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PROGRESS IN GOVERNMENT formation talks have ramped up this week as meetings continue today ahead of the Dáil’s return next week.
Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael remain optimistic that a new Government can be put in place next week.
Negotiating teams met late into the night last night, and hope to have programme for government details sufficiently ironed out this week to enable Micheál Martin to be voted in as Taoiseach on 22 January, when the Dáil sits again.
The negotiating teams of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are meeting again today, while the Regional Independents and the Healy Raes are also due in Government Buildings this afternoon to continue talks.
Once there is agreement on the programme for government, which may come as early as today or tomorrow, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael will seek to ratify the arrangement with their members.
Within Fine Gael, this will involve a series of five regional meetings for members.
Fianna Fáil members will ratify the agreement at a special national Ard Fheis in Dublin, most likely this Sunday 19 January.
Fianna Fáil’s parliamentary party is set to meet on Wednesday to discuss the proposed programme for government, if agreed in time, ahead of the Ard Fheis.
No meeting of Fine Gael’s parliamentary party is yet scheduled for this week.
Individuals involved in the talks are keeping quiet on updates, however, it is understood a number of policy areas remain to be agreed.
Over the weekend agreement was reached on the areas of local government and housing, it is understood.
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The Healey raes in government,.may go help us all. Whatever about jackie, but that danny lad still believes in fairies. How can this happen, when an absolute cabbage of.a man like that can hold any kind of power. The mind boggles.
@John Meade: I’d rather Danny than a shinner any day. Horrible lot.
@John Meade: That’s a pretty elitist and out of touch attitude to have John. The Healy-Raes actually get stuff done unlike most of the politicians in the Dáil. They are extremely accessible and hold monthly town halls for their constituents. They actually fight for issues that affect the people that they represent, like GP accessibility, farming rights, zoning law reforms and rural infrastructure. They’ve both had a career in the private sector and have created thousands of jobs unlike the career politicians and teachers that dominate the leadership of the large parties. It’s their companies that tar all of the roads around Kerry and put up the high-speed broadband around the county. Give me the Healy-Raes over Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and Sinn Fein any day of the week.
@William Jennings: Funny that they always get those broadband and road maintenance gigs no matter who goes in for the tender.
@John Meade: They have always had power but if they are in government that actually curtails their wilder behaviour.
@William Jennings: It is their companies that make millions out of Kerry Co Co and more millions out of the department of equality for housing refugees. They are old school politicians that have their hand in everything and make millions doing so.
@Dave G Doe: and that proves the people in that constituency are like minded. Amazing.
@William Jennings: They’re supposed to represent the whole country, not just the people in Kerry
@JC: No they’re not. That’s precisely the reason why we have constituencies in the first place. They were elected by the people of Kerry to represent the people of Kerry.
@William Jennings: No it’s not, the Dáil is a national parliament, county councils are for constituencies
@Brian D’Arcy: What are you on about? The Healy-Raes were literally elected in the constituency of Kerry. You can look it up, it’s clear as day. Can you seriously tell me with a straight face that you think that Michael and Danny Healy-Rae were both elected to represent the people of Galway or Dublin Bay South for example?
@Bryan: Maybe because they are both entrepreneurs who set up efficient and effective companies which cater to the needs of the Kerry people and is why they keep getting re-elected?
@John Meade: they’re no less a cabbage than any other of our clown politians
Can’t wait to see the makeup of the Seanad. We are blessed to see Zappone willing to give us her valuable time and google map knowledge
@Dan Murphy: Absolutely disgraceful, she is the biggest bandwagoner going, lands herself back in Ireland after Zapponegate & trying to get Simon Coveney to put her in a cushy number, holding her gig during COVID & now swans right back in looking for a gig in the Seanad. Along with Michael Lowry as Chief Negotiator, a Ceann Comhairle who was accused of bullying & took out an NDA, an incoming Taoiseach that was one of those who drove us over a cliff & bankrupted the State, the two Healy Rae millionaires who spout about Immigration whilst making Millions from it & today the proposed AG to be a TD from the main Govt party & a proposed new Senior Minister who trampled all over our Democracy in the Dail with his Votegate scandal. That’s the state of “Democracy” in Ireland today.
The smug faces of those 4 above you’d think butter wouldnt melt etc,,,,BTW Grainne Seoige didnt make it despite her good looks.
Recession incoming
@Eamon De Valera: I hope so be nice to see house prices drop
Will FG be requesting that the Occupied Territories Bill(it’s already passed both houses of Oireachtas Eireann)be scrapped from the program for govt. again, like they did last time? And will FF drop it like a hot snot again, like they did last time? To hell with “democracy” “rule of law” and all those other precepts FFG pretend to care about
@Darth O’Leary: Let’s hope they do and end their hateful obsession with Israel. Harris and Martin already got a clip around the ear for their unqualified anti-Israel blabbering before the election was held. It’s a useless and divisive bill which has no basis in both history and the present day. We need to be supporting the only democracy in the Middle East, not attacking it in a vitriolic manner for no reason except to score cheap political points.
