'Micheal Martin's government are the greatest bunch ever elected'
They move at such a slow pace that they make a snail look fast. The Taoiseach Micheal Martin and most of his ministers are stuck in a time warp of indecision that is disastrous for this country.
Take the passenger cap at Dublin Airport - the biggest joke if ever there was one. A local County Council, Fingal, and its planners are being allowed to dictate national aviation policy that threatens to be extremely damaging for this island.
This country needs more visitors, more tourists, more income to keep people in jobs.
Yet what was the point in building a new second runway at Dublin Airport if you want to cap the passenger numbers at 32million a year. The whole issue is ridiculous.
Remember the airport was there before almost everyone living around the airfield but yet a handful of these residents are complaining about the noise and trying to hold the whole country to ransom.
Why didn't they buy houses elsewhere if they were worried about planes coming and going.
Both Micheal Martin, the Tánaiste Simon Harris and the current Transport Minister Darragh O'Brien said they would fix it and here we are seven months down the road and it still hasn't been done.
All it would take is a law passed in the Dail to ban any passenger cap at Dublin Airport and free it up for passenger growth.
But yet the State in typical civil service fashion hides behind the courts and kicks the can down the road with no new law brought in.
A load of US Airlines are waiting to expand their services into Ireland but won't do so until the passenger cap issue is resolved.
Dublin Airport has the potential and capacity to grow to 60 million passengers a year if it is not burdened by ridiculous red tape.
Michael O'Leary was right yesterday when he said the current Government needs to get the finger out of their backsides and make some decisions.
He also rightly pointed out despite all the billions spent why wasn't the new National Children's Hospital opened yet.
It seems to me that the Sir Humprey's of this world in the civil service are making all the big calls for this country and our current crop of ministers are out of their debt.
Both Darragh O'Brien and the new Housing Minister James Brown do not seem to have a clue what the hell they are doing.
I was expecting big things from Micheal Martin on his return to the Taoiseach's Office but whatever is going on he appears a bit like the Cork team in the second half of the All Ireland Hurling Final yesterday he seems stuck in a daze .
He needs to rediscover his form, find his bloody A game and start getting things done fast and furious in this country.
Later today the Government in the form of the Finance Minister Paschal Donohue and the Public Expenditure Minister Jack Chambers will announce a €200billion, 10 year National Development Plan.
It all seems fine and dandy and we all know we need to invest in energy, water, housing, schools and transport infrastructure.
You will hear about all these projects to be constructed but what I want to know is the exact timeline? When will each start and be complete? Are all of these big projects all going to take 10 years to build like the National Children's Hospital with massive cost overruns.
Who in Government will actually police these investments to ensure that the taxpayer and the State are not ripped off.
Talk is cheap and what the people want to see is action not words. We want a precise date for each project to be finished.
Irish voters are sick and tired of politicians making promises and not delivering. They are sick and tired watching their country being ripped off. They are sick and tired of the politicians not having their back.
They want to see investment, they want to see better services but they also want to see Government competence and common sense.
Michael O'Leary said yesterday his greatest team in Ryanair is the team who keeps his costs down so he can offer cheaper airline tickets.
We don't seem to have any team in Government who can keep Ireland's costs down.
Instead our civil servants will just write whatever cheque is needed and so what if there are cost overruns. The National Children's Hospital is proof of this.
This country does not have an endless pit of money and the sooner our Government starts managing it properly the better.
Time for Micheal Martin and his Cabinet to wake up and start getting things done. Prison overcrowding
The overcrowding crisis in our jails appears to have caught the Government completely on the hop.
There has been a huge rise in the number of people convicted and sent to prison especially for sex offences.
The Gardai and the legal profession knew this was coming down the tracks for the last few years, yet our Dept of Justice was asleep at the wheel.
I feel sorry for the Irish Prison Service because they can't turn away any prisoner. Now they may have to house inmates in prison gyms because they have no room, and no new prisons were built.
The other downside is many prisoners are being freed early to make room for others. Mountjoy Prison, Dublin What a joke!
I have to laugh at the Presidential Race. One minute no one was running but now there is a queue of people who would love to live in the Aras.
I see our former chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan is thinking of throwing his hat in the ring.
If he does run he will not be getting my vote. I will never forget that this country endured the longest Covid lockdowns in Europe because of him and his mecial friends.
I don't believe he did a good job but others disagree. Dr Tony Holohan. (Image: Gareth Chaney/Collins Photos Dublin) Cork are no chokers
The final whistle was only over in Croke Park and the losing Cork team were being branded a bunch of chokers like Mayo. Social media is a very harsh and cruel place at times.
