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EVERY WEEKDAY EVENING,TheJournal.ie brings you the five stories you need to know about before you head out the door.
1. #CROKE PARK 2: The trade union UNITE, which represents 6,500 public sector workers, has recommended its members vote to reject the ‘Croke Park 2′ pay deal. The union said the cuts being proposed “cannot be sustained by the workers we represent nor can they be anything other than disastrous for jobs across the broad economy”.
2. #TAX DEFAULTERS: The Revenue Commissioners published details today of the €27.7 million paid in taxes, interest and penalties by 135 tax defaulters. The highest payment was made by Michael Healy, a plant hire contractor in Aughrim, Co Wicklow, whose settlement amounted to €2.026 million – based on an original tax bill of €694,317.
3. #SURROGACY: In a landmark case, the genetic parents of twins born to a surrogate have won their High Court case to have the biological mother – who provided the embyros – recognised as the children’s legal mother, RTÉ reports. The genetic mother’s name will now be added to the birth certificates.
4. #BUDGET 2014: Minister for Finance Michael Noonan has confirmed that the next Budget will be brought forward to October this year, subject to EU finance ministers endorsing the co-called two-pack in Brussels today. The new measures would see all member states required to submit budgets to the European Commission for approval during that month.
5. #HORSEMEAT: Food company Birdseye said today that products which were found to contain horse DNA originated from a meat processing plant in Ireland. Birds Eye says it has now tested all products “multiple times through multiple samples” over a period of four weeks and says all products have been given the all clear.
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Good to see a politician stand up for the masses and actually stick to his principles. Well done Mr Nulty.
Fair play Patrick , I wish you many long years in politics, it takes cojones to stand against a crushing wave ?/
La verdad!
Well done Patrick on voting against a continuation of FF policies. One of a few labour tds to remember their election promises. Collective amnesia by the rest.
“Labour is a partner in this government and our candidate Patrick Nulty has pledged that in the Dail, he will vote with his Party on all issues.”
That’s his election promise.
Nope, that’s a quote from a Labour spokesperson.
Did he say at any stage that he’d unquestioningly obey the party whip?
semantics. He never denied the statement made by the labour party, I presume on his behalf.
Nope, not semantics. Just the correct attribution of a quote, that’s all.
If you can find the phrase “I will vote with my party on all issues” anywhere in his election literature, I will stand corrected.
here you go Niall….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7ecv53OfDY
“I will always vote with the labour party”
not even text, he actually says it!
Fair enough. Shouldn’t have said it.
If he does vote for the budget as a whole, not sure if he’s started voting against as yet, it would gone against everything else he said, though.
Sorry Patrick, you can’t take the moral high ground and lie to your constituents at the same time. When the Loftus campaign claimed a vote for her would be a vote for the only “government candidate” running, you threw a fit. You told your supporters and your constituents that you’d be a “government TD” and would support and vote with the government. This is opportunistic grand standing of the highest order, Dublin West is crowded with high profile candidates… Joan Burton, Leo Varadkar, and Joe Higgins. Clearly you’re trying to create a following as independent candidate in opposition, this after being elected as a by his constituents as a “government TD”. This a term for it, it is called “bait and switch”
Your actions are not of a moral man, but a dishonest manipulative man. You took Labour’s campaign funds, ran on their ticket, used their support, membership, and finances only to turn coat 40 days later. Mark my words, this will come back to haunt you in future campaigns.
So, maybe I’m a bit simple here, but …. the fact that he was running for a government party, then takes a seat in government … doesn’t that mean that he was a government candidate? I think you’ll find that it was Loftus who did the lying there.
I’d like to congratulate Patrick on voting against an unconscionable budget.
Actually, I think you’ll find that he took issue with Ms. Loftus claiming to be the “only government candidate”.
I’m a lifelong Labour voter, Daniel, albeit in a different constituency. I was against the faustian pact with the Blueshirts, from the start. I’m just glad that there are still some sitting in the Dáil who can honestly say:
“I remain committed to the values and principles of the Irish Labour Party.”
He’s more representative of the party, for me, and what I voted for at the last election, than most of those on the government benches. I hope that more will find their consciences and their voices in the coming weeks.
Hate to break it to you, but people don’t vote Labour for blueshirt policies. He’s from the left of the party anyhow, and has never pretended otherwise – people knew what they were getting.
