Latest news with #MichaelLowry
BreakingNews.ie
21 hours ago
- Business
- BreakingNews.ie
Politics watch: Independent votes sign of Coalition tension?
Here, we have a look at the topics likely to dominate political discourse in the week to come. Coalition tension? The Coalition has struggled from day one due to its association with the Regional Independent Group. Advertisement The role of Michael Lowry in government formation talks was hugely controversial, and the subsequent disruption over speaking rights for Independent TDs delayed the nomination of the Taoiseach and formation of Oireachtas committees. The understanding that Regional Independent TDs will vote for the Government meant it was a price Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Tánaiste Simon Harris were willing to pay. That means the first instance of these TDs voting against the Government will be a worry to ministers. Two TDs who are part of the Coalition-supporting Regional Independent Group voted against the Government on Wednesday night on Sinn Féin's Israeli bonds bill. Advertisement Barry Heneghan and Gillian Toole voted with the Opposition. TDs voted 87-75 against a motion brought by Sinn Féin to force the Irish Central Bank to end its role in facilitating the 'Israeli war bonds' in the EU. Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe has previously said the Sinn Féin motion was unworkable and inconsistent with EU law. Members of the Opposition held up signs saying "stop funding genocide" as they failed in the Dáil vote. In a statement, Mr Heneghan said he voted in favour of the Sinn Féin motion 'because Ireland shouldn't facilitate the sale of bonds that help fund the devastation in Gaza'. Advertisement 'I'm voting for the bill because Ireland shouldn't facilitate the sale of bonds that help fund the devastation in Gaza,' he added. 'This is about standing up for international law and basic human rights.' Mr Heneghan said he was 'fully committed' to the Programme for Government, adding 'as an Independent TD, I reserve the right to act on matters of conscience'. 'The situation is urgent, and Ireland must show leadership,' he said. Advertisement Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael tied in poll, Sinn Féin fall Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are neck and neck in the latest opinion poll . Sinn Féin has dropped two to 20 per cent, after leading in recent polls. Fianna Fáil is down two points and Fine Gael is up ond point. The Coalition partners are both on 21 per cent in the Sunday Independent/Ireland Thinks poll which was published today. Advertisement The Social Democrats are up one to 9 per cent. Independents and others are on 10 per cent, while Independent Ireland, Aontú and Labour are all on 5 per cent. Solidarity People Before Profit is on 3 per cent, while the Green Party is on 1 per cent. Taoiseach Micheál Martin remains the most popular party leader with an approval rating of 46 per cent, unchanged from the last poll. Tánaiste and Fine Gael leader Simon Harris is up one to 41 per cent, while Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns' approval is unchanged at 40 per cent. Labour leader Ivana Bacik's popularity rating has dropped one point to 36 per cent, and Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has also dropped one to 35 per cent. Ireland's subsea infrastructure and gas pipelines 'very vulnerable' Ireland's critical subsea infrastructure is extremely vulnerable due to the under-resourcing of the Defence Forces and Irish Navy, a former TD and deputy commander of the Army Ranger Wing has warned. Ireland's maritime footprint is seven times the country's land area and is home to the majority of transatlantic data communications. For example, the AEC-1 cable connects New York with Ireland, landing at Killala, Co Mayo. It is 5,534 km long and has been operating since 2016. The system primarily serves telecommunications providers, cloud service providers, content delivery networks, and enterprises that require efficient data transport solutions. These undersea cables are crucial to various aspects of daily life, including cloud storage and banking systems. Around three-quarters of Ireland's national gas is also imported via undersea pipelines. Tánaiste and Minister for Defence Simon Harris has said he expects contract negotiations for the supply of advanced sonar technology to conclude within a number of months. However, the first sonar systems are not expected to be operational until July 2027, meaning Ireland is largely dependent on foreign navies to detect threats. In an interview with , former TD and soldier Cathal Berry said Ireland's undersea cables and gas pipelines are "very vulnerable". "All our data centres, all our video footage of our families, our photographs are stored in data centres, not on our phones. We're hugely vulnerable because the umbilical cords between Europe and North America are very vulnerable. Ireland Ireland's subsea cables and gas pipelines 'very vu... Read More "There are about a dozen data cables coming into Ireland. More importantly, we have two gas pipelines coming in from Scotland, which are even more strategically crucial because Ireland has no natural gas." Abroad In the US, billionaire Elon Musk has departed Donald Trump's administration. Mr Musk is leaving his position spearheading the Department of Government Efficiency, and he will be rededicating himself to running his businesses, including electric carmaker Tesla, rocket company SpaceX and social media platform X. In the UK, Keir Starmer's Labour government and the Conservative Party are trying to issue warnings about the dangers of Nigel Farage's Reform UK party, as it surges in popularity in opinion polls.
