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TAOISEACH MICHEÁL MARTIN met with Tánaiste Leo Varadkar and Green Party leader Eamon Ryan this morning after what has been a disastrous couple of days for the government.
The coalition has been rocked by resignations and calls for those in the public eye to step aside, amid public fury over an Oireachtas Golf Society dinner in Clifden last week.
EU Commissioner Phil Hogan, who attended the dinner last week, has today given a “detailed report” to Ursula von der Leyen on the golf meeting controversy.
Hogan has now made the report public.
The European Commission President had sought clarity from Hogan on his movements and the circumstances surrounding them last week.
Her decision on Hogan’s position is due to be made public later today.
It is believed that the three party leaders made their views on whether Hogan should stand aside known to one another. The Taoiseach and Tánaiste have already called on Hogan to consider his position.
However, whether Hogan holds on to his job is a matter for the EC president to decide.
A Covid Cabinet sub committee was due to meet tomorrow, however it is understood that the Taoiseach, Varadkar and Ryan met instead this morning to draw a line under the controversies of the last week.
The programme for government sets out that the three party leaders will meet each week to discuss and put to bed any controversies that might arise.
The meeting was described as “good” with issues being “smoothed over” this morning.
Party leaders are understood to be very focused on the reopening of schools now.
The Hogan issue was discussed, but it is understood the Taoiseach, Tánaiste and Minister for Transport are awaiting on von der Leyen’s decision on Hogan.
The party leaders also discussed the issues relating to the reopening of schools and the latest Covid restrictions.
Today’s party leaders’ meeting comes ahead of Friday’s Cabinet meeting where the issues on the agenda include school reopenings, Covid restrictions and the new enforcement laws that gardaí will be able to use to close down events breaching the rules.
Whether Hogan stays on will also be one of the main issues to be discussed by ministers at the end of this week.
It is believed that the Leaving Certificate and the calculated grades system is also an issue on the government’s radar, with more work needed to ensure it is a fair system.
The matter will be raised at next week’s Cabinet meeting.
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I genuinely cannot remember a more shambolic and incompetent start to a government. How much track has the calamity express left ahead of it before it reaches the cliff edge??
@The Risen: it can only get better from this point onwards …… lol
@Jim Buckley Barrett: I hear ya. Schools back open fully from this week, and I’ve a really bad feeling that we will be soon looking back at golfgate with the nostalgia of a happy childhood memory.
@The Risen: could have been worse. The event could have been in Lanzarote.
@The Risen: as shambolic as it is and it’s been disastrous, things could be worse. The could have walked away for, let’s say 2 years , like other parties have
@Patrick O Connell: you just can’t help yourself with your little digs.
@Patrick O Connell: What should they have done? Cash for ash cost the tax payer half a billion pound if not more. Seems to me they were sticking up for the people they represented at the time and also the people they didn’t.
@King B: It was a SF minister that hampered the actual investigation by setting ridiculous limits on who could be asked to testify, if they were genuinely interested in getting justice for the taxpayer why do this? Why not let the investigation speak to anyone they wished?
@The Risen: leo just tell the EU TO FIRE him this is bigger than having an edge on brexit. they should all resign because if they are allowed to stay it undermines the whole democratic system & sends out a message that they are bigger than the laws made for the people!
@The Risen: webmaster@taoiseach.ie
@NotMyIreland: Sinn Fein weren’t in charge of any investigation so that’s pure bollocksology anyway. Arlene has admitted fault and the failings that happened on her watch. If the dup and Sinn Fein can get past it surely you can.
Examiner now reporting he was seen dining out in Limerick/Adare day before quarantine should have ended.
@alan: just read it. Great reporting by the examiner
Still can not understand how Hogan only got a caution for driving with a mobile when there is no mercy for us plebs.
@Brendan Woods: probably because the Garda didn’t want the trouble, he be in for doing his job by giving points to the likes of hogan.
@Brendan Woods: He could have been swigging from a bottle of vodka while driving and they still would have let him carry on his journey. Rules only apply for the tax slaves of this country.
@Brendan Woods: he probably told him that he was on urgent EU business and the Garda was probably afraid he might get into trouble. It’s a different set of rules for those within the golden circle.
@Brendan Woods: I’ve been left off for speeding before, just the once but your man was sound, I was doing 90something in an 80.
On the flip side , I’ve had a car I just bought with no tax siezed on the way to the mechanic to get her fixed up. Thought that was the more reasonable of the two offences but he was having none of it.
My point is sometimes we get away with stuff , sometimes we don’t. You’d hope he came across a guard who was being sound and not just left off the hook for being Phil Hogan.
@King B: An actually reasonable comment. Unusual here.
@Brendan Woods:
Eamon: The real issue is did he drive in and out of Kildare in an electric vehicle ?
Leo: They want the truth….but they can’t handle the truth
MeHole: I really don’t give a shi’ite, I’m finally Taoiseach (smiling smugly)
Larry curley and mo
@Marty Lawless: Ted, Doughal and Jack maybe?