Niall, this isn’t about what you think. It’s about what he did. Regardless of wether you support his actions or not it is irrefutable that he told his constituents one thing, an then did another. That’s dishonest. You’re claiming he wasn’t dishonest and I usually only see that kind of denial when talking to Fianna Fail supporters.
Personally, I think that those who claim to represent the Labour Party, and everything it stands for, but are also happy to sit on the government benches and vote for this budget are the truly dishonest ones.
But to break it down again – he ran as a government candidate, he won, he joined the government, he left on a matter of conscience.
I’m sure that his constituents will judge him accordingly at the next election.
Well done Patrick
Good man Patrick. The only way to pay down the debt is to create jobs. That will reduce welfare, increase tax take, create commerce and we can grow our way out of trouble. Keep the faith!
Where is this magic job creating wand you speak of?
He’s not gonna do much on the opposition benches except collect his big paycheck and expenses for feck all. He’s a Quitter and should resign his seat completely as he was elected under the labour party from which is has now resigned. And he should be made pay the huge cost of having another by election to replace him.
4 weeks ago elected as a flag waver for the program for government, NOT the Labour manifesto from GE11. Utterly cynical and merely another rebel without a clue.
What a muppet! He conveniently and cynically used the Labour party ‘Machine’ (i.e. their chequebook) to get elected 5 weeks ago and now can occupy the moral high ground until the next election and take his chances with the Independents. It’s easy to shout from the sidelines.
Ah give it a rest Kathryn – he had no idea what was going to be in the budget when he was being elected. If some of the other backbenchers had balls as big as his then maybe this budget could have been amended to protect the less well off. Why should they vote as they are told? Because daddy Enda and Father Eamon say so? I’d like to think that our politicians vote for what they believe in rather than following the leader. Enda was wanted out by 49% of his party last year, yet now they all tow the line because of being afraid to miss out on promotions to cabinet and hence nice pensions and pay rises. The party whip system does not serve the people – its an injustice. It’s what the rest of the world would describe as a “cult”.
Rubbish John. He may not have know the exact details but the figure of €3.8 billion (made up of cuts and taxes) was know months ago. So he knew the budget was going to be hard and would probably hit lots of people. He opposed Labour going into government with Fine Gael back in March so he knew that he would have difficulty with the Programme for Government that Labour had signed up to. Yet somehow he was able to swallow his principles, take Labour money and support in order to get into the Dail.
Why didn’t he stand as an Independent? Becuase he knew he wouldn’t have had a hope in hell of getting elected. He’s just as cynical as any other politician who says one thing one day and then does a different thing the next day.
It’s not rubbish Jim, it’s true. I agree largely with what you are saying btw but my point is that choices needed to be made to allow for the €3.8bn adjustment. There was no tax on the rich like labour and FG have been screaming about for years in opposition. No changes for top civil servants like they screamed about in opposition. Cutting of fuel allowances to elderly which they would have vehemently criticised in opposition.
Basically my point is this – none of this was in the programme for govt. they could have chosen other ways to get to €3.8bn and McNulty disagreed with the choices that were made. If anybody has abandoned their principles it is the party leaders of labour and FG. They screamed for long enough in opposition and now they have proven that they are no different to the last crowd. Nobody disputes the €3.8bn, but it’s the way that this has been done is most frustrating.
That’s right get yourself elected using a party machine and the go independent to ensure seat into the future…mattie McGrath’s urban love child.
Patrick, you knew exactly what was in the programme for government well before you were elected. What happened in the last two days was hardly shocking to any of us. I am thus struggling to understand where your sudden conversion to a different set of policies came from. Perhaps you would like to explain how this came about; after all the Labour Party have made no secret that Budget 2012 was going to involve significant cuts.
As a Labour colleague I agree totally with you Conor and I believe that Patrick has made a fundamental error tonight. I was clearly of the view that Patrick would support the difficult decisions in this budget having been elected with our support only a month ago.
Coming at it from another angle, somebody on a different thread made the point that these would be the only ones voting with what the party says it stands for, if you read their constitution, that all the rest should lose the whip and they should keep it.
I honestly don’t know how you can stand over this budget, it’s a travesty. Wish someone could explain what’s going on here….
When say they, I mean Nulty, Broughan, etc., obviously.
Apologies for multiple posts, but this budget didn’t involve “difficult decisions”, it was all about soft options, surely you can see that?
