Latest news with #EoinHayes
Irish Times
21-06-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
Is it time for the Social Democrats to end Eoin Hayes's purgatory?
A little over six months ago, the Social Democrats came badly unstuck at a press conference they had called to discuss their potential participation in government. It was derailed over questions about its newly elected TD for Dublin Bay South, Eoin Hayes , and his shareholding in a former employer that had close ties to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). A few hours later, Hayes was suspended from the parliamentary party. He remains in political purgatory, with no indication of whether or when he will be readmitted to the party – which itself seems uncertain about how to bring this unusual situation to an end. It was, by any measure, a catastrophically bad outing. Hayes, surrounded by party colleagues, stuck to his lines on the disposal of shares in the company Palantir but refused to answer questions on when he sold them or how much he had earned. The excruciating exchange went on for just over 22 minutes, focusing initially on whether Hayes had acted hypocritically in holding the shares and being a member of the Social Democrats, which called on the Government to divest its shareholding companies with IDF links. READ MORE It became truly problematic when Hayes said: 'Before I entered politics, I divested from those shares entirely.' This was not true. He sold them in July, having been elected as a councillor in June. Events unravelled rapidly for Hayes and the Social Democrats, who jointly divulged that he sold 7,000 shares for €199,000. He later said his statements were inaccurate but not intentionally so. Clearly this was a serious matter – hypocrisy is bad, but putting inaccurate information out, while being backed up by his colleagues, brought things to another level. He was suspended 'with immediate effect', with no time frame attached to the punishment – meaning he would sit as an Independent, with reduced access to speaking time, committee membership and parliamentary party meetings. Before the Dáil even sat, the Social Democrats were down a TD. A review was commissioned from the party's national executive, which took two months to decide to extend the suspension indefinitely. More than four months later, questions remain unanswered. These include for Hayes, who has maintained a near total public silence on the matter. What, for example, did he mean when he said he sold the shares before entering politics; was it national or local politics? If, in the moment, he meant his Dáil election, why did he allow the impression to form at the press conference that this related to his council election five months earlier? Has he sought to be readmitted to the party? How does he explain the disastrous outing? What happened afterwards? What does he think of his suspension, or the review? After six months the party doesn't seem to have a clear explanation for how it arrived here, or what's next As for the party, it has a code of conduct for members, within which there are sections covering openness and honesty in public, and earning and maintaining the trust and confidence of the public. Regarding the sanction, a spokeswoman said there were 'internal disciplinary processes which can lead to a variety of different sanctions', but declined to share its disciplinary procedures, so we don't know if they envisage an indefinite suspension. The party's constitution allows the leader to suspend the whip until the matter is investigated, for a specified period of time or until a specified event has occurred or an action has been taken. While a review has happened, the party did not specifically address whether it was waiting for an event or action to take place. Obviously no specified period of time has been imposed. We don't know if the Social Democrats review identified any further information relevant to the matter; a spokeswoman for the party said he was suspended in line with the party's constitution for providing incorrect information to the media about the timing of the share sale. 'The Social Democrats national executive subsequently endorsed that decision. That remains the case, the reason for the suspension has not changed and there is no further update.' There have been reports of a split within the party over whether to readmit Hayes. If that is the case, are internal party dynamics preventing the issue from being brought to a close? If so, is that sustainable – can a suspension that is imposed for one thing (the plinth incident) continue because the party is unable to agree on the best way forward? It is possible, of course, that some within the party membership object not just to the plinth incident but to the holding and disposal of shares at all – but this is not what he was suspended for. Also, there is the question of whether it's in keeping with natural justice to impose a sanction without end. There have been examples of suspensions before that had no time frame attached when handed down – after Golfgate, for example. But those politicians were back in the party after six months. Mattie McGrath lost the Fianna Fáil whip in 2010 and left the party about seven months later. More recent suspensions, for example for Green Party TDs who voted against the last government, were explicitly time bound when they were imposed. Meanwhile, the party has continued to act as though Hayes is one of their TDs for the purposes of committee chair allocations. Public funds are allocated on the basis of TDs elected for a party – with Hayes potentially meaning another €56,574 to party coffers if he is counted as one of their TDs. A party spokeswoman did not directly address whether it would claim this – saying like all parties it is in receipt of State money allocated on the basis of electoral performance. After six months the party doesn't seem to have a clear explanation for how it arrived here, or what's next. Exactly the sort of thing the Opposition tends to excoriate Government over.