Irish Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Irish Times
The first cracks in the Coalition: ‘Some Independents you would not bring lion-hunting with you'
In December, when Government-formation talks were under way, a Fianna Fáil TD stopped for a chat on the steps of Leinster House. At that time there was still a possibility that Labour might be willing to make a deal. This Fianna Fáil TD clearly preferred that option. 'My gut instinct is to be supported by a bloc,' he mused. 'Labour is a bloc. The Independents have been trying to create one but the reason they are Independent is they have no whip. I worry about a shock.' READ MORE At that moment, an Independent TD appeared on the plinth before him. He nodded at the TD and remarked quietly. 'Some Independents you would not bring lion-hunting with you under any circumstances.' When Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin and his Fine Gael counterpart began formation talks in earnest, one of their primary goals was to create a coalition with a working majority and that would be robust enough to last the full five-year term of the 34th Dáil. In the end they settled for a deal with the Healy-Rae brothers and a group of nine regional Independents TDs, whose chief negotiator was the controversial Tipperary North TD Michael Lowry . When the deal was brokered, Lowry used a by now infamous phrase, vowing support 'through thick and thin'. As has been shown over the past 30 years, most coalitions have some degree of intrinsic brittleness. In the first week of government in 2020, a Green Party TD (Neasa Hourigan) voted against a Government Bill on residential tenancies, and a newly appointed minister of State (Joe O'Brien) abstained. [ Barry Heneghan moves Dáil seat away from Michael Lowry to emphasise his 'independent' status Opens in new window ] Finian McGrath was a left-leaning Independent TD who supported the Fianna Fáil/Green coalition in 2007. When the economy starting hitting the buffers, and austerity measures were introduced, McGrath was frequently baited by the Opposition, who accused him of jettisoning his principles. When a harsh and punitive budget was announced on October 2008, McGrath withdrew his support. Intriguingly, McGrath, who retired from the Dáil in 2020, has acted as a mentor and adviser to Barry Heneghan , the 27-year-old TD representing Dublin Bay North. Heneghan is one of four Government-supporting Independents who does not have a ministerial role: Lowry, Gillian Toole , and Danny Healy-Rae are the others. On Wednesday night, Heneghan voted against the Coalition in favour of the Sinn Féin Bill that would have prevented the Central Bank approving a prospectus that allows Israel to sell bonds in the EU. So did his colleague Toole. Her vote took many people by surprise, as she has not been prominent in that group. The vote was 87 to 75 in favour of the government, still a comfortable margin. [ Independents Barry Heneghan, Gillian Toole vote against Coalition and in favour of Sinn Féin's pro-Palestine Bill Opens in new window ] Was this a once-off? Or was it a straw in the wind? Are we seeing the first flecks of rust in the superstructure? Toole said she had voted that way because of a lack of a detailed briefing from Government. For his part, Heneghan said: 'This is about standing up for international law and basic human rights.' Heneghan has learned over the past six months that when you are a freshman left-leaning TD supporting a centrist Government, there is no such thing as a shallow end. On the issue of Gaza in particular, he was harangued from the Opposition benches, and faced a social media pile-on when he pledged support for the Occupied Territories Bill but voted with the Government against a Sinn Féin motion on the Bill in March. McGrath went public to defend his protege, saying Heneghan would not 'bottle it' on the Bill when all the technical and legal flaws were resolved. 'Unlike many others he is not afraid to make tough decisions and step up,' he said. Heneghan on Thursday indicated that his inexperience told against him for that vote in March. In a sense the vote this week was him standing on his own two feet. Heneghan argues his commitment is to support the programme, financial measures, votes of confidence but there are other issues on which he can vote according to his conscience. Is this twin-track approach consistent and durable? He says it is. One of the five Independents with a ministerial office, Seán Canney, admits that a vote against the Government can cause problems but that this is not on a core issue. 'It's just that Barry and Gillian had a particular issue with this,' he says. 'It's not the case that they are gone, or anything like that. He adds a note of caution: 'It would not want to happen too often.' [ Records show what Independent TDs backing the Government want for their constituencies Opens in new window ] When you speak to Ministers from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael you are immediately struck by a notable sense of fatalism about future Independent defections. A Fine Gael Minister, speaking privately, points to what could be coming down the tracks, and some really tough decisions that might be necessary. 'If our people are voting against the Government on this, you can imagine how they will vote when it's something really unpopular,' says the Minister. A Fianna Fáil Minister, who does not wish to be named, says it is inevitable that the Government will shed numbers. 'It does not take a genius to figure out that the TDs who do not have ministerial gigs will be the flakiest,' he says. That said, nobody in Government is unduly concerned. None can foresee the current majority of 17 falling to single figures, even if a lion-hunting expedition becomes necessary.