I don't think you can compare them. Cork haven't won a hurling final in 20 years while Mayo are waiting almost 70 years to bring Sam Maguire back out to the west.
For the second year in a row red hot favourites Cork had a bad day at the office, and that doesn't mean they are a bad team.
The Tipp lads to their credit had nothing to lose, were under no pressure, and played for fun. They were outstanding in the second half.
This Cork team are no chokers and will be back. Sometimes you have to lose a few before you win one.
Hurling is without doubt the greatest game in the world. Tipperary captain Ronan Maher. (Image: Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Bryan Keane) Weather is all over the place
July has been a really funny month weather wise. One day the sun is shining, the next few days are raining, then it is dry and cloudy, I really don't know what to expect.
We have umbrellas, swimming towels, boots, and coats in the back of the garden ready for whatever this summer brings. On Sunday it rained so bad in County Louth it felt like a dark November's day.
I kept saying to myself get me a flight out of here to the sunshine ASAP! Elsa, Marta, Anna and Leo from Italy enjoying a picnic in the sun at Sandycove, Dublin in May 2025. (Image: Sam boal/Collins Photos) Shane will be back
Shane Lowry is one of our sporting heroes and I really felt for him at the Open in Portrush.
Despite all his positivity and good play the golfing gods just seem to be against him with a ridiculous two shot penalty for his ball moving in the rough - which was ridiculous - and then he got a number of other bad breaks.
But then to round it all off he picked up a stomach bug which is the last thing anyone needs.
There is no doubt Shane will win another Major and it will happen when we all least expect it. Shane Lowry blows a kiss to the crowd after finishing his final round (Image: ©INPHO/Ben Brady) Don't mention Epstein!
Many of Donald Trump's core Make America Great Again supporters are turning against him over his refusal to release publicly all the Jeffrey Epstein files.
For years the President's close allies had peddled lies that the disgraced dead banker had organised paedophile rings for leading Democrats.
Now it seems there is no such evidence, much to the MAGA movement's dismay and they want every file released to prove otherwise
Only problem is Trump and Epstein partied together for decades until they fell out. And Trump's name could be in the files which would be bad news for him.
The whole Epstein drama has put the President in a bit of a pickle to say the least. Trump has denied sending a lewd drawing to Jeffrey Epstein for his birthday (Image: Internet Unknown) Matter of time for the Kinahans
My Garda pals tell me it could be a while yet before the ringleaders of the Kinahan crime cartel, Christy Snr, Daniel and Christy Jnr, are extradited back to Ireland.
There are no specific charges outstanding for them in Ireland at the moment and no international warrant for their arrest can be issued until that happens.
The Gardai are currently waiting on the DPP to make a decision on whether they can be charged with directing an organised crime gang.
A detailed Garda file on the Kinahan Gang's worldwide activities has now been with the DPP for over a year.
Hopefully a decision will be made sooner rather than later. Crime boss Daniel Kinahan (Image: Irish Mirror)
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RTÉ News
a day ago
- RTÉ News
First kite of pre-budget season flew over Leinster House
Bird watchers sometimes herald the sighting of the first swallow of the year as the start of spring. And, not to be outdone, political anoraks have a similar phrase too. The first kite of the pre-budget season flew high and mighty over a quieter than usual Leinster House this week, as the beginning of the Dáil's summer recess was interrupted by a potentially serious political row gliding into view. Not for the first time, it involved a once cast-iron pre-election promise whose carefully choreographed landing now risks becoming a victim of some not exactly unexpected post-election economic turbulence. And, not for the last time, the planned flight trajectory could yet be replaced by an all too public nose dive as the Coalition checks its political radar for signs of how to navigate its way between two competing financial priorities. Hospitality tax cut The reason for the situation is a Programme for Government promise which is now at real risk of being delayed. In the January document, which outlines what Government intends to do in power, the Fianna Fáil-Fine Gael-Independents Coalition confirmed that the existing 13.5% hospitality VAT rate would be reduced. That commitment, which was one of Fine Gael's key commitments in last November's General Election, was widely seen as indicating but did not explicitly point to this October's Budget as the moment the 13.5% rate would be cut to 9%. Such a move would support struggling restaurants, bars, cafes, pubs and hotels, and therefore help protect jobs. "Our Budget decisions could change depending on the economic environment we find ourselves in." But its near €1 billion price tag would mean less financial space for cost of living supports for the wider pubic, an issue that was made crystal clear as Government outlined its immediate economic plans this week. During a press conference at Government Buildings on Tuesday, Taoiseach Micheál Martin, Tánaiste Simon Harris, Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe and Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers announced the Coalition's National Development Plan and Summer Economic Statement. The former outlined a €275bn capital projects war chest for the coming decade, including aspirational promises and dazzling numbers like €36bn for housing, €22bn for transport infrastructure such as the long-delayed Dublin Metro, and almost €10bn for health. But the latter was more pragmatic, detailing in practical terms how much money Government actually has to play with in its coffers right now - and, specifically, space for €1.5bn worth of tax cuts in Budget 2026. The figure may seem like a lot, and it is, but it still does not pay for everything voters want. And, inevitably, that means difficult choices for the coalition to make, including when it comes to promises previously given. Despite both Mr Martin and Mr Harris saying in recent months that the cut will happen, Mr Donohoe told reporters that the expected hospital VAT reduction from 13.5% to 9% was not as certain as previously indicated. Rarely one to misspeak, Minister Donohoe explained that if the hospitality VAT rate is reduced it is important "to be open" about the fact "trade offs" with other sections of society may be necessary. "I have always made clear my intention with regard to that [the hospitality VAT cut]," he said. His use of the word "intention" rather than anything stronger peaked the interest of attending reporters. "But I have also said there are trade offs, and there are consequences to that," he said. "And there are therefore other things that we are not going to be able to do. "If you were to bring forward a tax package that was to fund a full year measure that was in relation to the VAT, the cost of that would be nearly a €1bn." "And then if I was to add to that other measures we've done in the past, we would have a tax package that is far bigger than what I believe would be safe," he said. He added: "Our Budget decisions could change depending on the economic environment we find ourselves in." A pre-budget kite, in other words. And one that has caused if not a split, then certainly some friction, within the Coalition as competing political priorities have emerged. Internal Coalition friction While Minister Donohoe's comments were likely designed to point out the reality of the dilemma for Government rather than specifically rule out the hospitality tax cuts this year, they did open the door to the prospect within at least some sections of the coalition. By Wednesday, several Government sources had indicated privately that the cut should be delayed until July 2026, with Fianna Fáil members - including the wily long-time Limerick City TD Willie O'Dea - among those to publicly nudge forward the argument. Speaking on Friday on RTÉ's Morning Ireland programme, Deputy O'Dea said given the limited scope for tax reductions in the upcoming budget, he would "like to see it [the €1.5bn in available tax cuts] more equitably divided", with "an increase in tax credits and tax bands in line with inflation" his priority. Asked if this is because it would be difficult to convince voters to support helping the hospitality sector first, given a disputed reputation for price gouging by some businesses in that sector, Deputy O'Dea said: "It's not just a question of would it be hard to sell to the public, it's would it be good for the economy." Responding to suggestions of friction in the Coalition over the situation, he added: "I wouldn't describe it as friction, people have different views and that's what Coalition government is about." "I don't understand what kind of kites the Government are flying in relation to this cut for the hospitality industry, the Government are sewing massive seeds of confusion on this yet again." Deputy O'Dea's view was echoed privately by numerous Fianna Fáil TDs, and a smaller number of Fine Gael colleagues, who questioned how prioritising help for businesses instead of cost of living supports for the wider public might play out. And senior Government sources did little to kill off the suggestion when asked. But Fine Gael TD and Minister for Enterprise and Tourism Peter Burke - the politician responsible for the sector - had a different view during a hastily organised press briefing at Government Buildings on Thursday. Asked if he would acknowledge the hospitality VAT tax rate cut will now be delayed until next summer, Minister Burke responded: "Absolutely not acknowledging that, any negotiations will form part of the budget. "We're now still in July and it's very important to note the Budget will consider all options in every different sector." Opposition criticism The opposition, it is fair to say, were less than impressed over the apparent confusion over whether the hospitality tax cut would still go ahead on 1 January or be delayed until at least next July. Labour TD Duncan Smith said bluntly: "I don't understand what kind of kites the Government are flying in relation to this cut for the hospitality industry, the Government are sewing massive seeds of confusion on this yet again." That view was shared by other opposition TDs, including Sinn Féin's Donnchadh O'Laoghaire who said the Coalition needs to find a way to help both the hospitality sector and the wider public through cost of living supports. And it was echoed too by non-political groups representing those in the sector, which became locked in a war of words over what should happen next. Responding to the watering down of the previous tax cut promise, Restaurants