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SO, WHO SHOULD be the next Ceann Comhairle?
Well, it’s not up to you.
The Ceann Comhairle, or chairperson, is chosen by their peers to be an impartial figure that moderates debates and silences or sanctions TDs if they speak out of turn.
Secret voting is currently underway as one of the first orders of business of the 34th Dáil.
Competing for the highly-coveted (and well-paid) position are outgoing Ceann Comhairle Seán Ó Fearghaíl, fellow Fianna Fáil TD John McGuinness, Independent TD Verona Murphy and Sinn Féin TD Aengus Ó Snodaigh.
Both Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have instructed members to vote for Murphy, a member of the Regional Independent Group that the parties want to form a coalition with.
However, some party members have pushed back and, since it’s a secret vote, it’s all to play for.
Have you been tuning in to the hopefuls’ speeches? We want to know how you think they did.
You can rate each candidate out of ten below by using the sliding scale. Click ‘Rate now’ to compare your answer with readers’ average rating.
Fianna Fáil’s John McGuinness began his pitch to be the next Ceann Comhairle by stating that some believe that who gets the job can be decided upon by political parties, who try to control the outcome. However, he reminded the House that the rules were changed in 2016 to make it a secret ballot.
McGuinness reminded the TDs of his role as committee chair in the past, and referenced cases he worked on such as the Maurice McCabe controversy and the Grace case, as well as dealing with vulture funds and the tracker mortgage scandal.
He reminded those in the chamber that in his view, the Dáil chamber can be sidelined, by those in government, the cabinet and party leaders. The House and its members has to be “cautious”, he said. The peoples’ trust in the Dáil must be restored, said McGuinness.
Sinn Féin’s Aengus Ó Snodaigh spoke as Gaeilge for one half of his speech, telling the House, that in his view, the person who holds the Ceann Comhairle position should be proficient in the Irish language.
Murphy was the only candidate who did not use the Irish language in some of her speech.
Ó Snodaigh told the TDs that he had reached out to some in the soon-to-be government benches to plead for their vote, stating that he hoped they would see fit to back him.
He said the next Ceann Comhairle should know the rules and procedures of the House from day one and the person should not “seeking the limelight” for themselves. In what could be seen as a swipe at Murphy, he said the person who gets the job “must be unquestionably independent from government”, adding that this job is not in the gift of the Taoiseach this time.
Wexford TD Verona Murphy, who is tipped to take the top job, after Micheál Martin and Simon Harris’s endorsements, began by stating the role will be “challenging” to the person who gets it.
She quoted former politicial Avril Doyle, who said the politics is the last bloodsport, but Murphy said the wounds do heal for those who were successful in getting a seat. No one’s mandate is above another, she told the House, stating that she also feels that the public are disengaging with the political system, something she said must be fixed.
She said some people believe the Dáil chamber is just a “talking shop”, but she would like to “reform” the way the Dáil does its business, to ensure everyone’s voice is heard.
Seán Ó Fearghaíl began by stating that it was strange to be see the chamber from the backbenches, having sat in the Ceann Comhairle seat for so long.
He told the House that he was encouraged by members to seek another term, but added “I am beginning to wonder if that was such a good idea after all”. Politics is never boring, he proclaimed.
He ran over his allotted five minutes speaking time, but said that those that are voting in the secret ballot face a “difficult choice”. Ó Fearghaíl also spoke about the low election turnout in some areas, telling TDs that there was need for the public to feel more engaged.
He also used strong language when speaking about the challenges ahead, stating that there is a need to address collectively on behalf of the Irish people the “murderous regimes” of Putin, Nethanyahu “and other dictators”.
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How can Martin stand up when he has no backbone?
@teddyzigzagbigbag: allows him to be more slippery
@teddyzigzagbigbag: absolutely spineless
@teddyzigzagbigbag: the only form of balls that man has are the 2 lint balls in his belly button!!! He hasn’t made one stern decision by him self and showed any ounce of leadership mindset. Sold his soul to get where he is and that should of been the first and last of him.