Scientific American
3 days ago
- Climate
- Scientific American
Why This Hurricane Season Has Experts on Edge
June 1 marks the official start of the hurricane season in the Atlantic Ocean—and once again, the season looks like it will be busy. Though it is impossible to tell this far in advance exactly when storms will form and where they might hit, the presence of hurricane-friendly environmental conditions this season—along with the federal government cuts and policy chaos —have experts worried about the accuracy of forecasts and the resulting safety of communities. Scientific American asked several forecasters and hurricane researchers what they were most concerned about this year. Warm oceans may mean a busy hurricane season On supporting science journalism If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today. Seasonal forecasts—including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's— put the odds in favor of having more storms than average this season, which will last until November 30. NOAA predicts 13 to 19 named storms, meaning those of tropical storm strength (with winds of 39 to 74 miles per hour) or higher. Of those, six to 10 are expected to become hurricanes (with winds of more than 74 mph). And among those hurricanes, three to five are expected to reach major hurricane status—meaning they will have winds that will fall within Category 3 (those of 111 to 129 mph) or a stronger category on the Saffir-Simpson scale. The expectations of an active season arise from a combination of a favorable atmospheric environment and abundant ocean heat to fuel storms. For one thing, there's no El Niño in place right now to influence winds in a way that tends to shred storms apart, says Phil Klotzbach, a hurricane researcher at Colorado State University, whose team releases its own seasonal forecast each year. And waters in the Gulf of Mexico are extremely warm right now, providing ample fuel for the convection that drives tropical cyclones. 'Over 60 percent of the Gulf is at record or near-record warmth for the time of year, and waters east of Florida and around the Bahamas are as warm as we've seen them for the start of any hurricane season in the satellite era,' says Michael Lowry, a hurricane specialist at WPLG Local 10 News in Miami. Warm ocean water in these areas can cause storms to rapidly intensify right before landfall, giving communities less time to prepare for the onslaught. This is a major concern for Jill Trepanier, a hurricane researcher at Louisiana State University. 'That is just a devastating situation when it occurs,' she says. It's a situation that has played out many times in recent years, including with Hurricanes Beryl and Milton last season. 'The sticky heat of the Gulf is a worrisome trend that's undoubtedly fueling the spate of big hurricane hits along the Gulf Coast over the past decade or so,' Lowry says. 'This is consistent with recent research that suggests the Gulf has seen a significant increase over the past 42 years in the number of days where it can support high-end hurricanes.' Because of that abundant hurricane fuel, 'I would not be surprised if we see early-season activity well ahead of the peak' of activity in September, says Marshall Shepherd, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Georgia. Several experts noted that this year's conditions have some slight differences from the most recent seasons. For one, 'the waters of the deep tropical Atlantic east of the Caribbean—often a bellwether for overall hurricane season activity—are the coolest we've seen them to start a hurricane season since 2021,' Lowry says. But, he adds, they are 'still plenty warm ... and forecast to remain so, which should favor above-average activity.' Though the overall message is that this will be a busier-than-normal season, it is not predicted to be quite as busy as those of the past few years. Klotzbach is worried that could lead to complacency. 'My biggest concern is that, because the seasonal forecasts are a bit less aggressive than last year..., people may tend to let their guard down,' he says. Communities are still recovering Inevitably, each time a new hurricane season begins, some communities are still reeling from storms from the previous year—and often even further back in time. This year 'places in Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas are still recovering from Helene, Milton and Debby,' Shepherd says, citing three of the worst storms of the 2024 season. A National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine report released last year warned that the Gulf Coast in particular risked being in 'perpetual disaster recovery' mode. The report noted that seven hurricanes struck the region in 2020 and 2021 alone. It's entirely possible that some of the communities pummeled in recent years could face hurricane peril again this year. 'With projections of average to above-average activity, all it takes is one storm to compound an already bad situation for many people,' Marshall says. NWS and FEMA cuts Piled atop these concerns is the situation within the federal government, with substantial budget and staffing cuts to the National Weather Service (NWS) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). 