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WE VERY NEARLY have a new government up and running, with a vote on Taoiseach set to take place next Wednesday.
Earlier this week, the publication of the draft programme for government gave us an insight into how the government will work and what its priorities will be over the next five years.
Replacing the Greens this time around are seven TDs from the Regional Independents Group along with Michael and Danny Healy-Rae, who have done quite well for themselves in the negotiations.
Taking to the plinth in Leinster House on Wednesday, lead-negotiator for the Regional Independents, TD Michael Lowry, informed the media of the positions the group secured (Before cutting the press conference short after being asked questions about the Moriarty Tribunal).
The group will have two junior ministers, Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran in the OPW and Sligo TD Marian Harkin in higher education.
It has also secured two super junior ministers who will sit at the Cabinet table: Galway West TD Noel Grealish will be a super junior with responsibility for food at the Department of Agriculture, while Galway East TD Seán Canney will have a Minister of State position in the Department of Transport.
Canney has also been put forward by the group to represent it in weekly leaders’ meetings with the Taoiseach and Tánaiste. A coveted position.
He will have the ear of the two most powerful figures in the State and will be in a position to directly influence government policy in a way other TDs could only dream of.
So who is Seán Canney, the man who is – to shoehorn a Hamilton reference in here – now in the room where it happens?
Canney’s time in national politics has largely been without controversy.
He was first elected to the Dáil in 2016 and has been an Independent for his entire political career.
Canney describes his vision for Ireland as one where “our children and grandchildren can build a decent life for themselves, where all people are treated equally and where our society looks after the most vulnerable”.
On his website, he states that this can be done through policies that empower people and communities.
Canney, who has campaigned to abolish the means test on the carers’ allowance, has been described as a “champion” for carers’ rights throughout his time as a TD.
This was the phrase used by Family Carers Ireland’s spokesperson, Catherine Cox when speaking about Canney yesterday on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland.
In recent Dáil contributions, he has spoken about harsher sentencing for those that commit sexual offences, telling the Dáil last year:
“We need to consider how that is treated and how the people who perpetrate these crimes, who are a danger to society, can reoffend, get bail and be out in society.”
During a motion on gender-based violence, Canney called for a cross-Oireachtas committee to be established on the issue, which he said should be chaired by the justice minister.
Such a committee could bring about change, “not just on a tokenistic basis, but on a basis that we might deliver effective measures that will stand up with the bravery women have shown and have continued to speak about”, he said.
On other issues, Canney was opposed to repealing the eighth amendment and has spoken at anti-abortion events in recent years.
In 2021, he co-sponsored a bill to provide for pain relief for the foetus in certain cases of termination of pregnancy. The bill was defeated by a Dáil vote.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, Canney co-sponsored a bill with TDs Catherine Connolly and Peadar Toíbín that sought a public inquiry into the management of nursing homes during the crisis.
In 2023, the Galway East TD co-sponsored a bill that sought to amend the Gender Recognition Act 2015 to make provisions for single-sex accommodation in prisons.
Before becoming a TD, Canney unsuccessfully ran for a Dáil seat in 2011 and sat on Galway County Council for a decade from 2004 to 2014.
He was also mayor of County Galway in 2007 to 2008.
Flash forward to his entry into the national arena and Canney found himself immediately in the fold of power.
This current round of government formation talks was not his first rodeo, with Canney participating in the same discussions in 2016 as a member of the Independent Alliance.
That time around, formation talks lasted 70 days and culminated in the Independent Alliance going into government with Enda Kenny’s Fine Gael.
As part of the deal, the Independent Alliance was given the role of minister of state for the OPW and flood relief and it was agreed that it would alternate between Canney and Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran (who is also a member of the Regional Independents Group this time around).
Canney took up the post first – it is understood this decision was made via a literal coin flip.
The handover was done one year later and by all accounts was a cordial affair, at the time Moran told The Journal that the torch was passed at an event in his local pub in Athlone.
Things, however, did not stay cordial for long. Somewhat unbelievably there was confusion over who would hold the position for the third year.
Canney was of the understanding that the position would rotate again, but the rest of the Independent Alliance decided that Moran would stay in the role for the remainder of the government’s term.
Cue huge row.
The group called on Canney to clarify his position, giving him a deadline to make his position known.
His position was clear: he was out. Canney announced he was leaving the Independent Alliance in May 2018 but would still support the government on issues of confidence and budgetary matters.
Flash forward a few months, to October 2018, and Canney was back in a junior ministerial position having been appointed a minister of state in the Department of Rural and Community Development by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar.
There he was responsible for Community Development, Natural Resources and Digital Development. He remained in that role until the formation of a new government in June 2020.
While in government, Canney pushed to scrap mandatory retirement policies.
In this recent election, the issues he identified as important were: farming, housing, health care, carers, infrastructure, public transport and disability matters.
Speaking on Newstalk Breakfast last month, Canney identified housing as a particular concern of his.
