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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.
Irish Examiner
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
O'Gorman: Government 'kicking the down the road' with Occupied Territories Bill
The Government is using claims of legal issues with banning services from illegal Israeli settlements to delay the passing of the Occupied Territories Bill, Roderic O'Gorman has said. The Green Party leader said the distinction which is being raised by the Government between products and services is a new issue that "has been brought in subsequent to the general election". The attempt to create a distinction between goods and services is concerning, Mr O'Gorman said. The Government are seeking to kick the can down the road after having made extensive promises about passing the bill during the election campaign, he said. "The Attorney General provided, last July, a very detailed assessment of Senator Frances Black's bill, raised some issues — some legitimate issues that can be addressed by amendments — there was no reference to an issue around services in his very detailed legal advice," Mr O'Gorman told RTÉ One's The Week in Politics. There is no disagreement that amendments need to be made to the bill, he said, but there is no reason why the bill cannot be passed ahead of the Dáil summer recess "if there was the will". At a time when the world has been put on notice that Israel intends to ethnically cleanse Gaza, Ireland has the opportunity to act, Mr O'Gorman said but instead the Government has only said it would publish a draft of the bill before the summer break, not pass it. The passing of the bill would reverberate internationally, the Dublin TD said, and it would mark a significant change in approach. Speaking on the same programme, Sinn Féin TD John Brady called on the Government to publish the Attorney General's advice to allow people to see for themselves whether or not there was a legal issue raised in terms of banning services from the occupied territories. Speaking at the annual James Connolly Commemoration at Arbour Hill on Sunday, Labour leader Ivana Bacik said there is going to be a concerted attempt across the opposition parties to push the Government "even harder" to pass it as soon as possible. Ms Bacik said she would like to see the bill passed before the autumn saying "we have waited long enough". "The outgoing Government last year and indeed, Simon Harris, seemed to commit himself to passage of the bill so we will be pressing to have some further progress before the summer," she said.
The Journal
11-05-2025
- Politics
- The Journal
O'Gorman says legal advice on Occupied Territories Bill did not mention issue with services
GREEN PARTY LEADER and former government minister Roderic O'Gorman has said that when the Attorney General delivered legal advice regarding the Occupied Territories Bill last year, there were no issues raised with the inclusion of services. O'Gorman said the issues the government are now claiming exist in relation to services have only emerged since the last general election. 'It's a delaying tactic,' he said. The Occupied Territories Bill, in its initial form, would ban trade in goods and services with illegal settlements anywhere in the world, but most notably in Palestine. Passing the Bill, which has been in existence since 2018, was a promise made by the governing parties ahead of the general election last year. But it has yet to be passed or even drafted because of what the government has described as 'constitutional issues' and complications related to the inclusion of services alongside goods. Speaking on The Week in Politics on RTÉ today, O'Gorman said that when he was in government, legal advice provided by the Attorney General in July last year 'raised some issues' with the original draft of the bill, which he said were 'legitimate issues that can be addressed by amendment'. Advertisement However, he added: 'There was no reference to an issue around services in his very detailed legal advice. 'This is a new issue that has been brought in subsequent to the general election, a general election where Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael made extensive commitments about passing the Occupied Territories Bill and, to my mind, it's a delaying tactic. 'The Government have said they will publish a draft before summer, they haven't promised to pass it. 'This is about kicking the can down the road,' he added, adding that the Bill could be passed by the summer 'if there was the will'. The government has been asked repeatedly for the legal advice it has received in relation to services to be published in order to put the matter to bed. Minister for State Hildegarde Naughton was asked if the government would be willing to publish the advice that has led to the delays in producing a new version of the bill. 'I have no issue with that,' Naughton said, but she pushed back on the suggestion that the government was delaying putting forward the bill. 'This is not a policy difference – I want to be very clear – around goods and services, this is about ensuring that we get that legislation right,' she said. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Irish Independent
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Independent
Ex-minister says AG ‘raised no legal issue' with Israel boycott and claims government using ‘delay tactic'