@teddyzigzagbigbag: He doesn’t. He’s propped up by FG…
@teddyzigzagbigbag:
The mathematical models in general don’t lie. If we open up as Joe Public would like then a couple of hundred of younger people will die. MM doesn’t want that as part of his political legacy. Science is unemotional and indifferent to the wishful thinking of the public.
@William Tallon: Martin is a weasely spoofer and Varadker has a bigger ego than Trump. FFG members are nodding dogs, the game is over.
@Kevin: The models don’t stack up with an almost thousand fold difference between the best and worst scenarios with no discussion on most probable scenario. Even the best case is well off demonstrated European data where the delta variant is more prevelant yet indoor dining has been open throughout. The wheels have come off big time.
@Kevin: young people have more of a chance of dying from suicide than this virus.
@Kevin: here’s a mad thought. If you’re not vacinated and worried about getting covid don’t go out? Or if you are out sit outside?
@Kevin: these do. the models don’t include any vaccination or immunity figures whatsoever. i know you have lots of people claiming “everyone’s an immunologist now” are doing so thinking that the data is inaccessible, but that’s the situation now. People, including micheal Martin, know as much as Holahan (who is a public health specialists, not a virologist or epidemiologist) and they can see through these poorly presented figures. A backbone was needed to get a second opinion, and none was sought.
@teddyzigzagbigbag: the easy thing would be to give in , he stood up to the gobdaws who think having a pint is more important than peoples lives
@John Egan: he is obviously ok with that statistic being part of his ‘legacy’.
@Shawn O’Ceallaghan: awful language to read describing a good and decent man . Why woukd you .
@Seán O’Sullivan: And appeased simpletons like you, who are so simple in thinking its about having a pint.
@Mary O Dwyer: Some people would not agree with your view of him being a decent and good man .. his record with the Cervial Cancer scandal would seem contrary to that assumption.
@Da Dell: OMG sorry now you are defrending MM, the man who created the HSE, the man whose party casued the crash, then man who kept FG last 2 elections, the man who sold out his own party for his own ego to become Taoiseach.
@Da Dell: Some very short memories here indeed. It very well explains why FFG have been constantly given power in this country, despite their long track record of incompetence.
@Kevin: so we treat the unvaccinated like they treated lepers in biblical times
@Da Dell: What exactly is his record with cervical cancer ? Explain it to us.
@Ned:
We treat them differently until all are vaccinated. Otherwise more will die according to the mathematical models. It’s the least worst option and only logical one if we are to continue to base policy on science. If we are to change tack and base policy on how pissed off the population is (including me) then open up and see what happens. As I said, the virus and scientific principles are indifferent to our emotions. But we are almost there and learning all the time. Chin up.
@William Tallon: I hope people remember this next Dr Good news only is looking for votes.
Today marked the end for FF/FG, the anger that’s out there they didn’t expect, how long will this house of cards stay up ? People will be out on the streets, MM has to go and so do NEPHET, they are stagnated and tunnel visioned, my like the government.
@Tom Bombdadil: if they dont listen people then force removal is only solution. can opposition call a no confidence and call an election as this is a farce not stark warning.
@michael macken: it’s a no won situation all around. Whatever they do the outcome will be their fault entirely whether that’s more deaths or more businesses going under or a mix of both. There is no easy answer. I’m no fan of ff or fg but in reality if they were turning a blind eye to the potential of increased deaths I’d be more alarmed. I don’t know what the answer is. People seem to be jumping on NPHET for trying to get ahead of things because it’s responding to something that hasn’t happened yet and if done right it’s responding to something by preventing it entirely. But that can also be overdone as well. There is no way to gauge the success of measures. We can only measure the failure when we don’t act.
