Latest news with #O'Toole
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Peaceful protest ‘should not be criminalised', says O'Toole
Peaceful protest should not be 'criminalised', the Northern Ireland Assembly has heard. Stormont Opposition Leader Matthew O'Toole was speaking following the arrest of two protesters in Belfast on Saturday. Sue Pentel, a high-profile campaigner against Israel's military offensive in the Gaza Strip, was one of two women detained by officers on suspicion of criminal damage. Videos circulated online of the arrest of the 72-year-old indicate the alleged offence related to the placing of stickers on a bank's ATM machine. Ms Pentel and the other woman who was arrested, who is in her 50s, were released later on Saturday pending a report to Northern Ireland's Public Prosecution Service (PPS). Mr O'Toole mentioned the arrests during Members' Statements in the Assembly on Tuesday morning. However Stormont Speaker Edwin Poots warned MLAs against 'second-guessing' police. Mr O'Toole told MLAs: 'It's important to say there is no more profound right in a democracy than peaceful protest. 'Over the weekend we saw dozens more innocent people lose their lives in Gaza as a result of the bombardment by the Netanyahu regime. We are witnessing an ongoing genocide in Gaza. 'People from all over this region, from all backgrounds, all ages, all perspectives are completely, frankly, in disbelief at what they see on their screens. They want some form of registering protest, dissent and challenging what is happening in the Middle East. 'One means is through peaceful protest. 'One of the people who was arrested is a woman named Sue Pentel, who is in her 70s. She also just happens to be Jewish. She will be known to people here because she is often here, peacefully and respectfully engaging with MLAs on her views in relation to the Middle East.' He went on: 'I understand that the PSNI has a difficult job to do. 'I don't trivialise the fact that in fast-moving situations sometimes there are judgments that have to be made by police officers, but I don't think anybody, certainly not the dozens and dozens of my constituents who are, frankly, appalled by what's happening in Gaza, who have emailed me in the last few days to say 'What the hell is going on in our society whenever a peaceful protest is met with arrests of pensioners?' 'Peaceful protest in Belfast city centre, even if it is a minor convenience, is not something which should be criminalised. 'That is legitimate peaceful protest and, yes, I respect that police officers have a job to do in all these circumstances, but let's please be proportionate and respect the rights of ordinary people to register dissent and protest.' Mr Poots urged caution on comments around live investigations: 'I just want to make it very clear that the police have a role to do, and it's not our place to be second-guessing that role. 'There are a number of matters of the day and urgent questions that were put in that related to different events that have taken place, questioning police, and I think that we need to be very, very careful whenever there is a live investigation. 'This hasn't got to the stage of there being charges, and may never get to that stage, but there is a live investigation and it's not our role in this House to influence police decisions on investigations. 'They have to go through their course, it goes to the PPS, there is a due process to happen there, and it's not for us to seek to influence that. 'I just caution Members on that issue.'
Extra.ie
5 days ago
- Business
- Extra.ie
How many homes need to be built in Ireland each year to meet shortfall?
