Latest news with #SocialDemocrats'
The Journal
4 days ago
- Business
- The Journal
Eoin Hayes has suspension from SocDems lifted, eight months after controversy over IDF-linked shares
THE SUSPENSION OF TD Eoin Hayes from the Social Democrats' parliamentary party has been lifted. A party spokesperson said the decision was made by acting leader Cian O'Callaghan, in line with the party's constitution. Hayes lost the whip on 10 December, 2024, when he provided incorrect information to the media about the sale of shares in Palantir Technologies, his former employer. 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. 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. Advertisement However, in a statement this evening, O'Callaghan remarked that Hayes has been suspended from the parliamentary party for close to eight months and that he 'should be given a second chance'. 'Eoin has a lot to offer as a Social Democrats TD and I look forward to working with him,' added O'Callaghan. Meanwhile, Hayes offered a 'full and unequivocal apology for giving the incorrect information to the media about when I divested from Palantir'. 'I also want to be clear that I should not have held the shares for as long as I did,' he added. Hayes said he has donated $51,000 to three humanitarian organisations active in Gaza – split between, UNRWA, Unicef and Doctors without Borders. 'This figure represents the uplift in share price, less applicable taxes, from 7 October, 2023 to 26 July, 2024, when I sold the shares. 'I know I have let people down and I am determined to work hard and earn back people's trust.' 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
4 days ago
- Business
- RTÉ News
Eoin Hayes readmitted to Social Democrats after suspension
Dublin Bay South TD Eoin Hayes has been readmitted to the Social Democrats following a near eight-month suspension, the party has said. Mr Hayes was suspended from the Social Democrats' parliamentary party last December after he confirmed that he sold his shares in software company Palantir Technologies for just under €200,000. The Social Democrats said he provided incorrect information to the media about the sale of shares in Palantir, his former employer. Mr Hayes had taken his seat in the Dáil as an Independent. In a statement this afternoon, Mr Hayes apologised for giving "incorrect information to the media". He added that he "should not have held the shares" as long as he did. Speaking this evening, Social Democrats' deputy leader Cian O'Callaghan said he believed Mr Hayes "should be given a second chance". He said: "Eoin has been suspended from the parliamentary party for nearly eight months and I believe he should be given a second chance. "Eoin has a lot to offer as a Social Democrats TD and I look forward to working with him." Mr Hayes had faced questions over his divestment of shares in the company which supplies artificial intelligence tools to the Israeli military. He said he received 7,000 shares as part of his employment package with the company. Mr Hayes sold them in July last year for a pre-tax figure of €199,000. He won the final seat in the Dublin Bay South constituency in the 2024 election in what was a major gain for the party.
Irish Independent
7 days ago
- Business
- Irish Independent
The Irish Independent's View: With budgets, big numbers do nothing but bamboozle
It was dismissed for a lack of detail and coherence. The headline figures like '€200bn set to be spent on infrastructure' are too big to take in. Mathematics may be the language in which God wrote the universe, according to scientists, but back here on Earth, when you put so many zeros after a number you start to lose sight of the figure. The Social Democrats' spokesman on public expenditure, Cian O'Callaghan, said the plan 'seeks to bamboozle with the budget to disguise the paucity of both commitments and detail'. In the end, people just want to know how many new houses will be built, how much money they will be left with in their pockets and how their hard-earned taxes will be spent. Tracking how and where the money goes will be challenging, for most of the €275.4bn earmarked for the period 2026-2035 will go to government departments, rather than projects. Precise detail of how it will be used is scant. Housing, long prioritised as the critical focus of the Coalition, has, unsurprisingly, come out on top – €36bn has been allocated to support building and infrastructure in the sector. The delivery of new homes is supposedly central to the plan, but again, how targets can be met is sketchy. Transport is to get €22.3bn, health €9.3bn, education €7.6bn and climate, environment and energy is next at €5.6bn. The intention is still to address fundamental weakness or shortages that could impede economic development Of course, the NDP is a framework for investment and subject to the vagaries of the economic cycle, but the intention is still to address fundamental weakness or shortages that could impede economic development. As stated, chief among these is housing, but there is not enough substance in the plan to give confidence that dire needs can be satisfied, no matter how big the sums are. The Summer Economic Statement was also published, and the talking point here was the tax break given on Vat to the hospitality industry. Out of a package of €1.5bn in tax cuts, €1bn is to go to the sector, reducing Vat from 13.5pc to 9pc. Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe said when the Vat commitment was originally made that there would be 'trade-off and consequences'. A giant Donald Trump-sized doubt hovers over all these projections, depending on how his tariffs play out. All governments must make choices. As Franklin D Roosevelt once said, they can and do err. But he quoted Dante, who believed divine justice weighs the sins of the cold-blooded and the sins of the warm-hearted in different scales. The government that lives 'in a spirit of charity' tends to fare better than one 'frozen in the ice of its own indifference'. Only time can reveal how the scales are tipped for the Coalition.
Extra.ie
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Extra.ie
Presidential race heats up but who are Labour backing?