Association of Ireland Chief Executive Adrian Cummins said: "If the VAT rate doesn't reduce to 9% from January 1, you'll see more and more closures" and resulting job losses, noting more than 200 restaurants have already closed this year. However, the view was countered by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions general secretary Owen Reidy. "The proposal to cut the VAT rate at a time of huge economic uncertainty flies in the face of all available evidence, and would amount to nothing less than economic vandalism," he said. "The Government has identified many laudable priorities as part of its programme for Government: housing, reductions in child poverty, and investment in disability services. "Given that ministers have been giving serious warnings about economic uncertainty, why would they prioritise a corporate handout costing almost €1bn?" Government dilemma That latter point goes to the heart of the difficulty now facing Government, and in part helps to explain the early nature of this week's at times contradictory pre-budget kite flying. While there is a strong argument for the need to protect businesses, and therefore jobs, in the hospitality sector during a period of intense global financial uncertainty, few politicians would want to be seen to be doing so at the expense of supports for households during that same economic turbulence. In that context a calculated delay to the hospitality VAT rate cut plans makes some sense, as it would allow Government to continue to argue it will - eventually - keep its promise while giving itself more short-term financial space to protect the wider public. That plan, however, comes with a significant catch, in that the hospitality sector is insistent a delay to the tax cut will see people lose their jobs. But, more than one Government TD has privately noted this week, not delaying the tax cut in order to have more space for wider public cost of living supports would put households at risk and give opposition parties an obvious line of attack the coalition could do without. The first kite of the pre-budget season has now soared into view. Depending on which way the economic and public wind blows, it could yet lead to an unexpectedly bumpy political ride.
RTÉ News
a day ago
- RTÉ News
CMAT's housing single strikes a chord with young people
In the week when the Government made housing the focus of its revised National Development Plan, CMAT's newest single struck a chord with young people at the sharp end of the housing crisis. The Co Meath artist's single EURO-COUNTRY dropped on Tuesday - the same day the Taoiseach described housing as the "defining social challenge of our time". EURO-COUNTRY tells the story of the 2008 financial crash from CMAT's perspective as a child in a small town living through the consequences of the Celtic Tiger's collapse. The song includes the lyrics: "All the big boys/All the Berties/All the envelopes, yeah they hurt me/I was 12 when the das started killing themselves all around me/And it was normal/Building houses that stay empty even now." The track has hit home with people who were children when the Celtic Tiger came to an end and are now in their 20s and 30s. Many people have been posting on TikTok about how this 'anthem' resonates with them. "The anxieties that she has are anxieties that I often have living in Ireland," said Memphis Zuza, a 21-year-old student at NCAD. Darragh Greene is a content creator and musician living in Turkey. He said it's a bittersweet time to be a young person in Ireland. Darragh said he emigrated due to the cost of living here and the opportunities elsewhere. "I think this single is a good mix of emotions. The frustration, anger and unjust that young Irish people feel towards their government and the economy while also having a real love for the country," he said. "I don't see a future where I'm based in Ireland." Andrew Corkery, 26, works in retail. He said that young people feel neglected by the Government. Living in his family home, he said "he can't even fathom" moving out of his childhood bedroom. "As young people, we have been sidelined, shafted and completely neglected by the Government. "We are essentially locked out of having a sustainable future," Andrew said. Earlier this year, a major survey of 25-year-olds revealed the impact of the economic recession on their lives. The 'Growing Up in Ireland' survey found that more than six in ten (62%) young people were still living with parents for mostly financial reasons. Just over one third (34.2%) of respondents said they had difficulties making ends meet. One in eight of the people contacted to take part in the survey had emigrated. CMAT's single may be new but the issues it tackles have been in the minds of young Ireland for a while.
Irish Independent
a day ago
- Irish Independent
Shane Ross: Lowry and co get €275bn of camouflage for their special deals with the Government
The fruits of Independent TDs' 'understanding' with the Coalition will be in the detail of the National Development Plan Thanks be to God that there were no special deals with Independent TDs when the Coalition was formed in January. The guys who hatched the plot to put Michael Lowry's protegee Verona Murphy in the chair of the Dáil would never stoop so low. Butter wouldn't melt in the innocent mouths of the same hardened political veterans who struck a cynical pact to allow Lowry's gang to take opposition speaking time. Perish the thought that they would have lobbed a few extra local sweeteners into the mix.