The State will need to build 54,000 homes a year for 25 years to meet the current housing shortfall. The Oireachtas Housing Committee will be told of the 'costly' impacts of failing to ramp up housing output to meet the level of demand. Figures for 2024 show that just 30,300 new homes were built. The Central Bank is predicting 35,000 new homes will be built this year while the ESRI are predicting 34,000. Robert Kelly, director of economics and statistics at the Central Bank, will tell the committee that a 'structural shortfall in housing stock' has built up due to over a decade of undersupply. The State will need to build 54,000 homes a year for 25 years to meet the current housing shortfall. Pic: Getty Images Mr Kelly will say that failing to address the housing shortfall will have multiple knock-on effects. 'Beyond the high social cost, inadequate housing supply will lead to rising rents and house prices, ' he will tell the committee. 'This, in turn, will drive up living costs, reduce disposable incomes, and intensify wage pressures, undermining our competitiveness as a small open economy,' Mr Kelly will point to issues with critical infrastructure as barriers to ramping up housing development. 'Delivering homes at scale requires investment in essential infrastructure like water, energy, and transport networks. Without these, development cannot proceed,' he will say. The Central Bank of Ireland. Pic: 4H4 PH/Shutterstock An analysis by the Central Bank shows that 'delays in infrastructure planning or execution lead to long wait times, causing a permanent reduction in private sector participation and resulting in poor value for money'. In relation to planning, Mr Kelly will say that decision times have 'significantly decreased' and that early results from the Large Scale Residential Development model 'are promising' with a 50% increase in usable permissions. The committee will also be joined by representatives from the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI). Associate research professor at the ESRI, Dr Conor O'Toole, will tell the committee that the cost and availability of land, labour costs, materials and input costs, the cost of financing and price developments are the central barriers to development. Figures for 2024 show that just 30,300 new homes were built. Pic: Getty Images In particular, Dr O'Toole will point to a need for 'supply-side reforms that can support housing production' such as reform of the land market. Dr O'Toole will suggest greater use of activation measures to make more land available for development, with the Residential Zoned Land Tax (RZLT) cited as a mechanism to achieve this quickly. The RZLT is a tax, charged at 3% of the market rate of the site, that is zoned for residential use but not being developed for housing. The ESRI will also point to infrastructural issues such as the 'provision of services and utilities such as water, wastewater and electricity connections' as being at the fore of inhibiting housing development. Dr O'Toole will say that financing for home building will require financing from both the State and the private sector to deliver the required mix of housing tenure. 'This will require private financing from bank lending, domestic and international equity and other sources such as European funds where available,' he will tell politicians. Dr O'Toole will tell the committee that productivity in the small domestic construction sector, compared to international companies, is inhibiting greater housing output. 'This lack of productivity is likely to be inhibiting activity in the sector. Productivity could be enhanced through economies of scale with larger firms. 'The second productivity-enhancing step is a movement towards modern methods of construction (pre-fabrication, etc) which can help standardise production, lower costs and increase timeframes,' he will remark.
Epoch Times
5 days ago
- Politics
- Epoch Times
What Is the Reform Act, and How Will It Impact Poilievre?
In addition to selecting an interim Opposition leader in the House on May 6 while Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre remains without a seat in the House of Commons, Tory MPs also voted to invoke the federal Reform Act, which allows for a secret-ballot vote to review party leadership at any time. While many Conservative MPs have expressed their support for Poilievre, the legislation could haunt him as he gets ready for the next federal election. Previous Usage The At the outset of each session of Parliament, the MPs in each party vote on which provisions they want to apply to their caucus. If they vote in favour, the provisions apply until Parliament is dissolved. In 2021, the Conservative Party used the act to expel MP Derek Sloan The leadership removal provisions of the act have only been used once before, when it set in motion a leadership review of O'Toole and led to his The Conservatives had been defeated in the Related Stories 5/6/2025 5/10/2025 The Conservative Party had also been split over COVID-19 vaccines, as a number of MPs and senators had not received the vaccine and eventually discussed creating a 'civil liberties caucus' to speak up for Canadians facing job loss and restricted movement over their vaccination status. O'Toole, who was fully vaccinated, had not required his MPs to be vaccinated and suggested rapid testing should be offered as an alternative