Labour is 'leaning' towards backing Catherine Connolly in the presidential race – despite her turbulent history with the party. Yesterday, the Independent TD announced she plans to run for the Áras. Labour Party sources have said members will be consulted, with feedback expected within the month. However, the view from certain party quarters is that the idea of a joint left-leaning candidate came from Labour leader Ivana Bacik – and any 'sniping' over the years 'is just politics at the end of the day'. Ms Connolly confirmed her intention yesterday to seek nomination to succeed Michael D Higgins in the upcoming Presidential election. Catherine Connolly. Pic: Arthur Carron/Collins Photos 'I've support from across the spectrum, including the Social Democrats, People Before Profit and Solidarity (PBPS), as well as a number of senators and others,' the Galway TD told the Connacht Tribune. 'I'll be formally launching my campaign next week.' Ms Connolly had been widely seen as a frontrunner in the search among left-leaning parties in the Dáil. A survey of Social Democrats' members found that the vast majority of them – nine in 10 respondents – were in favour of running a Presidential candidate, with Catherine Connolly 'by far the most frequent name to be suggested'. 'Catherine has been a tireless advocate for progressive causes and we believe she would make an excellent President,' the party said. Asked by the Irish Daily Mail if the Social Democrats will be the primary funder of Ms Connolly's campaign, a party source said that she will be managing her own campaign, and details of the Social Democrats' support have yet to be finalised. Ms Connolly is also expected to get the backing of People Before Profit, as well as some independent TDs and senators. Sinn Féin and Labour have yet to indicate whether they will support Ms Connolly in her bid, with both parties undertaking their own internal processes. But numerous sources in Labour told it is 'more likely than not' the party will back her bid for the Áras. Ms Connolly first entered politics in 1999 when she was elected to Galway City Council as a Labour representative. She left the party before the 2007 general election after the party stopped her from running for the Dáil alongside Michael D Higgins, although she previously said this was a case of the party 'leaving her'. Mary Lou has not ruled herself out. Pic: Niall Carson/PA Wire In 2016, she made headlines when she accused Labour of 'losing its soul'. Earlier this week, one member of the party expressed their views about supporting Ms Connolly due to her foreign policy views, describing her as the 'Clare Daly candidate'. A well-placed Labour source acknowledged there are 'mixed feelings' about Ms Connolly in the party, but said 'on the whole, we share many of the same values'. 'Ivana has had multiple conversations with Catherine about the Presidency and we are the ones who were leading on running a joint, left-leaning candidate,' they said. 'Of course we are going to consult with our membership, but Ms Connolly has many good qualities that we can get behind.' Another added: 'It has been clear for a while that the direction of travel for any joint-left candidate was Catherine. Sure, there has been some sniping over the years, but it is politics at the end of the day. No decisions have been made yet, but it is fair to say we are leaning towards backing her.' Catherine Connolly. Pic: Leah Farrell/ A Sinn Féin spokesman said the party is still in discussions about joining the left alliance or fielding a candidate of its own. 'All options are on the table,' they said. Earlier this week, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald refused to rule herself out of the running to become the next President of Ireland. It appeared to be a change of position from March, when Ms McDonald said she would not be running, and she was focusing on work towards a future Sinn Féin government. Fine Gael's deadline for Presidential candidates will close on Tuesday, and in all likelihood Mairead McGuinness will be the sole nomination after Seán Kelly decided earlier this week not to contest. Fianna Fáil has kept its cards close to its chest on whether it will be running a candidate, having sat out the last two Presidential elections. Minister of State at the Department of Justice Niall Collins said yesterday the party will make its position known by September, but it 'won't be running a candidate for the sake of it'.
The Sun
11-07-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
German coalition crisis as top judge vote postponed over plagiarism claims
BERLIN: A planned vote on appointing three new judges to Germany's Constitutional Court was shelved on Friday, as conservative Chancellor Friedrich Merz's coalition struggled to muster a parliamentary majority for the second time in three months. Other parties, including his Social Democrat coalition partners, charged the Christian Democrats with bringing Germany's highest court into disrepute and using spurious plagiarism allegations as a pretext for shelving a vote the coalition would not have won. The conservatives had initially sought to postpone a vote only on appointing Frauke Brosius-Gersdorf, a law professor and the Social Democrats' nominee, who was opposed by many conservatives because of her support for abortion rights. 'I never imagined we'd see debates in our country reminiscent of those on appointing justices to the United States Supreme Court,' the SPD's Dirk Wiese told parliament. 'The kind of witch hunt we've seen against a distinguished law professor this week should make us fear for the state of democracy in our country,' he added. The failure to muster a majority is an embarrassment for Merz and for his ally Jens Spahn, the conservatives' parliamentary leader, whose job it is to ensure his legislators toe the coalition line - something he had been confident of achieving as recently as Monday. The conservatives blamed their volte-face on allegations published on Thursday evening by Stefan Weber, a self-proclaimed 'plagiarism hunter' who has claimed a string of politicians' scalps despite widespread doubts over his methods. Brosius-Gersdorf did not immediately respond to an e-mailed request for a comment on Weber's allegations, which appeared to accuse her of plagiarising footnotes in her thesis from one published after her own. 'This man brings plagiarism charges against half the republic,' said the Green's Britta Hasselmann, calling the conservatives' decision a disaster that would harm the court's reputation. Weber later backtracked, telling the Sueddeutsche Zeitung that he had merely flagged 'possible unethical authorship' and had not accused Brosius-Gersdorf of plagiarism. The Constitutional Court is one of Germany's most respected and powerful institutions. Its decision to overturn a budget helped trigger the collapse of the last government. While judges often have open party affiliations, public disagreements over topical cultural issues are rare. Its members speak with pride about its political neutrality, frequently comparing it favourably with the U.S. Supreme Court. - Reuters