Irish Times
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
Practicality rather than divisions behind front-bench reshuffle, Social Democrats say
The Social Democrats have dismissed suggestions that a mini reshuffle among its front bench spokespeople was done for anything other than practical reasons. Acting party leader Cian O'Callaghan announced that Dublin Rathdown TD Sinéad Gibney was moving from the foreign affairs brief to media, tourism and arts, with Kilkenny-based senator Patricia Stephenson taking on her former role. A party spokeswoman said there was no basis to suggestions about divisions in the party, noting that both portfolios were senior and reflected the experience and expertise of the appointee. There are divided views within the parliamentary party about the status of Eoin Hayes , the Dublin Bay South TD who was suspended by the party over a failure to account fully for the manner in which he disposed of shareholdings in Palantir, a US-based company that has provided military technology to Israel. Some members of the parliamentary party are understood to want to bring his suspension to an end. READ MORE The spokeswoman said the decision to reshuffle spokespeople was taken in order to align them with their Oireachtas committee responsibilities. Ms Stephenson had not previously been a party spokesperson and there was uncertainty over which committee she would be appointed to. When it became known she had been selected to the Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, the logical thing was for her to become spokesperson in that area, the party said. The same applied to Ms Gibney, who is a member of the Committee on Media, Tourism and Arts. Mr O'Callaghan said Ms Stephenson is 'a former EU diplomat, having worked for the EU delegation to Uganda in the governance and human rights department' and is also one of the Irish delegates to the Council of Europe. Ms Gibney, the former chief commissioner of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, is one of the party's most high-profile TDs. She has experience of the media and communications sector, having spent eight years working at a senior level for a multinational technology company. Ms Gibney said she had enjoyed working in the 'crucial area' of foreign affairs alongside Ms Stephenson but was 'excited to get stuck into my new portfolio'. She said she was delighted her colleague had secured a committee position and a chance to 'bring her expertise' to the area.
Irish Examiner
08-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Social Democrats split on whether to allow suspended TD Eoin Hayes back into party
The Social Democrats are split on whether to bring suspended TD Eoin Hayes back into the fold, with concerns that Sinéad Gibney could leave party if he is readmitted. On Wednesday, Ms Gibney repeatedly declined to rule out leaving the party if Mr Hayes was readmitted to the Social Democrats parliamentary party. Ms Gibney, a TD for Dublin Rathdown, said she would not be commenting on 'hypotheticals', despite being repeatedly asked if she would leave the party if Mr Hayes was re-admitted. Mr Hayes was suspended from the Social Democrats after it emerged that he did not sell his shares in US company Palantir until a month after he was elected as a Dublin city councillor. This contradicted information previously given by Mr Hayes to the effect that he had sold the shares in the company, where he worked from 2015 to 2017, before he entered politics. Palantir has supplied software and technology to the Israel Defense Forces. Other TDs within the party have flagged concerns about readmitting Mr Hayes, with one saying they would not be comfortable with his return. 'If I had my way, I'd be telling him to sling his hook,' the TD said. However, there is a limit to what the party can do, with some saying that total expulsion is a bridge too far for Mr Hayes's offence. 'The danger is that it eats up the party. We need to come to an agreement. Eoin Hayes cannot be the thing that splits us apart," a source said. There is also a recognition that the undefined nature of Mr Hayes's suspension means that the Social Democrats are likely to be dogged by questions surrounding a possible return which takes focus away from the work being carried out by other TDs. There is an interest from some in drawing a line under the situation sooner rather than later so that attention could return to the daily work at hand. Whatever the outcome, the party needs to remember that its values must remain at its core, a source said. Other TDs were happy on Wednesday to keep the issue on the long finger rather than face into the tough decisions with some just months into the role of TD. There was an overall view that any decision made would be done as a collective. 'It is a deeply difficult issue for us,' a TD said.