@Ed Byrne: the Marx brothers
Phil Hogan must resign; lies, lack of empathy, wriggling, economy with the truth, life, reckless behaviour. Go now, for God’s sake. And your Adare escapade now being revealed. Game over.
In the name of God, man, just Go.
@longstrides: What happened at Adare?
@Mairead Jenkins: Phileas Fogg!…
@Mairead Jenkins: A(h)dare say he’s in trouble now!!!
He made the report public on twitter but turned off replies. No backbone at all doing that.
@Olivia Smith: what difference does it make? Do you really think he would read your reply? Does he look like the type of person who spends his days on twitter reading people’s comments? Just wait until you’re standing face to face
@Mr. G: Id say he’s the type of person that spends his day practising “do you know who I am???do you know just who you’re dealing with here??
Wait for the diversions – in a couple of minutes we will learn here from the usual FG/Bots that it was all the shinners fault.
@Angela McCarthy: With the drink driver in Cork, the non burial for the attendance in Belfast cemetery and other representatives on holidays in Lanzarote the Shinners have enough to worry about.
@Tim Quigley: why do you think Mary Who is keeping her head down.
@GrumpyAulFella: Is she keeping her head down….Theres a surprising amount of statements from her for a person keeping her head down…but don’t however let the facts get in the way of your smart alec comment it does however make you look a wee bit stupid just.
@Tim Quigley: The Sinn Fein T.D. in Cork convicted for driving under the influence was widely reported by the national media at the time. Unlike the Cowen insident that was only reported on after his appointment as minister. Why was not Cowens conviction not give the same media coverage when convicted. The funeral of Bobby Story ? The funeral of a Garda murdered on duty and attended by government ministers also took place around this time. At these two funerals where people wished to pay their respects social distance was all but impossible to maintain among the public. As for the S.F. councillor.who travelled to and from Lanzarote it must be rightly condemed
@Tim Quigley: the anti Sinn Fein bots are being rolled out by the rainbow muppets. Time to worry about your own masters Tim. They’re the real criminals here and everybody knows it.
I wonder what must be going through the Taoiseach’s head right now with all this going on… also, I wonder what Micheal Martin makes of it?
Who was Hayes+3 at the gig?
How many times have politicians bankers and judges socialised ?
We have a long long way to go yet, we got a glimpse inside and it looks rotten..
Mr hogan, you won’t see who’s naked until the tide goes out ,
Guess which tide is turning
How is Hogan still a member of Fine Gael ? Varadkar needs to act now.
Ah Eamonn is awake. Nice to see
3 stooges
Far more important than hogan are the discussions about the new enforcement laws that will probably be given to Gardai on Friday . If something needs a full quorum and a qualified majority in Parliament to pass, this is certainly one of them. Meanwhile people are distracted with Hogan.
@Isabel Oliveira: We don’t have a parliament, wrong country.
@Jim Buckley Barrett: That’s true, we dont have a parliament…..or a government. Just a shambles with three stooges.
Well reading his report.. That slimey f€&ker is going to get off!! I hope Ursula has the measure of this craythor!!
Eamonn Ryan ” They should have been at home planting salad boxes”
Triumvirate of headless cabbages.
3 MUPPETS
Sack the lot of them, don’t miss the rare opportunity to get rid of the rotten apples from the bottom of the barrel.
Larry, Moe and Joe
If Hogan is not sacked the general public here will demand a general election! The public is furious this is not going away
Oh okay the three leaders put it to bed. And I bet they tuck each other in at night. Like are people just take this once again. In the interest of the country isnt scandal after scandal, internationally we look to be passive, naieve and foolish.
Ahh at least someone woke Eamon Ryan from his little slumber
They should go as well what an embarrassment
Despite negative comment on Government , some of it deserved, I am off the opinion that a substantial amount of work has gone under the radar! Eg. Fantastic work getting schools prepared for reopening, tackling the renewed surge on Covid and Business stemulus package….along with a lot more! Not bad for 9 week’s work with a number of Key Ministers & Taoiseach foregoing holidays!
@anne kelly: which one of your relations is in government, or maybe you’re an “advisor”
@anne kelly: Schools will cause a explosion of cases in a month. Make no mistake. It’s a weak plan only designed as a tick box. Covid payment is reducing in September for people and lest not forget its easy for people in the capital and bigger towns to get work but what of the rest.
No enough is not done by them.
Larry, mo and curly
Minutes from that meeting :
“Look lads if we all come out publicly and call for the EU to give him the boot then that’ll pish them off ( shur it happened when the Polish demanded their fella be given a one way ticket and the EU got shirty at been told what to do and refused. )
Then Michéal you can go out on the plinth and tell the gobsh.. I mean nation …that if we had our way he’d be gone but the EU balked. It’s a win win for us.”
“ What do you think Eamon…. Eamon, wake up there Eamon. Oh for feck sake?”
“ Hey Michéal .”
“ Yes Leo.”
“ Does my neck look brassy in this tie”?
Larry Curly and Moe.
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