Catherine Connolly formally announces bid to seek election for presidency
Catherine Connolly
has formally announced her bid to seek
election for the presidency.
The left-wing Galway West representative said she did not make the decision overnight and was doubtful enough about the move, but was convinced by the correspondence she got from people asking her to run.
She outlined the reasons why she decided to run and her vision for the presidency while speaking on RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta Adhmhaidin programme.
'I was taken aback by the support I received, I wasn't expecting that level of support from people across the country, in English and Irish,' she said speaking in Irish.
READ MORE
She said she was independent, was 'not afraid to speak out' and outlined her vision for the role.
'I will give an ear to everyone, I worked as a clinical psychologist for seven years, and then I worked as a barrister. From that experience I can hear everyone's opinion.'
On Tuesday, Fine Gael's
Mairead McGuinness
became the first official nominee in the presidential race to replace
Michael D Higgins
after his term comes to an end in the autumn.
Ms McGuinness, who was a TV presenter and farming journalist before becoming an MEP and EU commissioner, is the nominee to become Fine Gael's presidential candidate.
The election to succeed Mr Higgins is set to take place in late October or early November.
Prospective candidates need the support of 20 Oireachtas members to get on the ballot paper.
Fianna Fáil has not clarified if it will run a candidate and is to make a decision in the early autumn.
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has also refused to rule herself out of the running.
Ms Connolly has received the backing of the Social Democrats and People Before Profit, with the Labour Party to 'very seriously' consider backing her.
Ms Connolly worked as a barrister and a clinical psychologist before becoming a councillor for 17 years and spending a term as Galway mayor until 2005.
She resigned from the Labour Party in 2006 after being turned down to be a running mate of then incumbent TD Michael D Higgins.
She was first elected to the Dáil as an independent candidate for Galway West in 2016.
Speaking on Wednesday, she said she did not 'fall out' with the Labour Party and said she understood that Labour and Sinn Féin were considering support her, adding she already had the support of more than 20 Oireachtas members.
Asked about who would pay for her campaign, she said the parties that have backed her 'were happy' to give her any support she needs, but the details had not yet been worked out.
She was also asked about her stance on the war in Ukraine – about the suggestion that she did not clap during Volodymyr Zelenskiy's address to the Dáil in April 2022 and whether Ukraine should be sent arms by other countries.
She said she had criticised Russia 'many times' and was despondent about the failure of diplomacy in relation to the conflict, but that does not give Russia 'any excuse'.
She said she did clap for Mr Zelenskiy in April 2022 but said some journalists reckoned her applause 'did not go on long enough or was not strong enough'.
She added: 'I want us to use our voice as a neutral country. I am very worried about the direction Europe, the US and other countries are going in. More war does not bring about peace, that is not the way.
'We're a small country with a particular history and we should use that experience and influence, not just in relation to Russia, but in relation to Israel and Gaza too.' - PA
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Irish Daily Mirror
13 minutes ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Taoiseach welcomes trade deal between EU and US
Taoiseach Micheál Martin has welcomed a deal between the European Union and the United States, which will see a 15% tariff on most EU imports to the US. The deal was reached during a meeting between Donald Trump and the president of the European Commission on Sunday. The US president met European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to hammer out the final details on the trading relationship between Europe and the US. Reacting to the deal, Mr Martin said the agreement was very welcome. 'It brings clarity and predictability to the trading relationship between the EU and the US – the biggest in the world,' the Fianna Fail leader said. 'That is good for businesses, investors and consumers. It will help protect many jobs in Ireland. 'The negotiations to get us to this point have been long and complex, and I would like to thank both teams for their patient work. 'We will now study the detail of what has been agreed, including its implications for businesses exporting from Ireland to the US, and for different sectors operating here. 'The agreement is a framework and there will be more detail to be fleshed out in the weeks and months ahead.' Mr Martin said the higher tariffs will have an impact on trade between the EU and the US, which will make it more expensive and more challenging. US President Donald Trump enjoyed a round of golf before his meeting with Ursula von der Leyen 'However, it also creates a new era of stability that can hopefully contribute to a growing and deepening relationship between the EU and the US, which is important not just for the EU and the US, but for the global economy,' he added. 'Given the very real risk that existed for escalation and for the imposition of punitively high tariffs, this news will be welcomed by many.' The deal was also welcomed by deputy Irish premier and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Simon Harris, who said it brings clarity to businesses. 'While we have yet to see the detail, I welcome that an agreement has been announced by Commission President von der Leyen and US President Trump,' Mr Harris said in a statement. 'A deal provides a measure of much-needed certainty for Irish, European and American businesses who together represent the most integrated trading relationship in the world. Ireland makes a key contribution to this with the Ireland-US economic relationship valued at more than one trillion euros. 'The US had made clear, and this has been replicated in other recent agreements, which the US has reached with other countries, that a baseline tariff was always going to be part of the outcome. 'I have always stressed that tariffs are damaging and will have a negative impact on companies exporting to the US. 'While Ireland regrets that the baseline tariff of 15% is included in the agreement, it is important that we now have more certainty on the foundations for the EU-US trade relationship, which is essential for jobs, growth and investment. 'President von der Leyen described this as 15% tariffs across the board, all-inclusive.' He said further detail is needed around pharma, aviation and other sectors. Mr Harris said he will examine the details of the agreement over the coming days to establish the effect on Irish businesses and the economy. Earlier, EU commissioner Michael McGrath said the meeting was a 'significant and decisive moment'. Mr McGrath, EU Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law and Consumer Protection, said it would involve substantive negotiations between both sides. 'It's a significant moment, we hope a decisive moment, and it builds on an enormous amount of work that has been done over quite a period of time,' Mr McGrath said ahead of the meeting. 'President Trump invited President von der Leyen to Scotland for a meeting. 'This follows on the back of intensive negotiations over a number of months. He added: 'It is not a case of turning up and signing on the dotted line. There will be a real discussion that will happen, and it will take on a dynamic of its own, and let's see what happens over the course of the afternoon. 'But from the EU's point of view, we are determined to do all that we can to get a deal for European businesses, because we recognise the cost of uncertainty. 'It manifests in trade and in investment decisions and ultimately in employment and of course tariffs can cost consumers at the end of the day. 'We want a good deal. We have negotiated hard, and we're at a point now where hopefully the two leaders can today bring it to a concluding phase.' Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.