The Green Party leader, who was a minister in the last coalition, said that government claims of a legal issue with banning services was 'a delaying tactic'. The Irish Government is examining legislation that would ban trade with illegal Israeli settlements on Palestinian lands. But Tánaiste Simon Harris has said that while there is a legal 'pathway' to ban goods, there is an issue with banning services from the occupied territories. Speaking on RTÉ's The Week in Politics, Mr O'Gorman said that passing the Occupied Territories Bill would 'reverberate internationally'. 'It would be a really significant change in approach, and I have real concerns about this attempt now to create a distinction between goods and services,' he said. 'The Attorney General last July provided a very detailed assessment of Senator Frances Black's bill, raised some issues, legitimate issues that can be addressed by amendment. 'There was no reference to an issue around services in his very detailed legal advice. 'This is a new issue that has been brought in subsequent to the general election, a general election where Fianna Fail and Fine Gael made extensive commitments about passing the Occupied Territories Bill and, to my mind, it's a delaying tactic. 'The Government have said they will publish a draft before summer, they haven't promised to pass it.' 'This is about kicking the can down the road,' he added, adding that the Bill could be passed by the summer 'if there was the will'. Minister of State Hildegarde Naughton said the Government was 'certainly not doing that' and referred to 'issues around the constitutionality and the legal limitations' of the Bill. 'This is not a policy difference – I want to be very clear – around goods and services, this is about ensuring that we get that legislation right,' she said. Mr Harris said during the week that there is 'a narrow pathway', based on an advisory opinion from the UN's top court, to legislate on banning trade with illegal Israeli settlements. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) said countries should 'take steps to prevent trade or investment relations' that maintain Israeli settlements on Palestinian land, which it deemed illegal. Mr Harris said during the week that the Government had 'not yet been able to identify the narrow pathway on services, that's the truth'. 'It's not a policy position. It's a legal position,' he said. Independent Senator Frances Black, who first introduced the Bill to the Irish Parliament in 2018, said she would 'not be happy' with a Bill that only banned the trade of goods. Speaking at a neutrality event in Dublin on Saturday, she said she wanted the Government to stick to its commitment to pass the Bill before the Parliament's summer recess. '(Simon Harris) said that he was open to investigating (banning services) and to looking at it so it will be up to us to show them that it is legal. 'We have had lots of lawyers who have looked at this and said 100pc, there is no doubt about it, it is legal.' Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald also said her party would not accept a Bill that does not include a ban on services. She said action is needed to prevent the starvation and killing in Gaza, and 'Ireland needs to lead'. 'To cite legal concerns at this stage when this has gone on for so long, this legislation has been on the cards for so very long, to start now saying that they are coming up with legal blocks really isn't acceptable – and if there are legal concerns, publish your advice,' she said on Saturday.
RTÉ News
11-05-2025
- Politics
- RTÉ News
Israel intends to ethnically cleanse Gaza, O'Gorman says
Green Party leader Roderic O'Gorman has said Israel has put the world on notice that it intends to ethnically cleanse Gaza. Earlier this week, Israel's Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said that a victory for Israel in Gaza means that the Palestinian territory will be "entirely destroyed" before its inhabitants depart for other countries. Following that, the foreign ministers of Ireland, Iceland, Luxembourg, Norway, Slovenia and Spain expressed their "grave concern" about a further military escalation in Gaza, saying it would "only exacerbate an already catastrophic situation for the civilian Palestinian population and threaten the lives of the hostages that remain in captivity". Speaking on RTÉ's The Week in Politics, Mr O'Gorman urged the Government to quickly pass the Occupied Territories Bill, which he said would reverberate internationally and mark a significant change in approach. There is no reason why this cannot happen before the summer recess, he said. Minister of State Hildegarde Naughton said the Government will progress the Bill, but it must be done in a way that is legal. "We are absolutely committed to doing this. We need to get this right. This is not a policy difference," she insisted on the same programme. Minister Naughton said the Tánaiste has held discussions with his counterparts in the Netherlands and Spain this morning "to grow the EU coalition" to support the people of Gaza. The minister signaled that she would not have a problem with publishing the Attorney General's advice on the legal difficulties he has identified around including a ban on service in the Occupied Territories Bill. This distinction has been described by Opposition parties as a delaying tactic. Sinn Féin TD John Brady said that if international law means anything there has to be consequences for Israel. As well as the swift passing of the Occupied Territories Bill, he said the Government should stop the selling of Israeli war bonds through the Central Bank as well as enacting Israeli Settlement Divestment Bill. Aontú TD Paul Lawless said that this country has a reputation for peace and neutrality and it should be centrally involved in trying to broker a peace deal rather than "standing back from the conflict." Meanwhile, Labour leader Ivana Bacik has said more needs to be done by the Irish State - including enacting the bill without delay. Speaking at the annual James Connelly commemoration at Arbour Hill cemetery this morning, she said the party will "be pressing to have some further progress before the summer". "We see again, more tragic deaths today, more reports, deeply distressing reports of children dying by starvation in Gaza under Israel's denial of aid, we've described it as a genocide - I don't think that's too strong," she said. "I think when we hear our own Taoiseach and Tánaiste describing Israel's actions as war crimes, we do need to ensure that more is done by the Irish State."