@William Jennings: So you’re not a big fan of the Irish democratic process here but you want us “supporting the only democracy in the Middle East” that has in its constitution a “Law of Return” that directly discriminates against Christians, Muslims, atheists etc
@William Jennings: The OTB will do nothing, literally nothing, to assist regional peace or help Palestinians. The only effect it will have is to placate obsessives whose extreme anti-Israel/antisemitism (apply as appropriate) happily ignores the severe economic consequences it will have on our country.
I think the politicians lobbying hardest for this to be enacted need to explain why this egregious act of national self harm is worth the absolutely zero effect it will have helping Palestinians and peace in the region.
Let’s take a ball park figure of our trade with the disputed territories. Up to 1.5 million per annum or so, being generous? Now factor in Trump and his team lining up our multi billion fdi. They want to hurt so. They are very pro Israel. Is it worth it for no gain?
@honey badger: 1. Anti-Zionism is not antisemitism. Stop trying to conflate these separate issues.
2. Judging by the rationale you’ve given above, I assume you would like to remove sanctions on Russian oil and ease the resultant effect on the cost of living crises here. Or is it just Israeli/American money that gives them a pass on adhering to international law?
@Darth O’Leary: The OTB will severely harm us economically. Trump and his team are lining up our fdi billions for repatriation. They are very pro israel. They don’t need any further encouragement to enact their state/ corporate laws, which protect Israel. Compounding an already serious economic threat to our country is definitionally an act of self harm, as there will be no benefit of any description to Palestinians.
It’s to your minor credit that you haven’t disputed with any of these points.
@Darth O’Leary: Actually, the Law of Return is open to Christians, Muslims and Atheists if they are married to a Jewish person, have one Jewish grandparent or were forced to convert from Judaism to another religion under duress. I don’t know how such a law changes the fact that Israel is still the only democracy in the Middle East. People go to the polls and vote for the candidates that they wish to see represent them in free and fair elections. That is by definition a democracy. I’d hardly call the anti-Israel hegemony within the Dáil “part of the democratic process.” Incorrect and antisemitic information against Israel is not challenged and every single party in the Dáil jumps onto the hateful bandwagon.
@William Jennings: oh so it’s not inherently discriminatory… As long as you marry(and therefore become) a jew! No bigotry there then… Case closed
@Darth O’Leary: Israel is literally a Jewish State! I don’t know what you actually expect! If you’re not married to a Jewish person or have a Jewish grandparent, then you just go through the normal process if you wish to become a citizen. Of course the only Jewish State in the world is going to prioritise people who have a proper connection to the land as Jewish people just like Muslim countries are going to prioritise Muslims and Christian countries are going to prioritise Christians. I don’t know what all the faux outrage from you is all about. It is not “discriminatory” because any person can still come to Israel and get citizenship. Your point is incoherent to be perfectly honest.
@Darth O’Leary:
Who cares.
@Darth O’Leary:
Tens of millions of Arabs surrounding the Gasa place and not one of them give a toss about the Palos /Jewish war going on. I wonder why?
@Darth O’Leary: Don’t engage William is an ” non-dom” apparently and pays no tax here as he lives in some British colonial island….
@Paul O’Mahoney: What’s the problem Paul? You are asking someone not to engage in an open discussion with me because I made the decision to emigrate from Ireland to a country which has no income tax. What’s wrong with that? Taxes are way too high here and I made the conscious decision to boost my finances and job opportunities. I still have both of my parents in Ireland and I move back here for 3 months a year to spend time with them and my wider family. Your response reeks of a dishonest ad hominem attack.
@Paul O’Mahoney: Cheers Paul
@honey badger: Your 100%right . Don’t see a bill banning oil and gas from Saudi Arabia, UAE , Qatar etc all up to their elbows in various conflicts like the Yemen, Syria to name a few. We are literally cutting our nose off etc. Fools
@gregory pym:
The countries you list do not contain Jews, so our home grown national socialists have no interest.
@H Woo: Tens of millions of Arabs not wanting to have a war with Israel ,you tell me ,
Maybe the tens of millions of Arabs aren’t the war mongers we have been led to believe
Extra Tax incoming so being thought about.
@Tommy: no evidence of that.
It’s what ye voted for.
Suffer the consequences
Tough.
May go back to the ballot box if it takes much longer
@MN: why is that?
Comment removed by the journal Pravda section to protect the hard of thinking.
Can you just imagine the four above heading into the buttery, and between pints and spliffs charting Ireland’s course!
@Brian Hunt: No.
Dirty deeds and they’re done dirt cheap.
Thank God! It’ll hopefully mean an end to filler articles about Irish weather influencers and death notice websites….for a while…
How Helen got back in is beyond belief cannot understand it with such incompetence.
There will be some changes and it will be interesting to see where they happen.
With Ryan gone and the the balance of power changed in government. There will be big changes of emphasis in certain areas. You can see that if you look at the major issues they mentioned.
Instead some people here spent their time having a go at one another under various names.
Let the Great Game of Polictical Jenga begin..one mis-step..one misinterpretation..
I just wanna hear the words ‘Michael Lowry will be the new minister for justice’……then FF can help appoint bbbbbbbertie as the financial regulator and it will be glorious corruption that would make north korea and russia blush
Or not
Danny healy rae the man who profited by having parties in his pub perfect candidate to run the country and become minister first to happen no vat on hospiiality sector and for his land brother no tax on rents
have your say