@Dave O’Keeffe: Nphet have had MONTHS to get ahead. Why not back in February/March think about the vaccine passport for indoor dining?nog that I think it’s a good idea far from it but at the 11th hour?my guess is around the 19th they will postpone opening again till after August bank holiday Monday
@seamus toomey: the Delta variant wasn’t a thing until this month so its hard to tell how exactly they would have gotten ahead of it in March. They don’t want vaccine passports either but if it means we can strike a balance between opening more and staying safe they’ll recommend it. Admissions are up over 100% in England, nothing major in Wales, Scotland or NI yet so it’ll be interesting to see if there’s a reason for that or if it’s just delayed.
NPHET Optimistic modelling: 1,530 Hospital admissions.
That is higher than all current hospitalisations in U.K. where delta makes up 90% of cases, have hospitality open and have over 12 times are population. Makes sense.
Get this shower disbanded and someone give the government a Pair of liathroidi
@Nothing_player: this is the new IrishDelta variant, the world have not seen it before. This is not coming from India. It’s originated from NPHET
@Nothing_player: the UK have had 1,600 admissions in the last 7 days. So modelling 1,500 admissions across 12 weeks in a country with 12 times less population does not seem that far off.
@ForrestG45: hmmm but the modelling that says 1500 admissions also says almost 300 deaths – which is almost 20% death rate – the rest of the EU incl Northern Ireland have reopend indoor dining and have not reported such a staggeringly high projections of deaths – they ALL estimate increased cases but acknowledge their health systems can manage – there isn’t a single comparable health body anywhere in the EU that has modelled this level of disaster – which begs the question why ? Why are no other countries in EU health authorities saying that the next 3 months are going to so catastrophic that it will correspond with 20% of the projected admissions dying……because it is exaggerated BS
@Dave Hammond: none of the models have 1,500 admissions and 300 deaths. Closest is 1,530 admissions and 165 deaths over a 3 month period. So that’s an average of 16.6 admissions per day and 1.8 deaths.
@Nothing_player: why are you spreading misinformation and reading the predictions wrong. Why do you compare weekly uk figire to 3 month irish figures. The amount of likes you got shows how misinformed the readers are
@Dawid Grzybowski: what did I say that was not accurate.
So you are agreeing with NPHET projections?
Let’s look at most important deaths in same scenario.
U.K. have had 118 deaths in last 7 days in Peak Delta with full opening.
Nphet on middle tier projections( not even pessimistic) 1230 deaths over 12 weeks. 102 deaths per week.
U.K. population 66.5 mill
Our population 4.9mill.
Tell me how that makes sense?
I’ll wait……..
@Dave O’Keeffe: Surely at this stage that’s an acceptable level of hospital cases and deaths, remember long before covid came along hospitals were for sick people and some people will die
@Paul Keenan: those numbers were the lowest model where everything goes perfectly and the delta variant turns out to be quite weak with moderate indoor social mixing. Current evidence points to this not being the case but it’s too soon to tell for sure. As for your opinion of hospitals, it’s always been their job to keep as may alive as possible. You wouldn’t be suggesting it if you had to deal with the ill and the dying yourself.
He has to go, he’s a complete disaster. He’s divided the country rather than lead them.
@Richard Right: riot kids, its thier future
Already saying that August could be the worst month for this virus, I’m beginning to think this is all about trying to save the H.S.E.
@Colette Kearns: Of course …. Covid coupled with the despicable highly-masterminded, evil genius ‘hack’ means that the HSE can delay treatments and run (finally efficiently) at half speed …. Job Done.
@Colette Kearns: that comment says it all in what experts are dealing with
@Colette Kearns: you’re only beginning now!? Do you know in most other European countries, hospitalisations are not part of the Covid based numerical and statistical updates… As they’re health system is functional and efficient
@Colette Kearns: it has only ever been about that
@Nigel o’Neill: that’s simply not true. Hospital admissions are an important statistic in a pandemic and it is being monitored in every country to varying degrees.
NPHET = No Pubs Hospitality Entertainment or Travel
Going by NPHET’s modelling, Europe – which has had 47m cases of Covid-19 so far will have 104.3m new cases between July and September.