@ Niall, I think you’re being incredibly naive if you believe for a second that the decisions taken by Labour, and indeed Fine Gael were soft options. I’m not sure what planet you were on during the general election, but Labour never promised a land of milk and honey. Labour never promised that the mistakes of the past could be fixed quickly. Labour never promised that there would be no cuts.
No bones were made of the situation, and for the likes of Nulty, Broughan et al. to abandon ship so readily is incredibly reckless, totally unprofessional and distorts the actual promises that were made by the Labour Party. If these loose cannons wish to join Messrs Boyd-Barrett and Higgins in obscurity, irrelevant to the real needs so be it. But don’t tarnish the reputation of a the Labour Party who made the reality of our situation and the action they would take clear.
I don’t accept that. The books need to be balanced, the means come down to a political and ideological choice. The difficult decision would’ve been to introduce innovative revenue measures aimed at softening – not necessarily eliminating – the cuts. The difficult course would be to represent Ireland’s interests with regard to the troika and “The Markets”, and fight for a debt write-down / bondholder haircuts.
The difficult decision would have been to at least go to the country and explain why the course that has been chosen was appropriate, rather than avoiding debate where possible.
Instead, we’ve had an abject capitulation. The blueshirts may be ideologically comfortable with a budget employing a logic that’s disingenuous at best and that specifically targets vulnerable and powerless groups to bear the brunt of these cuts, but it goes against everything Labour says it stands for.
Nobody’s under any illusions about the extent of this country’s predicament. The problem is that people don’t vote Labour to get blueshirt policies. What about “closing the gap between what ought to be and what is”?
We know how it normally ends up for junior coalition partners in this country – the way things are going Labour will be decimated at the next election. Personally, at this moment, I have more respect for the “loose canons” with their obscurity and integrity, than those selling their souls to the blueshirts. At this rate, the entire party is going to end up in “obscurity” before too long.
If you disagree with these decisions, why did you run for a left-of-center Party that was in coalition with a centre-right Party? Surely when you put yourself before the voters a few weeks ago as a Government candidate you knew that the 2012 wouldnt be a left wing one.
my god I will never understand my own people. I read nothing but bitching and moaning about sleeven government and the infinite unfairness and how you cant trust a single politician and isnt austerity shocking…yet when finally, some of them get the gonads and finally say no and stand with public sentiment, they are condemned as traitors! why is he a liar? maybe the people who voted for him warned him they wanted to see some real labour politics in the dail. maybe he is doing exactly what his electorate want.
then why did he insist on making it clear that he would support the government no questions asked? he knew what the programme for government was, he knew there would be hard decisions to be made in the budget, the quote i’m reading is “Labour is a partner in this government and our candidate Patrick Nulty has pledged that in the Dail, he will vote with his Party on all issues.” I don’t see it saying “unless he has a change of heart”. It’s not that long ago that he was happy to support anything the labour party was going to do in order to get elected. This is not about the budget, it’s about another politician breaking election promises and this time being congratulated for it!
Why did he not go as an independent so ?? Any way he is that now so time will tell how well he gets on.
A spokesperson for Labour denied this and said Nulty had recently clarified his position on that very issue, saying: “Labour is a partner in this government and our candidate Patrick Nulty has pledged that in the Dail, he will vote with his Party on all issues.”
If you are so offended by this budget resign your seat instead of breaking election promises. People on here congratulating a politician for lying and breaking promises is not what this country needs. You were happy enough to be elected as a Labour representative when it suited you, and people voted for you because of this. Are you going to repay any funding you got from Labour to get elected? Are you that revolted by this budget? When you lose the labour whip you will have no inlfuence on any policy this government may make so you may as well resign your seat.
Not making any comment in relation to the budget here, just commenting on the false statements released while seeking election before i get bashed for thinking the budget is great
Resign his seat? And lose the nice gravy train that he has signed on to? Give me a break. Principles only go so far you know. Now he can sit on the Independent benches, whine and moan to his heart’s content and get a nice salary at the end of the day.
Looks like Eithne Loftus got it right after all.
Interesting that the quote is from a Labour spokesperson, not McNulty himself.
Just sayin’.
Sorry I couldn’t find any retraction made by him personally distancing himself from the quote if one was made at all. If he didn’t agree with it he should have categorically distanced himself from the statement, which I can’t find. Although the quote is not attributed to him, if it was wrong and he did not correct it the public was also being misled.