to vaccination. Conservative While O'Toole ejected Batters from the national caucus in November 2021 , it was not enough to quell a leadership vote. She The Liberal Party voted not to adopt the Reform Act at the outset of Parliament in 2021, meaning they could not vote to eject Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as leader when the party was down in the polls in 2023 and 2024. The NDP and Bloc Québécois also voted not to adopt the Reform Act at the beginning of the parliamentary session in 2021. Poilievre's Leadership Similar to O'Toole, Poilievre has said he intends to The Conservatives fared better in the 2025 election than they did four years earlier, winning an extra 25 seats and their largest share of the popular vote since 1988. Yet the Liberals won 170 seats, just three short of a majority, and in an upset , Poilievre lost re-election in his Ottawa riding of Carleton, which he had held for over two decades. Liberal candidate Bruce Fanjoy received 50.8 percent of the vote in the riding, while Poilievre received 45.8 percent. Alberta Conservative MP Prime Minister Mark Carney, who will ultimately determine when any byelections are held, has pledged not to hold up the process for political gain. 'I will ensure that it happens as soon as possible,' Carney said during a May 2 press conference. 'No games, nothing.' Poilievre's future as leader of the party is also helped by the fact that for a year and a half, the party was well ahead of the Liberal Party in the polls. It was the resignation of Trudeau, his replacement by Mark Carney, and U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs and threats to Canada's sovereignty that tipped the scales in the Liberals' favour. Until Poilievre returns to Parliament as Conservative leader, the role of the Opposition leader in the House is being held by MP Many Conservative MPs
Irish Daily Mirror
6 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Katie McCabe's 'greatest asset' key to Champions League glory says Irish legend
All hail Katie McCabe and her brilliant display as Arsenal won the Champions League on Saturday Kilnamanagh girl is the fourth Irish winner of the competition and hers was a particularly accomplished for a 29 year-old who has spent the best part of a decade in the Gunners dressing room and making over 160 appearances in that time, establishing herself as one of the most respected professionals in the fans may be more familiar with McCabe as the Ireland women's team soccer captain where there have been 96 caps and 29 goals, a forceful presence, combative and resourceful in there was a calculated display at left-back for Arsenal against Barcelona on Saturday night as they worked off the lesser amount of possession before Stina Blackstenius gave them a 74th minute lead. Something which led to Barcelona throwing bodies into the attack and Arsenal being forced to see off quarter-of-an-hour of concerted pressure, albeit with resilience and unwavering importance at this point was highlighted and, indeed, as legendary Ireland star Olivia O'Toole points out, her achievement is are those who have gone before, O'Toole herself, Anne O'Brien, Louise Quinn and Niamh Fahey who have been outstanding but McCabe, in taking her chance as presented by the modern game, has proven herself a star."There are more opportunities in the game right now," says O'Toole, a former Olympic torchbearer. "Anne O'Brien was way ahead of her time, she would have made any of the Women's Super League teams that are there today. "And if you asked me Louise Quinn and Niamh Fahey, if they had been in this time - and remember both were with Arsenal when they were young players - they would have had the skills to be in Arsenal Champions League set up today."Right now though, McCabe can reflect on a job well done in Lisbon in front of an estimated 5,000 traveling Arsenal fans among the 38,356 attendance"Katie's key contribution and her defending in particular was outstanding, she had the player she was marking in her pocket and her distribution also stood out for me."Because while Katie is quick, has pace, it is not her greatest asset, it is her reading of the game that gives her so much time, you can see it, and it is what makes her so good when she gets the ball."She saw one outstanding pass at one point and completed it inch perfect. There are very, very few players in the world who have seen that pass that quickly and delivered it the way she did."As I say, what's really world class about her is she is a step ahead in her mind, she already knows what she is going to do with th ball before she actually gets onto it."There is also a will to win, a force of nature that comes naturally."There is great passion when she plays, I don't mind when people say that she is like Roy Keane."Sure, sometimes you might be watching a game and you are worried she is going to have a strop and kick-off."But then sometimes we've seen games with Ireland where things have been a bit sluggish and not going our way and, remember she is the captain, she might kick-off to try and get things spark something."That wasn't needed in the Champions League final, she knew it wasn't about her and I was impressed by her discipline, it was all about the team and great players understand important games and moments like that."We saw this to great effect in that last 15 minutes when Barcelona came on