Surely MichealMartin has a duty of care to ring around the continent and warn their leaders?
@Éanna: comparing the weekly UK figures and the NPHET projections across 12 weeks is a rough equivalent since we have 12 times less population. The UK have had 125k new cases in the last week, with a current growth rate indicating this figure tripling every 2 weeks. So yeah some of the projections do not seem unrealistic especially when you consider our vaccination rates when compared to the UK ones.
@ForrestG45 whatever the figures are from NPHET. It is an ABSOLUTE joke it toke until this week for NPHET model and predict the trend. This information should have been published weeks ago.
The BBC reported Delta was dominant in the UK on June 3rd, there is steam literally coming out of my ears
@Éanna: so in your initial post, you were challenging the unrealistic numbers from the model but you now seem to challenge the timing of the model. Is that correct?
@ForrestG45: is it true that the models don’t include any vaccination or immunity figures ?
@Da Dell: no, it’s not true.
@Éanna: we didn’t have the delta variant until more recently than the UK. They needed to have a good sample size before modelling. You can be as mad as you like but a model before we even had any cases of delta would have been a ridiculous idea.
Let’s see them publish their workings out for the worst case scenario. Then we can decide. There are mathematicians amongst the public if not the political classes.
@Eugene Norman: you are having a laugh. Give the public information not a chance. Remember Tony Holohan led the cervical smear cover up for a long time before those brave women went to court to get the truth. Why would people believe any thing different here.
@Eugene Norman: politicians are not a *class’.. Let’s start from there again
@Eugene Norman: NPHET letter to Mín for Health…. https://assets.gov.ie/138789/3fe6b992-45e8-4a1c-b4c2-5e4a6131ad53.pdf
@Gearoid OLaoghaire: a letter is not the workings. He’s asking for the model, the data and the assumptions. Surely they can stand over their work and post it on github
@Henri Poincaré: Considering what a great thing the world of open-source is, I’d absolutely welcome that. You’d think they’d want to have as many eyes and checks on their data as possible, but no, apparently Nolan is infallible…
@Henri Poincaré: All the information you’re looking for is in the letter. It’s 13 pages of details and data used for the modelling. What’s missing from it that you need? The data is there, the “assumptions” are there. The information you’re asking for is all there and you’re pretending it isn’t.
@Eugene Norman: the optimistic models shows 16.6 hoapital admissions per day and 1.8 deaths deaths. That’s still very bad
@Dawid Grzybowski: that’s the mid range model. The most optimistic is 4.4 admissions per day and 0.9 deaths. It’s still bad but not as bad as the mid range
@Dawid Grzybowski: my apologies. The numbers I gave are the model without the delta variant. You are absolutely correct that those are the optimistic numbers
@Dave O’Keeffe: I’m not “pretending” anything.
I build and test models. I also write up reports based on those models and others. I do it for a living.
There’s absolutely no comparison between a report and getting your hands on the model itself and replicating the answer.
For one thing (one of many), you’re assuming that all of the data and assumptions in the report made it’s way perfectly into the model. Mistakes happen, especially when it’s being developed off the cuff to allow for so many changes.
The model needs to be challenged and you can only do that by getting your hands on it. If a mistake is found, great. If it stands up to scrutiny, that’s great too.
@Henri Poincaré: The UK is a month ahead of us and pretty much fully open. Surely the results there are better than any theoretical model
@Mickety Dee: 100% increase in hospital admissions in England
@Henri Poincaré: well why don’t you use the data given and make your own model? See how you get on with that.
@Dave O’Keeffe: There’s a sneering, dismissive vibe from this comment. Not to mention ignorance. I’ve a couple questions though:
1. Do you believe NPHET opening their modelling up to scrutiny by data professionals and mathematicians would be a detriment?
2. Do you believe Philip Nolan is infallible, and thus, doesn’t need help from other qualified professionals to point out potential errors in his model?
@Dave O’Keeffe: right, whatever you say Dave
@Nollaig Ó Ceallaigh: I wouldn’t waste my time if I were you
The worst government in the history of the state, and there has been some bad ones.