More so by the party than by the candidate, I’d say. I feel pretty misled by the party myself, and I voted for them.
I can’t imagine Labour running a candidate who won’t support them, this was only a couple of months ago, he would have been well aware of the programme for government, it’s true that Labour havn’t kept their election promises either, but why is it right in one circumstance and wrong in another. I didn’t vote for him personally but i think that there are people who would have voted for him on the basis that he would have been a member of a goverment party. I wonder would the journal be able to supply the identity of the spokesperson?
You might be gathering that there’s a bit of a disconnect between the party leadership and the grassroots, this is why some of us might think that a quote attributed to a spokesperson may not necessarily represent the candidate’s views.
He has history on voting against unfair budgets, I see:
“This draft budget is an unfair attack on low income households – households who have already suffered from recent government cuts. I will be voting against this draft budget unless this unjust and unnecessary measure is reversed.”
Yes but that would have been a budget drawn up by county council employees, not the labour party as part of government. It would be interesting to see the source of the quote, did the quote come from a member of the election team or from labour HQ, but either way if it was untrue it should have been corrected
“Fianna Fáil Concillor David McGuinness has said that Labour’s newly elected TD Patrick Nulty has deceived the electorate in Dublin West and should consider resigning the seat.
McGuinness, who also contested the Dublin West seat, said: “Just over eight weeks ago, outside Roselawn Shopping Centre, Patrick Nulty adamantly told RTÉ Radio 1 listeners that he would always vote with the Labour Party. He said he wanted to get into Leinster House to influence Government policy and stand up for the people of Dublin West. ”
So apparently he did say it himself….
Saw that above. I’m just so pleased that a Labour TD has promised to vote as he should on this budget that I’d forgive him pretty much anything.
Having said that, I’m not sure that his constituents won’t agree that he’s right to break that particular campaign promise … next election will tell.
These so-called rebel TD’s are hilarious. They know the Gov will win any vote in the Dail so they can vote against it. Theyre backbenchers with no sign of a ministry coming soon and are hedging their bets for the next election. If at that time public support is with the party, they’ll slide back under the flag, if not they took the moral highground and will stay independent or create a PD like anomily
You took the words out if my mouth. I hate being so cynical but he now knows that he’ll be a shoo-in with his constituents because he was the brave man who stood up for the people. Same with Tommy Broughan. Yes, they are gestures, but ultimately they are empty ones. These people have one thing and one thing only at the top of their priority list- their own security.
Another coward of a politician that makes a run for it the first sign of any type of hard decision, it’s cowards like him that have this country in the state were in!
Every time a Labour TD finds his or her conscience(*after* voting for the Anglo-bond), it puts pressure on the others to find theirs. A welcome move.
much respect to you and your former labour colleague tommy broughan. he made up part of my vote in my constituency and I am proud the likes of him and you stand up for the interests of the not so well off in society and stick to your beliefs. now I know I made the right choice. good luck.
This budget hits all the poorest. How easy is it to live on 188 euro a week??? now how easy is it to live with a long term incurable disability that is to be reduced by 47 % ??? impossible.
How can Joan Burton say she is protecting the most vulnerable when this cut goes ahead.
How can a young person with a long term disability get a job???? they cant.
These people we call Ministers should hang their head in shame.
This budget does not affect them at all.
Let them try and live on welfare and then say they protect the most vulnerable.
I dont see the ministers taking difficult decision to their own pay.
Why didnt they take a 47% pay cut???
When are we as a nation going to stand up and say NO MORE
This guys is a complete fraud and takes the electorate as idiots. He has the audacity to seek election under the labour umbrella and immediately tries to tell the whole party what to do, and then throws his dummy out of the pram when no one takes the newbie seriously.
This guys needs to be made an example of by Labour: Ban him permanently from Labour and let him join that people without profit (Pun intended) lot…
Yeah, your right a bit like the labor party and FG really when you read their pre-election manifestos and now compare it to the program for government.
As a republican and a supporter of Sinn Féin, I think Patrick is to be commended on siding with his principles and more importantly – siding with his conscience. If only the other Labour Deputies (who claim to follow in the tradition of James Connolly) had the same back bone.
Credit where it’s due Pat – well done.
