Judge orders Michelle Keane to remove defamatory social media posts about Michael Healy-Rae
Judge Ronan Munro has ordered former General Election Candidate Michelle Keane to take down social media posts about Minister Michael Healy-Rae which he said are defamatory and sensational.
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The Irish Sun
17 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Huge boost for railways as Rachel Reeves' spending review reveals more funding for NEW train lines across UK
RACHEL Reeves has promised to provide a major boost for the UK's train network - with a fresh vow to pump in billions more pounds into new lines and upgrades on key routes. The Chancellor delivered the first Spending Review in nearly four years this afternoon - vowing to splurge a mega £300 billion into the likes of the NHS, defence and travel. 3 Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves delivers her Government's spending review Credit: PA 3 Reeves' review was the first in nearly four years by a UK government Credit: PA 3 A train arriving at New Street Station in Birmingham Credit: Alamy Follow The Sun's live blog on the Spending Review here. However, she has not provided a clear plan for how Labour will pay for it. In a clear tack to the Left, she used her Spending Review to defend higher taxes and borrowing to fund the cash shower. Referring to travel expansions, she said it was the Government's intention to "undo a generation of underfunding and neglect" under the Tories, 12 months on from Labour's General Election victory. Speaking in the Commons today after the weekly PMQs, Ms Reeves said the trains boost aims to "unlock the potential of all parts of Britain". "We are going further: investing in major rail projects to connect our towns and cities." The Spending Review includes : A pledge to end the use of migrant hotels by the next election Confirmation that nine million pensioners will get the winter fuel allowance this year Free school meals for half a million more children An extra £39billion over the next decade for social housing A £15billion boost to transport to "properly connect" Britain's towns and cities £22billion investment in research and development and £2billion in Artificial Intelligence A £30billion injection in clean energy including £14billion for nuclear energy A rise in departmental budgets by 2.3 per cent a year totalling £190billion more than the Tories The Defence budget hiked to 2.6 per cent of GDP by 2027 Most read in News Travel She referred back to the Autumn Budget in October last year when she announced funding for the Transpennine Route Upgrade. "The backbone of rail travel in the North... linking York, Leeds and Manchester... with a quarter of the route expected to be electrified by this summer," the Chancellor continued. Chancellor says spending review will be about 'making working people better off' "I know the commitment of the HFs, the Members for Huddersfield, York Outer, and Colne Valley to this issue …and today, I can announce a further £3.5bn of investment for that Route. "But my ambition and the ambition of people across the North is greater still …and so in the coming weeks I will set out this government's plans to take forward our ambitions on Northern Powerhouse Rail." Ms Reeves went on to say: "I have also heard the representations of my HFs, the Members for Milton Keynes North, Milton Keynes Central, and Buckingham and Bletchley. "And I can tell the House today to connect Oxford and Cambridge... and to back Milton Keynes' leading tech sector... I am providing a further £2.5bn for the continued delivery of East-West rail." She added: "On a matter I know is of great importance to HF Members for Lichfield, Birmingham Northfield, and Birmingham Erdington I can announce today that I am providing funding for the Midlands Rail Hub… the region's biggest and most ambitious rail improvement scheme for generations..." This will strengthen connections to Birmingham, across the West Midlands and into Wales. The Chancellor then told the Speaker: "For 14 years, the Conservatives failed the people of Wales. Those days are over. "Following representations from my RHF the Welsh Secretary, the First Minister of Wales and Welsh Labour MPs... I am pleased to announce £445m for railways in Wales over 10 years, including funding for Padeswood Sidings and Cardiff West Junction. "That, Mr Speaker, is the difference made by two Labour governments... working together to undo a generation of underfunding and neglect." It comes as Ms Reeves also promised to provide hundreds of millions to tackle illegal migration. pledged to end the use of expensive asylum hotels - that are costing taxpayers £4million a day - before the next election. But it risks infuriating voters who want to see action to stop using them now rather than in four years time. Read more on the Irish Sun And critics have warned Ms Reeves mega spending blizzard will drive Britain even further into debt and raise the prospect of more tax hikes. Laying out her package in the Commons, Ms Reeves said: 'My choices are different. My choices are Labour choices."