@Darren Lambe: and yet , FF still have 20 per cent of the votes according to the latest poll. Irish people are master’s of our downfall , this will be the third time this party has ran this country into the ground and they still gain a large share of the votes , it’s mind boggling ..
For those who constantly say NPHET have no power and simply advise, ‘advice’ that they know will be accepted before it’s even given is power:
“ With the Taoiseach coming out early on last week indicating that government would accept whatever NPHET’s advice might be, Micheál Martin “rolled out the red carpet” for the Chief Medical Officer Tony Holohan, said one source.”
@JedBartlett: same argument. Who is giving him the power? FG and FF. Your point is null and void.
@OConnelj: How so? Nphet are effectively calling the shots now, not merely advising. It doesn’t matter who’s enabling them, they’re still the ones with the power.
Martin, Hoolihan and Varadkar, and NPHET have to go now.
Anyone else just watch the highly paid minister for health Stephen Donnelly get taken to shreds on primetime. This bloke has been like a rabbit caught in the head lights since day one .And just quotes NPHET time and time again and quite frankly an embarrassment. IMO.
@Paul Gorry: …
@Paul Gorry: It was embarrassing. Car crash t.v. Verona Murphy was very good. Over on the Tonight show Barry Cowan threw Martin under a bus. His comments even surprised the interviewer. A member of NPHET asked to appear but they refused.
@Franny Ando: Franny i seen cowan on the tonight show as I was flicking back to the match but actually said to myself not watching him. Sorry I didn’t now. Maybe joe Duffy can get a member of NPHET on the phone???.
@Paul Gorry: Refusing an independent review stinks of corruption. He was making out as if Latvia are some progressive innovative country that we should be following. Embarrassing stuff, I’m ashamed that this is our government
@Daniel O’ Connor: yeah Daniel when he quoted Latvia it was the bottom of the barrel stuff and totally agree with your comment.
@Paul Gorry: the only thing he knows for sure, is he doesnt know. Terrible
Tony Holohan literally running the country
@Koukliahills: Or ruining…
Just stick to the plan. The delta variant has died down in india from daily highs of 400k down to 45k. The NPHET modelling his dodgy as feck.
@Twitruser2021: Which plan….actually what plan?
@Steve Monk: The plan that was supposed to open up the country gradually, the one that NPHET through a spanner in last night with statistics they pulled out of an alternative universe.
@Twitruser2021: Scotland PM today said they think their cases have will peaked soon before starting to fall. Daily increases have been getting smaller. Something to keep an eye on.
@DK: number of new cases in the UK In the last 7 days is 125k, a 73% increase from the previous week.
@Twitruser2021:
Indian numbers are not acurate… India has also being going through a severe lockdown…
The north has seen over triple the case numbers in 3 weeks… That is here they are looking..
@DK Innovation: parts of India with the biggest decreases in cases have also been using ivermectin.
@ForrestG45: They tested 7 million people last week, 10% of their population
Absolute disgrace canceling communions and conformations a lot of kids after getting outfits for this and to be told it’s off now just out of the blue
@Kehoe21: Won’t somebody think of the children!
@Kehoe21: Communions and confirmations can go ahead. Just not in large groups with a full church. So, which is more important, a religious ceremony for your child conducted in a small group or a big bash with new clothes.
@sean o’dhubhghaill: The new clothes weren’t for a big bash they are not allowed were the white gowns for the conformation because of covid.
@Kehoe21:disappointing for the poor old kids but the right move . The garden marquee and accompanying all day drinking would have been a big risk .
@Mary O Dwyer: Aha your mask has fully slipped, your another Tony type, anti-drinker, anti-Pub, tar all with the same brush, pontificating from a pedestal type ..
@Kehoe21: hardly essential
We have a Taoiseach albeit a lovely man that cannot make a decision to save his life and is utterly like a rabbit in headlights re a grieving tee totaller running NPHET. We are sleep walking into a catastrophe whilst Rony and his unelected zealots dictate government policy and decision making.
