. If he ran, the campaign would be a nightmare for him, he would have no chance of winning, and he would ultimately regret it. Offering herself too has been Mary Hanafin, but she has been received with coolness rather than enthusiasm. The truth is that there is an entire generation of Fianna Fáilers whose participation in the economic car-crash of 2008-11 more or less disqualifies them from the prospect of success in an election like this – with the remarkable exception of the leader himself, though he likes being leader and Taoiseach and is not ready for retirement yet. Barry Andrews has no interest in either running for president or doing the job. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw Barry Andrews , having a keener political eye than he sometimes lets on, has no interest in either running for the job or doing it and while his MEP colleague Cynthia Ní Mhurchú is being what passes in politics for coy on the question, even a barrister's self-confidence will only get you so far. 'Fianna Fáil will spend the summer going around to the summer schools looking at the various speakers,' laughs one Leinster House insider, a prospect calculated to strike terror into the hearts of those who might be tasked with the job. There remains at all levels of the party, including the leadership, the idea that a McAleese-type candidate will walk through the door some day soon. And maybe that will happen, but for now it remains wishful thinking, and as time ticks on, the chances are diminishing. The former SDLP leader Colum Eastwood is offering himself for this role, but Martin appeared to dismiss that prospect when asked about it recently, insisting that there had been no approach from Fianna Fáil to Eastwood and expressing his surprise at the suggestions that there had. 'It's open to everyone to put themselves forward,' he said. Experts on instant attraction will have noted this is not exactly, 'You had me at hello'. And so the question facing Fianna Fáil, according to several party sources who discussed the issue privately in recent days, may be this: if the party can't find a candidate that it is enthusiastic about, is it better to run a bad candidate or no candidate at all? Opinions vary within the party. One TD fears the political impact of coming third or even fourth behind Fine Gael, Sinn Féin and maybe an Independent. But would it be worse than sitting out the contest entirely? I don't think so. Another party source looks at it this way: when Fine Gael's Gay Mitchell crashed and burned in the 2011 contest – at a time when the party was by far the dominant player in government and politics – and came fourth behind Higgins, Seán Gallagher and Martin McGuinness, winning only 6 per cent of the vote, did that really have any lasting political impact on Fine Gael? Not really. 'If there isn't a political penalty for doing badly, then that makes it more likely we run someone,' the source says. But who? Applications are invited. Knowledge of the political system required; but preferably someone who can be above politics. Who people will admire at home and believe represents them well abroad. A very thorough background check will be required. Deadline for applications: August 31st. Apply: Micheál Martin, Government Buildings, Dublin 2. Canvassing will most certainly not disqualify. Is Conor McGregor really the only person who wants to be President of Ireland? Listen | 19:19
Irish Independent
10 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Some government backbench TDs will not attend US embassy's July 4 celebrations
It comes as a number of opposition TDs said this week that they would boycott the annual event, with one planning to participate in a protest on the night. Politicians are among a host of guests invited to the celebration, including business leaders and civil groups. While many in opposition have chosen to boycott the event in recent years, TDs in both Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have said they will also not go this year. Fine Gael TD Barry Ward said he felt it was not appropriate for him to go, citing a number of reasons, including changes to the rules around J1 visas. From this week, applicants for J1 student visas are required to set their social media accounts to public so authorities can examine them. It's not something I'd be comfortable with this year 'In the context of now asking people, the so-called land of the free, to give up all their private information in relation to social media and then possibly refusing people entry because they said something they didn't like,' Mr Ward said. 'They have first amendment rights that extend beyond Americans and yet they don't seem to respect their own constitutional basis. 'So I just decided I'm not going to go this year.' Fianna Fáil TD Peter 'Chap' Cleere said he received an invite but would not attend because of the current geopolitical situation. 'I'm not anti-US, but I just think in the current environment, it's not something I'd be comfortable with this year,' Mr Cleere said. Another Fianna Fáil TD said they were aware of a number of party colleagues who were choosing not to go this year, which they said was not something that would have happened in previous years. Similar conversations are also happening within the backbenches of Fine Gael, one TD said. Some TDs who spoke off the record said they did not consider their decision not to go as a boycott. Instead, it was down to them feeling uncomfortable attending the event. Fianna Fáil TD Malcolm Byrne said he would be attending this year but added that there were 'many policies' from the US administration that he did not agree with. Irish companies employ as many people in the US and US companies do here 'Like the overwhelming majority of Irish people, I have family and friends in the United States and I value those relationships. 'Irish companies employ as many people in the US and US companies do here. 'This has nothing to do with government policy. There are many policies of Donald Trump's presidency with which I strongly disagree,' Mr Byrne said. Fine Gael TD John Clendennen said while he had accepted the invite for now, he may not attend due to other events that night. However, he said it was important for politicians to take the opportunity to convey during these events Ireland's message both on Gaza and in relation to trade tariffs. I've never been and I'm not going this year Meanwhile, Sinn Féin's Eoin Ó Broin said he will not be attending the July 4 bash in the US embassy, adding that he has not gone in previous years. He was unable to say if all party colleagues would be boycotting it. 'I've never been and I'm not going this year, I don't know what the view of other folks are but it's not an event that I've attended,' he said. 'Certainly this year, given what's going on, particularly in the Middle East, that gives me more reason not to go.'