Irish Times
6 days ago
- Irish Times
There's never been a better time for a left alliance - if they don't fall out first
A left government led by Mary Lou McDonald , Holly Cairns and Ivana Bacik would represent practical politics. The biggest obstacle to success is a split. But there is a mountain to climb electorally and the next general election, likely to happen in 2029, is some way over the horizon. Sinn Féin , the Social Democrats and Labour understand that as opposition, they failed to offer an alternative before the last election, with the result that an unloved Government limps on. Ironically, it was the Government that unified the opposition. Allowing backbench Regional Group TDs to simultaneously enjoy the opportunities of opposition and the privileges of Government was a stunt too far. Their instant unity was more surprising given the Seanad election which had just concluded. That particular election was a tale of some deals done, other offers rebuffed, and promises broken among the larger left parties and the Greens. But that's politics. It is always tomorrow that counts. READ MORE The result is that we have a more focused opposition and that will matter for the Government. The Robert Tressell Festival in Dublin's Liberty Hall last month was a platform for left unity. Robert Tressell was the pen name of the real-life Irish house painter Robert Noonan, who wrote the great book The Ragged-Trousered Philanthropists. At the festival, there were positive expressions of intent about forging a closer bond. McDonald said the left can take the Government on and offer a 'real alternative'. Labour's Marie Sherlock said the general election had been a kind of own goal for the left, adding that a common left platform was needed to oust a 'semi-permanent centre-right government'. Sinéad Gibney had more to say on the same theme for the Social Democrats. But it was Socialist TD Ruth Coppinger who talked about alternative politics, not just an alternative government, when she said 'a common left platform has to be a challenge to capitalism and the ideas of capitalism'. She was on her own on that. The centre has not held since 2020 because neither Fianna Fáil nor Fine Gael are an alternative government to the other None of Sinn Féin, Social Democrats or Labour have ruled out going into government with Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael. They want the Government parties out, of course, but a test of mettle will be their willingness to burn the bridge to coalition with what passes for centre-right politics in Ireland. The ambient lighting on the left is redder now, but the mood remains tentative. Before the last election, Davy, the stockbroker group, told its clients that Sinn Féin was ' more New Labour than Corbyn Labour '. In fact, it's a populist, nationalist party. It might, if it sticks to its new script, be the centre of a left-wing coalition. This is because, to the discomfort of some in Labour, the Social Democrats are prepared to stand in the picture with Sinn Féin. The Social Democrats are a party of mainly new TDs, who know they don't really like Labour but have forgotten why. Their founding identity was based on not being a mudguard for Fine Gael and its cohort of younger voters were never inoculated against Sinn Féin. By exercising their agency, they have weakened Labour's natural preference for a Labour–Social Democrats–Green alliance without Sinn Féin. The Social Democrats' willingness to stand in with Sinn Féin means Labour has less scope to stand out. A new mix on the left is giving a different flavour. It is a big deal for Labour to accept they now share a franchise, but they are. McDonald stated a plain truth when she said the days of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael 'controlling both government and opposition at the same time are over'. The centre has not held since 2020 because neither Fianna Fáil nor Fine Gael are an alternative government to the other. If they can't muster the numbers together, one or the other may be able to form a government with some left parties, where the left is more prominent than ever before. Alternatively, they lose decisively, the left alliance holds and forms a government in a historic departure of sorts. [ Gerry Adams defamation verdict won't have a chilling effect on journalism - and here's why Opens in new window ] [ Who really owns the music festival you're heading to this summer? Opens in new window ] Coppinger's views on the need for the left to challenge capitalism will never be taken up by the soft left. The left generally, and Sinn Féin particularly, are allergic to the broader tax base that would fund the more active state they demand. The slow bicycle race towards the next election has begun. For Sinn Féin, the Social Democrats and Labour, their mutual relations sway between coalition, colonisation and cannibalism. They have the makings of an alternative government, however. Housing at home, Trump abroad and diminishing traditional political loyalties mean that anything is possible, including a left government in Ireland.
RTÉ News
7 days ago
- RTÉ News
What media sources did people use & trust before voting in 2024 General Election?
Analysis: Here's what a new study found about the media Irish voters used and trusted when getting information ahead of last year's election By Robert Brennan and Rabhya Mehrotra, DCU In November 2024, the people of Ireland went to the polls to cast their ballots in the General Election. But what media sources did people use to inform themselves before voting? How much trust do they place in these different sources? The recently published National Election and Democracy Study sheds some light on these questions, and more. Media vs social media vs WhatsApp Most people rely on RTÉ at least occasionally to form opinions before voting, followed closely by social media (such as Facebook, TikTok, Instagram) and direct information from political parties and candidates via leaflets and websites etc. Notably, social media had the most frequent response of 'Often'. Newspapers are also used regularly (including online versions and those accessed through social media), though a fifth of people said they never use them to form opinions. Messaging apps (WhatsApp, Telegram, Snapchat) are the least used, with over half of those surveyed reporting never using them. Does media use and trust differ by age? Breaking down these trends by age group reveals some noteworthy differences, 41% of Gen Z (ages 18 to 24) never use RTÉ for information before voting, but nearly three-quarters of those aged 65 or older never use social media, contrasting with only 12% of Gen Z. However, usage does not mean trust. When asked how much they trust each of these sources, an intriguing trend emerges. Overall, journalistic sources such as RTÉ and newspapers are trusted far more than non-journalistic sources like social media and messages. Trust in journalistic sources remained high across all age groups with little variation, while trust in social media peaks among Gen Z but declines steadily with age. What institutions do people trust? It is also possible to look at trust in institutions more generally. It is relatively high but varies with the An Coimisiún Toghcháin/the Electoral Commission being the most trusted and political parties the least. Interestingly the Citizens' Assembly is highly trusted. Importantly, using and/or trusting journalistic media is correlated with higher trust institutions more broadly. Despite younger voters leaning towards using non-journalistic sources, a key takeaway here is that traditional journalistic media retains high trust across all age groups when it comes to forming an opinion before voting. It is also related to higher trust in the state institutions more broadly. Dr Robert A. Brennan is a postdoctoral researcher with the Institute for Future Media, Democracy and Society (FuJo) at DCU. Rabhya Mehrotra is a Mitchell Scholar who is doing a Masters in Political Communication at DCU. She is a part of the COMDEL (FuJo).