Mattie McGrath today called for an independent analysis of the modelling and advice from NPHET.
“The entire NPHET modelling over the past 12 months has been wrong on almost every occasion. Wrong, wrong, wrong”.
Mattie then responded to Eamon Ryan – “No one is believing you. You’ve lost the public here, and you’ve lost them badly”.
I think we all know this Mattie and still their word is taken as gospel.
At least what today has done is wake up a lot more people to this bullsh!t. Not as many lockdown lovers and Journal trolls here today for a change!
@James Quinn: Just watched Independent T.D Verona Murphy on Prime Time she said the same thing. Barry Cowan now on Tonight literally going against everything Martin has said and done. Even the interviewer was caught of guard by his comments. There’s obviously serious discontent amongst the party.
@Franny Ando: Also NPHET were asked to send a representative to take part in the show. They refused!
@Franny Ando: The NPHET house of cards is finally falling apart. Martin and Varadkar are pretty poor speakers at the best of times, never mind now when their backs are to the wall with all the evidence against them. I’d say they have been taken aback with the response to their decision today. The next day or 2 will tell alot.
Sinn Fein have also been a disgrace. Thank god for the likes of Mattie Mcgrath and Micheal McNamara over the last few months.
@James Quinn: True. I hate to say it but even Alan Kelly went up (slightly) in my estimation today.
@Franny Ando: Same here, I despise him over the IW debacle and I have more reason than some as I left my last job mostly over IW, but today and tbh more lately he has gone up a bit, but due to his past I not sure id trust him either, but would be happy for him to convinve me otherwise.
Joke the only country in Europe who are not opening up. Our government are useless.
Tony Holohan needs to be replaced as CMO immediately.
He is no longer fit for purpose in his position.
@Cookie: He never was to be fair
Was in Austria last week for 2 appointments (and I’m fully vaccinated). However, their set up is incredible. Every time you go to any indoor or outdoor dining, they ask for proof of vaccine or negative test. They have testing centres throughout the country, in shipping containers. Anyone can go for a free rapid test at any time and they accept them in dining settings. The option for free PCR test is also available. Their school children get tested weekly at least. Their 7 day incidence rate is below 10! they test over 600K (pcr tests) yesterday. Our system is apalling and an embarassment.
Why are these guys so caught up on advice when year and upon year there are various reports and agencies offering advice on policies to address other social, health and economic issues which they willingly ignore time and time again.
Why are they pretending that they cannot ignore this advice and acting as if NPHET are now the new legislature!?
The histerics around this delay is laughable. It’s no wonder the Christmas disaster happened.
@Munster1: Did we have some vaccines then??? Don’t be so hysterical!
@Twitruser2021: millions of people are not fully vaccinated, just think about that.
@Munster1: Yes and with all due respect to people who think it’s not safe to go out & eat dinner inside then just don’t do it until you feel comfortable about it, but let the rest of the nation live!
@Colette Kearns: Not that simple.
@Colette Kearns: the man is a coward, don’t engage. He would be hiding under his bed for years to come. The rest of Europe have cracked on with indoor dining, but the abundance of cowards here, Martin and Munster included would rather stay hidden under their beds. The fighting Irish, don’t make me laugh. The quivering, cowering Irish is more apt.
@Munster1: 41.26 million per day worldwide. 3.1 billion doses so far. Try not to think about it too much as the slowness of our rollout is depressing. We are catching up thanks to all the extra effort by pharmacies. Extra kudos to all the vaccinators they are doing a great job.
@Twitruser2021: the vaccine is just a helping hand for your body to fight against Covid, not a miraculous prevention from getting it
@Andrew Giles: Yes, that’s correct and it has kept hospitalisation down. We went into lockdowns at Christmas because people’s bodies didn’t have this helping hand. So more helping hands are required along with the basics of hand washing and mask wearing.
@Munster1: having bills to pay is hysteric alright.