I agree with Gerry O’Brien. This winter for the first time in my living memory I am having to choose between malnutrition and hypothermia. The cost of living has risen far and above what is reasonable and the punitive measures in this budget take no account of people’s ability to find the money. I have a house I can’t heat, can’t sell and because of rural location can’t afford to get out much.
What Patrick Nulty is saying is quite right, the wrong people are being hit, and hit hard. The budget is wrong, wrong, wrong.
fair play to you patrick nulty,but you on your own cant do it,you will need a lot of help from others,please start a rally protest,so we can show out support
Well done for swimming against the flow indeed.
It would be interesting to hear these theories of how to tax the wealthy when they’re the ones calling the shots. A recent report said they wouldn’t leave the country if taxed more…. well, they don’t pay any tax as it is through creative accounting etc! I’d like to see it happen, the income gap is insane and growing… but that’s capitalism and the free market economy, and these guys own the place and the policies.
As the old saw says, be the light, don’t wait for someone else to turn it on. Whatever these politicians are playing, it’s not my game.
Never thought i would see the day when a politician had principles maybe you could teach some to Mr Gilmore and the rest of Labour before they find themselves in the Green Space
I think what he meant to say was…
I’ve used the Labour party to get myself elected and secure a nice salary and pension for myself.
I know I wouldn’t have had a chance of being elected without running on the ticket of those suckers.
Now I need to throw some populist moves to look at my slim re-election chances.
So I’m off, see ya.
Ohh and tax the rich!!!!
Here is a gem from only 6 weeks ago.
“Labour is a partner in this government and our candidate Patrick Nulty has pledged that in the Dail, he will vote with his Party on all issues”
What does a pledge mean to Nulty? Nothing, clearly.
Have you read the rest of this thread, at all?
Labour more conservative than FG and FF. They should be renamed Labour the new conservative party.
Please Patrick let there be more. I’m getting desperate. Starting to call on all those powers of the sky again. God, Jesus, Buddah, anyone capable of inspiration? The blue-shirts are turning my blue eyes bluer!
A spokesperson for Labour denied this and said Nulty had recently clarified his position on that very issue, saying: “Labour is a partner in this government and our candidate Patrick Nulty has pledged that in the Dail, he will vote with his Party on all issues.”
It is true that Patrick didn’t say this himself. However, I’m pretty sure during an election campaign the party spokespeople and the candidate are in close discussion. He surely saw this quote. If Nulty didn’t agree with this statement at the time, it was up to him to contradict it and set the record straight.
I’m ambivalent about the labour party so wouldn’t have a strong view either way, but when anyone comes out with a conviction of such strength that they cannot go against their conscience, then you sit up and listen, and wonder ‘why?’. Then you waste 5 mins reading the above missive wherein the only facts stated are the measures of the cuts applied, which are then followed up by wavy, undeveloped expansions on the broad groups they’ll ‘hit’. Then you realise this guy’s an exhibitionist chancer. No substance. No why. Nothing to be pulled up on. Just a placeholder for the canvas trail come the next election.
To the good people of Dublin west you have selected a very brave man to re-place the late Brian Lenihan . Hopefully you shall continue showing the rest of us sheep the true spirit of our lovely republic . {:-}}
back of the net!http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1224773/French-lose-accent-love–Irish-lilt-voted-worlds-sexiest.html
Good morning Conor…. This is earth calling…
Nice aside Conor. Has the time come for us to lead all the “nations of the world” and set an example. Sexy accents? Politicians who vote with consciences? Maybe a government without a need for whips? What next? World Peace! I’d just love it.
Dear Patrick
What a difficult way to join the likes of Wallace and Ross who sit in their lofty perches like the old guys in The Muppets and lob words of twisted malevolence at anyone who passes under their stern gaze. Yes Patrick you are now an independent TD all of your own making. Well I am assuming that you did vote against the Government which you said you would after you said you wouldn’t…..I mean you stood for Labour did you not.
Which part of hypocrisy do you misunderstand Patrick?
3 votes to far passed in the dail tonight … nulty has voted for them all thus far…. …says it all really…
Some weird meaningless publicity stunt by the looks of it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7ecv53OfDY
“I will always vote with the labour party”
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Yawn…
Will u really?? Or are you as full of shit as the rest of them. Or simply trying to curry favour with the people. Heres my answer. …… You are a politician ! Go figure.
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