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UNLESS THERE’S ANY major hiccups, we should know the identity of the country’s two new TDs by the end of the weekend.
Polling stations are opening around now in Dublin South West and in Roscommon-South Leitrim in the race to take over from, respectively, Brian Hayes and Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan in the Dáil.
The Fine Gael former junior minister and the outspoken Independent automatically vacated their seats when they were elected to the European Parliament back in May.
Schools, libraries and other public buildings will be open to voters until polls close at 10pm tonight. You’ll find a full list of candidates in the Dublin contest here, and one for the ‘Ming’ succession race here.
If you happen to be in either of the constituencies, remember — you don’t need a polling card to vote, but you may be asked to produce other ID.
According to the Department of the Environment:
If you do not have appropriate identification or the presiding officer is not satisfied that you are the person to whom the identification relates you will not be permitted to vote.
Polling staff will accept passports, driving licences, student cards and a range of other documents; a full list is available on the Department’s website.
McNulty-gate
Meanwhile, we’ll also find out today whether Fine Gael’s John McNulty will be elected to the Seanad despite asking not to be considered in the by-election for the vacant seat following huge controversy over his appointment to a state board.
Either McNulty or the independent candidate Gerard Craughwell, a former president of the TUI, are expected to win the by-election for the seat vacated by Fine Gael’s Deirdre Clune. Sinn Féin is also running councillor Catherine Seeley. Only members of the Oireachtas are allowed vote in the poll.
While several government TDs, Senators and ministers have indicated they have voted for McNulty, despite his request for them not to do so, others in the coalition have thrown their support behind Craughwell.
It’s also understood that some TDs and Senators have spoiled their ballots.
A result in the by-election is expected before lunchtime with counting of ballots due to get under way at 11am in Leinster House. TheJournal.ie will be reporting live from the counting room. Follow @TJ_Politcs
Additional reporting, Hugh O’Connell.
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You forgot to ask, “how many genocides are they committing right now?”. Or “how many deadly viruses did their negligence unleash upon the world?”. “How many cigarettes a day is Beijing air the equivalent of smoking”… I could go on.
@Thomas Smyth: I guess ye didn’t bother with the quiz Thomas.
@Thomas Smyth: well, there’s the Tibetans, the uighurs, there Mongols and many other minority groups. I suppose when it comes to diseases ther’s sars, mers, bird flu, swine flu, man flu, covid 19. With regards to air pollution in Beijing it would depend on what we’re smoking, john player or major?
Why is the journal obsessed over China?
@Mark Twomey: they are going to buy our little island
I know that they are still preventing Irish citizen Richard O’Halloran from returning home to Ireland and to his family.
3/10 and I lived there for 2 years
@Mattress Dick: 4/10 I lived there 3 years so dont feel upset!
@Mattress Dick: 2/10. I order Chinese food once a week.
Again I asked earlier in the week….why all the pro China articles?
A great bunch of lads
Overweight people question: two thirds is the same as over half…… Over half is too ambiguous
@Paul Hedderman: anything under 66.6% is above half but not two thirds. Just as 66.7% would be over two thirds
9,000 Paddys doing us proud no doubt.
Zero
Small build of People with a Big Virus
I got 0. Guess I don’t know anything about China. Oh well, I’ll just go back to being awesome.
@aidan mccormack: yes nothing fills me with more awe than ignorance of China.
They’ve a lot of millionaires, I was surprised at that.
@Bert Carolan: who do you think is buying all our new housing projects?
@Paul’s TEFL adventures: just a little step towards the super power they will eventually come.
@Bert Carolan: considering the size of their population it’s a very small amount.
@JustHereForTheComments: to be fair to the Irish government, I couldn’t see them starting a new disease and denying all claims about the source of the disease.
@Sparky: the CCP obviously snapped up a few shares in the Journal and they’re just trying to keep on the right side of their overlords……..
Quality child labour practices,…..
@Eoin Fitzgerald: unlike the honest Irish government.
Is Simon Coveney funding all this pro china journal propaganda while they imprison an Irish citizen?
7/10. Greater China could mean all of the nations in the South China sea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, and more according to the CCP so thats a right puzzler. There is a decent amount of Irish folk in Taiwan having creamy pints though.
@Paul Cunningham: Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan are not countries
Former British , Portuguese colonies.Taiwan taken from China by Japan until end of WW2, now occupied by desendents of defeated nationalists
They are all part of China.
.
@Donal Desmond: Sure ask a Hong Konger or Taiwanese person that and you deserve to get your head knocked out like the lad in Jervis street.
@Donal Desmond: Says your man with the Easter lily as his profile pic. By your reckoning we’re all British so are we but just occupied by Irish nationalists?
@Donal Desmond: Found Coveney’s account.
The Chinese ‘A great bunch of lads’
Sure dey love de Irish and 94.7% of them love de hurlin and watch d’all Ireland. Chinese girls dream of marrying Sir Henry Shefflin and having kids that play for Tsingtao Kickhams,
The wiggle woggle said
When I’m standing on my head
I can see the coast of China
And it’s very very red..
” spike milligan”
Hou Hi is a Chinaman?
4/10, still laughing at me innocently clicking on 4 languages as my first guess.
@#FreePalestine: Nobody will ever admit to how covid started. The Chinese know but they will never spit it out. Was it started in a lad, eating bats? Nobody will ever know.
Ah lads ..not even a question on how many bicycles are in Beijing!!
@Eoin Fitzgerald: Sorry what makes Chinese people liars?
@Paul Gorry: I would consider SF bullsh*ters. FF are cute hoors and FG a boring party. Yes they probably lie to a small extent but on the scale of the Chinese.
@Eoin Fitzgerald: spoken like a politician in the making there eion fair play.
As much as I’d ever want to!!!
@Eoin Fitzgerald: But the Irish government are probably liars!!! Agree or disagree?
****not to the scale of the chinese
have your say