@sean o’dhubhghaill: explain?
@Eoin Jackson: Jackson wouldn’t have a problem with the same numbers the UK are seeing. Are you Irish Jackson?
@Munster1: I am Irish and you are a co.ward.
@Colette Kearns: And because you think it’s safe, the rest of us are put at increased risk. Thanks for your self-centeredness.
@Nick Caffrey: you’d be absolutely freaking out with all the risk if you lived anywhere else in Europe so would you? Lucky you are in Ireland. You can join munster and the rest of the spineless.
@Eoin Jackson: back to england with ya Jackson
@Munster1: not that its any of your business but I was born and raised in Ireland. Actually the same province as you. But hey thats where the comparison stops as i don’t absolutely piss all over my bedsheets when NPHET open their mouths…
@Munster1: if anything you are a complete embarrassment to my province and please change your name.
@Munster1: also love how you come after my second name as if you are superior all the while sticking with your cow.ardly theme and sticking behind a fake name. Id expect nothing else from a complete and utter cow.ard and pus.sy.
@Eoin Jackson: ‘I hear your a rac1st now Father’
@Munster1: Climb back under your rock Patrick
@Eoin Jackson: dont make me laugh old fat man
SF are going to have field day in the next general election
@trebloc01: are they still a thing? Haven’t heard a squeak for years now….
@trebloc01: That’s when the real trouble will start unfortunately
Stop the world and let me off
@Andy mc Laughlin: Join the queue…
NPHET AND GOVERNMENT NEED TO GO ASAP
@sandra clifford: Totally agree with you. We have the worst government ever. Cancelling dining in for July 5th until god knows when. How do we know that NHEPT and Holohan are not going to delay the return of foreign travel on July 19th. The rate things are going there will be no hospitality and Airline industry. Totally useless government. We must be the laughing stock of Europe. General Election now or get the EU involved.
No fan of Martin. He’s a spineless man, so desparate for power he hopped into bed with fg, damming his party in the process. It’s notable though, how the journal is happy to print dissenting articles about him. The puff pieces they write about Leo are very, very different.
@Seán C: Leo played a blinder with MM, handed off a hail-Mary pass to him and blinded by the floodlights of the Taoiseach’s Office, he gladly accepted it and the cost to this party.
The government shied away from quarantine for arrivals and Delta variant arrived and infected. Not protecting the population and the economy
This is how vaccinated people behave. Glad I waited
What a load of bollox
Open for all under 65yrs.
Ban all over 65yrs from indoor dining and pubs for a few weeks until vaccinations ( + herd immunity) reach tipping point.
So no serious illness or deaths as most vulnerable (>65yrs ) are protected … stay out for a few more weeks. All over 65s would accept this.
Business are free to operate. People can go back to work.
Throw on the bbq. Or get a takeaway! Have a few friends over, get a few beers in. Everyone relax!
How can government ministers say they were blind sided .. the not opening up was so obvious with the low double vaccinated numbers and the delta variant being able to infect another within seconds .. everyone needs to get real and understand the virus is adapting and what was a droplet infection it was thought is now known to be air borne and can linger in the air fir 16 hours so indoor mixing just not possible as not adequate ventilation to clear the air . Awful fir the sector and they need financial support but the general public need to stop whinging and sit down and drink their pint in the lovely sun ! If pre pandemic everyone wanted to eat outside in summer .. get vaccinated and we can all head inside soon if we. want .
@Mary O Dwyer: Christ Mary if its as dangerous as you are making out sure they better go into full lock-down, not opening things that are already closed is hardly going to avert the disaster. There is also now reports that the transmissibility and danger of Delta may be less than previous thought.
Strange how to try to downplay indoor opening to as simple as whinging or wanting a pint after your deep analysis of delta and as seen here many many politicians and business people are also whinging and not just people wanting a pint. You do know that there is many many parts of the country the old place to get a pint is in a so called wet pub that has been closed since last March. I suppose you live in a city or large town with many options and public transport etc, many many do not have that option.