strong which was something I was expecting because we'd seen all through the Champions League that the European teams seem fitter, Bayern Munich, Juventus, Barcelona."I don't why but you would expect English teams to be fitter as a rule but Arsenal staying in the game right to the end, almost as if it was an early season game, surprised me a little because I remember they were given a run around by Lyon at the beginning of an earlier game." As it stands, Arsenal see McCabe as a dedicated left-back and while there has been some questions as to whether she has been used effectively by Ireland in the past, O'Toole has no hesitation:"I think she would be a great left-sided midfielder, I'd move her further forward."In the case of Ireland, I'd put Anna Patten, Aoife Mannion and Izzy Atkinson - she has to step up now - in behind so that would allow Katie move forward to where she can get into attack as well."I wouldn't be inclined to put her into the central midfield role for instance. I thought she looked absolutely lost when she played there against Slovenia."If I was manager I'd much prefer to have Katie as an attacking midfielder but with distinct defensive duties. I'd have a player behind her as cover, at left-back, so we could get the best out of her going forward."Meanwhile the women's game is continuing to grow apace and while this generation of players has broken out into mainstream, professionalism and has a highly organised World Cup every four years, the looming spin off and opportunity will fall for a new generation of coaches."Every one of the Ireland girls are doing their badges, I see Lily Agg is now down to do her 'A' license. I'd say the very near future will see all of the WSL clubs featuring women's coaches," continues O'Toole who has a podcast, Girls In The Game, doing very well out there."While it goes without saying there will be more coming through to coach in the League of Ireland and the schoolgirls teams which will be super for the game here."It is great for us to get young girls playing any sport but this rise and rise of excellent women coaches will be good for soccer, an important thing because there are opportunities opening up."We are seeing the standard Katie is playing at, seeing there are opportunities at clubs in leagues all over Europe, there are American colleges and scholarships." Saturday was also a pleasure. "But it is also all about the game as a game, one I watched at home on my own partly because some of my mates were away but also because I knew if I went to the pub I would hardly get to see it all all. "It looked as good as the men's Champions League in terms of the buzz around the occasion and the presentation was good, the analysts had done their homework and that was great to see. "And I can't have been alone in thinking the referee handled the game very well. I notice Arsenal and the the WSL as well doesn't have the culture of diving around and screaming after every contact that the English Premier has. "And the referee wasn't taking anything from Barcelona when they were going to ground a bit too easy at times. "In this, we are watching Katie McCabe there on the football stage at the highest level, in what was a great game, that was just fantastic. Absolutely fantastic." Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email.
RTÉ News
21-05-2025
- Health
- RTÉ News
Samaritans answered 50 calls every hour in 2024
Volunteers for Samaritans Ireland answered 50 calls every hour last year, a new report has shown, with the service being the only form of support for over half of callers. They responded to 470,000 calls, answering around 1,200 every day, according to the Samaritans Ireland Impact Report for 2024. The most frequent concerns related to mental health or illness, isolation and loneliness and family problems. Volunteers provided 100,000 hours of support and the average call lasted 28 minutes. Meanwhile, 6,800 calls were diverted to five other helplines when Samaritans was closed. Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, the charity's Executive Director said issues like loneliness and isolation cut across all demographics. "Sometimes we think of loneliness in relation to living in a rural setting, not having the human connection, but actually we find that you could be living in a city surrounded by people and feel really lonely and isolated," Sarah O'Toole said. It is heartening to know that the service is there for people when no one else is, she added, and said the charity urges everyone to reach out and talk before a problem becomes too big an issue. Life is hard and there are a lot of demands on people, she said, and it is really important to seek help when it's needed. Ms O'Toole also said that the research confirms the charity is "often a lifeline and the only support for people who are lonely or feeling isolated, people who are struggling with the pressures of day-to-day life, and people who are in crisis". "For over half of those who responded, we were their only form of support and 84% felt we provided a safe place to talk," she said. Minister for Mental Health Mary Butler added that over the past 20 years there has been a significant reduction in the rate of suicide and self-harm. "I have no doubt voluntary organisations like Samaritans have played a key role in this progress by acting as a lifeline for many people," she said in a statement.