Irish Times
13 minutes ago
- Irish Times
The Irish Times view on the EU/US trade deal: a step towards economic stability
The agreement of an outline trade deal between the EU and the US is positive, to the extent that it avoids the risk of a full-scale tariffs war between the two sides. For Ireland, the EU state most exposed to US trade and investment, this could have been particularly damaging. What the EU has been dealing with here is damage limitation. Average tariffs of 15 per cent on EU imports into the US - a central part of the deal - are roughly three times the rate that applied when Donald Trump came to office. This will cause economic damage on both sides of the Atlantic. Whatever Trump's objections are to the way the EU treats US imports, dealing with them this way ensures US consumers will pay more for their goods, as well as damaging Europe. Trump is claiming the deal, which also includes promises of EU purchases of US energy and military equipment, as a triumph. And he did get a lot of what he wanted. Perhaps driven in large part by the desire to see continued US support for Nato and Ukraine, the EU has been on the back foot. It has been faced by a US president pursuing a relentless tariff agenda, partly driven by economic nationalism and partly by the need to raise cash for the US exchequer. The main gain for the EU – and for Ireland - of the outline deal is that it avoids the risk of a trade war, which would have had unpredictable and dangerous consequences. Trump had threatened a general tariff level of 30 per cent to apply from next week on EU imports and, had there not been a deal, the EU had a list of US goods ready on which it planned to impose tariffs. This could have escalated quickly, potentially drawing in US digital tech companies, many with international bases in Ireland. READ MORE Details have still to be spelled out on how the 15 per cent tariffs will be applied and these will be important. The impact will vary across different sectors of exporters from Ireland to the US and will be difficult in some areas. It may be some weeks before this is clear. Importantly for Ireland, Trump has said a separate process examining what should happen to the pharma sector will continue and he again underlined that he wanted key drugs and ingredients made in the US. While there was some uncertainty on this in the immediate wake of the deal, the risk of higher tariffs in this area, or other action to try to get pharma companies to relocate production to the US, appears to remain. And while European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said that in general the deal would bring 'stability', the final details have still to be agreed and published. With Trump in office, uncertainty will remain. However, it is still better to have a basic deal which, provided it holds, will now start to restore some level of certainty to trade between the US and EU.
Irish Times
43 minutes ago
- Irish Times
EU-US deal good for Ireland as it averts trade war for now and gives businesses vital sense of certainty
The agreement of an outline trade deal between the EU and the US has one main advantage – it avoids an imminent tariffs war between the two sides which could have got nasty. US president Donald Trump had threatened 30 per cent tariffs on EU imports from August 1st and the EU had drawn up a list of US goods on which it would impose tariffs of its own. This could have developed into a tit-for-tat battle. Now, the gunfight is off and the trade weapons are back in their holsters, at least for a while. Ireland relies heavily on US investment and trade and stood to be particularly exposed if a trade war broke out. Such a scenario could risk drawing big digital tech companies with large operations here into the fallout. READ MORE Peace has broken out, but Trump's unpredictable nature means dangers and uncertainties lie ahead. Businesses in most sectors will, for now at least, know what they are dealing with and that has a value it itself, as doubt had started to damage investment. What about the terms of the deal? The 15 per cent tariff is well above the average of just under 5 per cent which applied on all EU imports to the US before Trump came to office. However, Irish businesses have been faced with a range of different tariff levels and much will depend on the small print of what was agreed. It is worth remembering that Trump imposed 10 per cent tariffs on top of existing ones after 'Liberation Day' and these remain in place. So, Irish companies will be calculating how the 15 per cent compares to the current position – and also to what applied before Trump came to power. Indications on Sunday night were that the 15 per cent would be 'all-inclusive' rather than adding to pre-existing tariffs. If that is the case, it would be welcome. While no details have been circulated, the EU said there would be 'zero for zero' deals discussed in some areas. Drinks or agri-food could be in the frame here, which would be positive for Ireland. One sector which is vital to Ireland is the pharma sector and there was some confusion as to how it would be affected. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said this would be covered by the 15 per cent cap on reciprocal tariffs. However, the Trump administration is examining key sectors like pharma and semiconductors – seen as vital to national security – under a separate process known as the section 232 studies. It may be possible that higher tariffs on EU pharma exports to the US could yet emerge from this. Trump spoke again on Sunday about his determination to bring pharma investment back home for security reasons. And he has spoken before about the possibility of using tariffs to achieve this. Other policy options would also be open to Trump to try to get pharma firms to relocate away from countries like Ireland. The generally better mood between the EU and US may help in areas like this, but dangers remain for Ireland. In the wider picture, Trump is building in baseline tariffs of 15 per cent for many countries, with his key goal being to raise revenue for the US exchequer. But this will hit those who rely on imports into the US, too, affecting businesses and consumers and pushing up inflation. That is the price of tariffs. For now, though, Trump is happy for the US to pay it.