Aside from all that the Gov should have plans for all contingencies and it seems the only plan they had was kite-flying and racing one another to be first to comment on indoor opening.
@Mary O Dwyer: you can always tell who the civil servants are. The people unaffected financially. The backbone of FFG. There is months and months of data from other countries which NPHET ignores. You are brainwashed by RTE. Ireland is not the only country in the world with the Delta variant. Cop on and wake up.
@inflation is coming… buy physical silver.: Sorry but not true, I read international studies on the virus and how it is adapting in its efforts to infect in journals such as the lancet that have been peer reviewed so no I don’t rely on RTÉ for my information on COVID but I do listen to any informed views but it is hard to listen to those who just knock and jeer all who are actually qualified and deal with outbreaks all their working lives . This is a virus but unfortunately a new very transmissible and adaptable one .
@Mary O Dwyer: jaysusfnc , you read, how very posh of you, by any chance did you see prime time or the tonight show tonight, i had to check them out tonight, would ya ever watch them and listen to all the debate and stop dumbing down the counter debate to wanting a pint.
@Mary O Dwyer: With all your international studies, could you inform us of the results of modeling in other countries and if immunization and vaccination are not part of their modeling like Tonys.
@Mary O Dwyer: so the rest is correct. Civil servant /FFG voter. The fact of the matter is that indoor dining is open in all other EU countries. The same issue happened with schools staying closed. We were laughing at Ireland then and we’re still laughing now. International studies… Give me a break from your BS
It’s no more discriminatory than only allowing restaurants with outdoor space to open
@Jonathan Baum: really? Are the equal rights of restaurants protected by the irish constitution they are?
Even if they reverse the decision now they still need to be turfed out on their ear with a good firm kick in the buttocks to give em distance before landing!!
@Shane Slattery: In the bollocks
He’s a dead man walking.
They pushed the AZ on us I feel I got the short straw now with all that’s going on I will not be taking the 2nd dose of AZ I’ll gladly go to the back of the queue what’s another few weeks as Nphet or the government couldn’t give a flying fcuk about ya
No s hit sherlock
This is obviously all Sinn Féin’s fault.
He has no back bone when he said before he wouldn’t go into government with Sinn Fein but when things when wrong in election he said he have no problem going with them his a joke Sinn Fein for me for sure
Massive outbreak in Majorca where Uk students went to celebrate exam Results………Just saying
@Larry Rawson: Yeah party central places Majorca & Ibiza are so like the madness in a small country pub in the middle of nowhere Ireland … said no one ever.
@Da Dell: Jesus I don’t know about that now.. there are corners of this place that would give them a run for their money!
I am no fan of Mehole martin or the rest of his FG/FG band wagon. But NEPHET is not a political group, they base their decisions on the Data that is available and then try and project from that. I am sorry that the data is inconvenient to many of you people who expected this thing to be over in time for summer. Unfortunately, the Virus doesn’t give a toss about that and to ignore the data just so we can go have a few drinks is crazy. Last Christmas they give into public pressure and look what happened then, they nearly overrun the HSE. Some might say, well sure the HSE can handle it, well those staff have been working flat out even before the pandemic, could we call just make a little more of a scrafise to give them a break and allow them to recoop before we go into another winter with an understaffed over worked health care system.
There was only ever one outcome.
Nphet is mostly made up of medical people who have taken an oath to up hold life, l don’t think pubs and restaurants are high on that agenda. And l don’t think the government are going to take them saying l told so after the Christmas debacle. I would say that Nphet reminds them of that at every meeting since
Que people who don’t know anything about this, giving out..…. Blah blah… hate to tell you but if the poo hit the fan… it’s to late… u have to stop it before it takes hold….. so even if this works people will still give out saying , it was not that bad and they should have opened the pubs etc..
@Kevin Bury: there’s a queue of people waiting to tell you that you should have said “cue”
Martin hasn’t the balls to stand up to NPHET
have your say