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FINE GAEL’S NEW leader Leo Varadkar is set to meet with his main opposition leader Micheál Martin later today as his campaign to become Taoiseach gathers pace.
Meetings with independent ministers Katherine Zappone and Denis Naughten are also scheduled to take place.
Varadkar is expected to be ratified as the country’s new leader by Dail vote next week.
His tenure however begins in the light of a series of terror attacks in the UK, the most recent of which has seen two arrests made in Ireland in connection with London attacker Rachid Redouane, who had lived here for some time up until the end of last year.
Varadkar has expressed a preference for the creation of an Irish version of the UK’s COBRA (Cabinet Office Briefing Room A) committee, which sees the meeting of many ministers (together with senior civil servants and intelligence chiefs) in response to national emergencies – the idea being to effectively respond to a crisis and coordinate government response as quickly as possible.
The option of such a committee was previously discussed in the Dáil in April of this year, and was in fact first mooted on that occasion by Labour leader Brendan Howlin, who argued it is “appropriate that we would have our own prime ministerial command centre to deal with any emergency that might arise”.
Speaking to RTÉ’s Morning Ireland today, Education Minister Richard Bruton said of the possibility of creating such a committee: “the reality is threats change and we have to change with them.”
“Leo Varadkar has outlined his ambition for a Cobra-type committee which will give greater political input into this preparation. A lot of senior ministers would sit on that and listen to the security briefing and respond right across the various cabinet briefs to make sure we prepare well,” he said.
I know the Tánaiste has sat down with the Garda Commissioner and is always reviewing resources. She invested €55 million last year in the gardaí. We are now investing more resources in the gardaí.
Asked as to the Garda Representative Association’s (GRA) assertion that Ireland isn’t ready to deal with a similar terror attack to that experienced in Britain, Bruton insisted that “there are different views on this”.
“We are well prepared is the view set out by the inspectors (the GRA representing rank-and-file gardaí). Threats are changing, there are now more random attacks, and we have to respond to the changing nature of those threats,” he said.
Thankfully the threats are rated at moderate here.
“But that doesn’t mean we can’t learn from events, we still need to monitor how we prepare. We have very good international intelligence networks, we have put resources in place to respond to these threats, and we are very intelligent.”
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I drive a taxi and for many reasons I don’t belive it’s a job for a woman. I would hate to see my wife or daughter drive a taxi. And before I’m bashed I am not sexest
You clearly are a sexist if you believe women are too weak to drive a taxi. You didn’t say they were weak but that is clearly what you are inferring
Implying, damn it.
No Philip I’m not ! But keep trying
Ah I see your Twitter has been suspended Philip Hogan bit of a troll are you hiding behind false names !
Just curious, what exactly are you saying?
OK Mr Weddingcar, why shouldn’t women drive taxis?
Because of the Philip Hogans off this world !!
That doesn’t even make sense. You don’t think your wife and daughter are capable of driving a taxi. Is it any wonder that feminism is so aggressive when your misogyny is so engrained
Are you busy tonight, weddingcar?
I dunno. All the other car jackings had male taxi drivers. Is the experience less terrifying as a man? I wouldn’t say so.
I wouldn’t think it would be either. If they take the car and let you go unharmed it’s the only good thing to come out of a car jacking.
Why I wouldn’t like my wife etc driving is because you are dealing with people at their worst late at night drunk or worse on drugs. It’s hard enough without having guys trying it on or been intimidating which would and does happen with female drivers.
Day time work wouldn’t be to bad but nights would be a disaster waiting to happen.
what do you mean it’s not a job for a woman? you didn’t really say why :L
So what you ate saying is that you would rather see women treated like glass, always kept away from danger. Give them a bit more credit. They might surprise you
James and Philip grow up !
but…i was asking a legit question. im not trying to be mean or cheeky
He is concentrating on his new big job in Europe from now on…
I’ve never seen one female taxi driver working at night. It’s common sense really.
Daniel there is many
Would you suggest that women don’t work as police or in A&E then? They’d be facing the exact same people. What I’d suggest is taxis that have a partition between the driver at the front and the passenger at the back. You’d have to have fairly thick skin to be a taxi driver, so why shouldn’t a woman be a taxi driver if they’re as thick skinned as the male taxi drivers?
Guys stop trying to prove Wexford limo a sexiest . what he is saying is very true. After a wild night out, most of the time Drank man make trouble at the street…you wont see many woman making trouble at night while they are drank. an drank man has a common issue to harass women. so in a Saturday night, when lots of drank wild mans are in the street, who will not bother about law and order or maybe not in a state of thinking clearly would probably find a woman taxi driver more easy rather than a Man driver. Its just a fact.
@Danny. Your a&e remark just makes no sense. In relation to female gardai, at night time gardai have to work in pairs. The also carry pepper spray, something which taxi drivers are not allowed have.
If working at night was the same as day they wouldn’t have the pairing system.
That young pup deserves the mother and father of a bating when caught..
Wow must admire her bravery for refusing to hand over the keys. May not always have worked out so well. But she definitely showed that chap there’s no messing with her.
I admire her bravery but it was a silly thing to do
This type of crime is going on a weekly basis in dublin. Noting new here
Women taxmen are not that uncommon now.
Women taximen are not that uncommon now.
Bit of an echo here ;)
Here.
Women taxi men maybe even women taxi drivers
Why make a point of the taxi driver’s gender? Is it relevant?
Yes
How?
Fair play for standing her ground. Little cowardly asswipe.
Wow a female taxi driver. It is so amazing that it must be put in the headline
When i saw the title. I new it was up north
Shouldn’t have made any difference if the driver was a man or woman it shouldn’t be happening , why can’t a judge make a statement and send the next attacker down for at least 5 years and this might stop it ?
but unfortunately it is always the case. weaker taxi driver are the easy target.
have your say