'It remains to be seen what the impacts of reduced staffing across relevant NOAA offices and agencies will be,' says Brian McNoldy, a tropical storm researcher at the University of Miami. 'But any loss of expertise, data collection capabilities and around-the-clock monitoring is troubling during critical, high-impact situations.' Though the National Hurricane Center (NHC) monitors the development of tropical storms and hurricanes and produces the main forecasts, local NWS offices still play a crucial role in providing more localized warnings about storm surge, flooding and winds. Many offices in hurricane-prone areas are understaffed, says Jeff Masters, a writer at Yale Climate Connections and a former Hurricane Hunter at NOAA. Among those, the NWS's Houston and Miami offices are suffering the largest staff shortages. The NWS has asked staff from other offices to move into some of these open slots. Lowry and Masters also point out that the cuts have reduced the number of weather balloons launches. Balloon data are crucial for understanding the larger atmospheric patterns that determine where a hurricane will go—and who might need to evacuate or take other precautions. There is one positive note: 'I was very pleased to see the Hurricane Hunters reinstated,' Trepanier says, referring to three of the meteorologists who fly specialized, equipment-laden planes directly into storms to gather data that significantly improve forecasts. 'Though it isn't enough to offset the concern, it is a move in a good direction.' James Franklin, former chief of the NHC's Hurricane Specialist Unit, says he is concerned about trainings for emergency managers that were canceled earlier this year Their absence could leave areas less prepared and less able to know what decisions to make based on forecasts. 'When training has to be cut down…, it just makes those kinds of mistakes on the emergency management side more likely to occur,' he says. Finally, another big worry is simply the government's ability to respond with help for victims when a storm hits. Masters' biggest worry is that FEMA won't 'be capable of managing a major disaster right now.' Reports by CNN and other news outlets have cited internal FEMA memos that report the loss of 30 percent of full-time staff. 'I wrote the plan FEMA uses to respond to hurricanes,' says Lowry, a former employee of both the NHC and FEMA, 'and it's hard to imagine the agency will be able to meet its mission-critical functions this season with such depleted staffing and without a fully revised plan.'
Irish Independent
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Independent
Eilis O'Hanlon: Camogie skorts row was not a battle of the sexes – and victory won't help fill stadiums
Today at 21:30 As surprises go, the decision by the Camogie Association to back down and allow players to wear shorts if they want is right up there with such old reliables as French air traffic controllers going on strike in summer or Michael Lowry topping the poll in Tipperary North. Ever since it was announced that a Special Congress would be held at Croke Park to bring this fractious dispute to an end, the outcome was always likely to be as one-sided as last Sunday's Munster senior hurling final between Limerick and Cork.
RTÉ News
18-05-2025
- Politics
- RTÉ News
Opposition TDs say Lowry 'calling shots in Government'
Opposition TDs have rounded on comments made by Independent TD Michael Lowry as evidence that he is "calling the shots in Government". The Tipperary TD told the Sunday Times newspaper that senior Cabinet ministers gave his Regional Independent Group weekly briefings. He said he had a rota of ministers attending, including Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon, who had already briefed them, while Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan and Minister of State Colm Brophy were expected to attend to talk about immigration. Labour TD Marie Sherlock said his remarks reflected the reality of "who is calling the shots in Government". She told RTÉ's The Week in Politics that it was not clear that backbenchers were getting the same access. Sinn Féin TD Claire Kerrane said it was clear that Mr Lowry was hugely influential. "He was the kingmaker in putting this Government together and the Government have been falling over each other to be very clear to say, no deals done and no side deals," she said. However, she added it was clear that Mr Lowry and his group were getting exclusive one-on-one meetings with ministers. Also speaking on The Week in Politics, Minister of State at the Department of Finance Robert Troy said Mr Lowry was playing "to his audience back home that he is hugely influential and that he has an opportunity to meet Cabinet ministers". He downplayed the significance of Mr Lowry's access to ministers, pointing out that ministers would also attend parliamentary party meetings to answer questions. A Government source also said that any minister meeting the Regional Independent Group would not share any information that would not be available to other Government backbenchers.