The Journal
24-04-2025
- Business
- The Journal
TD suspended from Soc Dems over Israel-linked shares calls for Occupied Territories Bill 'now'
SUSPENDED SOCIAL DEMOCRATS TD Eoin Hayes has called for the Occupied Territories Bill to be enacted, claiming he is the only TD in this Dáil who made it a 'red line' issue in last year's general election. In a statement released this afternoon, the Dublin Bay South TD said he is 'deeply concerned' that the 'do-nothing' Government has not yet passed the Occupied Territories Bill and that it has had long enough to tease out any legal issues with the legislation. Today's statement from Hayes said that he believes 'he is the only member of the 34th Dáil to have made the Bill a red-line issue prior to the General Election'. Explainer: Why was newly elected Social Democrats TD Eoin Hayes suspended just days into the job? He continued: 'It is incumbent upon all of us to do what we can to challenge injustice wherever we see it. 'The Occupied Territories Bill as written by Senator Frances Black and others is one of the best steps we can take to challenge the injustice and violence being wrought against the Palestinian people in Gaza, the West Bank, Israel, and in refugee and asylum populations across the world.' Hayes was suspended from the Social Democrats in December last year, less than two weeks after becoming a TD, after he misled reporters and party leadership in relation to shares he held in a software firm that supplies technology to the Israeli Defence Forces. The firm, Palantir, provides militaries, including the Israeli Defence Forces, with artificial intelligence models used in battlegrounds to help identify targets. Its software has been used by Israel to identify targets in Gaza. Advertisement On the day of his suspension, Hayes was repeatedly asked by reporters during a press conference at Leinster House when he sold his shares in the company and how much he sold them for. He repeatedly refused to give an answer on when exactly he sold them or for how much. Instead, when continuously pushed on the matter, Hayes told reporters that he sold the shares before he entered politics. 'As soon as I became aware that Israel had very close relationships with that company I divested,' Hayes told reporters. However, in a statement sent by the Social Democrats later that day, Hayes clarified that what he told reporters that morning was 'not true'. He went on to apologise and said that he actually sold his shares a month after he was elected as a councillor. He also revealed that he sold the shares for a pre-tax figure of €199,000. In February of this year, a review carried out by the national executive of the Social Democrats endorsed the decision to suspend Hayes 'indefinitely' from the parliamentary party. Earlier this month, despite Hayes identifying himself as an 'Independent TD' following his suspension, the party claimed he was still a Social Democrats TD for the purpose of Oireachtas Committees. Asked today if there is any further update on his status as a TD in the party, a spokesperson for the Social Democrats said there is not. The spokesperson said: 'The Social Democrats have consistently advocated for the enactment of the Occupied Territories Bill and call on the government to do so as a matter of urgency.' 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
RTÉ News
24-04-2025
- Business
- RTÉ News
FG's Ward appointed chair of influential EU Affairs committee
Fine Gael deputy for Dún Laoghaire Barry Ward is to become chair of the influential Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs. Two weeks ago, the 28 Oireachtas committees were belatedly allocated to political parties and groups, after the process was stalled for over four months over disagreements triggered by the Dáil speaking row. The Oireachtas committees, which are essential to both the formulation and the passing of legislation, are taking shape, but it could be weeks before they are fully up and running. Sinn Féin will chair the Finance, Justice Home Affairs and Migration, Public Accounts, Defence and National Security, Disability Matters, Petitions, and Fisheries committees. Labour will get to appoint the chairperson of the Traveller Community committee as well as the Oireachtas Committee on Media and Arts. The Social Democrats, who became eligible for a second chairing role after declaring that its suspended deputy Eoin Hayes remained a party TD, will chair the Health and the Drug Use committees. He was indefinitely suspended by the party in December after contradictory statements about when he had sold shares in a company that supplies artificial intelligence tools to the Israeli military. Social Democrats Dublin Central TD Gary Gannon will chair the Oireachtas Committee on Drug Use, while his party colleague, Cork South Central TD Pádraig Rice, will chair the Oireachtas Committee on Health. The Independent Technical Group will chair the Committee on Budgetary Oversight while the Independents and Smaller Parties group will chair the Irish Language Committee. The remaining 15 roles will go to Government TDs. The Regional Independent TDs are not seeking a committee chairperson position.