He rejected the notion that Independents deal solely in “parish pump politics” but did mention local issues like traffic congestion in Galway and the lack of public transport in the county. He has been an advocate for the delivery of the Western Rail Corridor.
He has been outspoken about his view that the issues facing his constituents in Galway East are replicated across the country.
“Just because I am an Independent TD it doesn’t mean I am parochial.
“The national interest serves the local interest as well,” he told Primetime this week.
Brought up on a family farm in Belcare, Tuam, Canney is married and is the father of three children, Kenneth, Shane and the late David.
Before entering national politics, Canney was a quantity surveyor and lectured in that and construction economics at Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology.
Outside of work, he is involved in Gaelic football and is a member of Corofin GAA where he served as its assistant secretary for a number of years.
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They will have cans soon with no identifying package on them like the fags. Its gone too far. No ads made me start drinking just pure curiosity
the last time i have heard from kelly he was on rte defending cardiff in the finance department.
What I don’t understand is why, if they are going to ban it, it’s not banned entirely. Why are Arts and cultural events excluded? Drink companies will simply start advertising when concerts are on, when cultural events are on, buy naming rights to festivals etc. This will worsen the supposed problem. A bunch of fifteen year old lads watching a football match are more likely to want to play football after rather than have a pint of Heineken. This won’t be the case when they go to the next big concert sponsored by Heneken, Absolute vodka and Druids.
The solution is simple ; add a sports/health tax on all alcohol sales – euro a bottle , 10 cent a bottle or whatever ;
The Drinks industry contributes 30 million euros to sport; that’s seven bottles of beer per person per year at a euro per bottle ! ;
Labour can go f**k themselves if they try and introduce this, are they dumb or what?? our sports teams like Munster Rugby Irish football will become less competitive as a result I have often been to Heineken Cup games and even though there are ads everywhere i don”t feel the need to get bladdered
What exactly would happen in the case of a pan-European event such as the Heineken Cup?
It would probably mean the end of the Guinness Autumn Series too :(
French have alcohol ban in sports, when rugby matches are played the advertising hordings say H Cup instead of Heineken, also in football matches like Champions league I often see teams who are sponsored by drinks companies wear their jersey with no sponsor just for that one match
Yes, this issue absolutely calls for curse words and for calling other people dumb.
If I’m gonna get hammered I’m gonna do it regardless of advertising. Will the Heineken cup become the cadbury’s cup or will the junk food advertising ban stop that too?
We’ll just call it “The Cup”!
Two teams one cup
The drink responsibly heineken european cup
Perhaps you are too late to save Andrew, but perhaps the idea is to help younger generations
The younger generation are gonna get hammered if they want. It’s up to parents to encourage a good lifestyle and good common sense. I see alcohol advertising everywhere and it doesn’t make me wanna get hammered!
I don’t know how many deserano ads I’ve seen recently and I’ve no interest in it. Alcohol sponsorship of major league sports funds the sport itself. If you take away the Heineken cup there will be less following of European rugby, resulting in less interest in the sport. Meaning kids will have more time to go out and get hammered because there’s nothing else to do.
I know a lot of people who lost interest in the magners leave when it became the rabo direct league.
There’s also no evidence to support the claims on alcohol sponsorship but direct evidence to prove that it didn’t make any difference in France.
If the drinks companies are stopped from sponsoring sports were will the money come from to ensure there are such sports events and the teams in Ireland to compete in them?
Rabodirect Pro12/Aviva Stadium/Three sponsor the national football team/Allianz Football & Hurling League/Airtricity League of Ireland.
There’s plenty of non booze sponsors.
The banks! :D
Don’t forget many of our sports teams have multiple sponsers Ireland soccer may be sponsored by 3 but also have Carling on board as well
Sorry meant Carlsberg
Agreed, but its still a fraction of what the main sponsor pay.
I think the ban is unnecessary. My point above is just that there’s tons of non alcohol sponsors, so it wouldn’t be the end of the world.
Think Everton were the only premiership team with a alcoholic drink sponsor last season? That said bookies/gaming companies probably aren’t the best alternative.
So what he’s saying is that advertising doesn’t work . Ha
Unfortunately studies show that it does but that it doesn’t have an immediate effect. Advertising is based on studies of our long term memory ….therefore long exposure and repetition are most effective .
Long exposure and repetition…that sounds precisely like the kind of exposure to alcohol advertisement we get from a very young age in this country. I’m all for this ban, alcohol is the most dangerous drug in our society. Could you imagine the uproar if teams or cups were to be sponsored by ‘Affie’s Black Tar Heroin’ or ‘Pedro’s Columbian Coke’?!
Good old labour ban drink sponsorship from working class sports and allow sponsorship for arts and culture for the elite, so labour are no longer for the ordinary people
art and culture for the elite? are you for real?
They clearly feel its worth the money! Tobacco companies used to use the same counter arguments that the drink lobby are using now! First they will dispute the harmful to health claims, then when that’s no longer viable they will say its an individuals choice to drink responsibly, which is true, but unfair after decades of advertising have led people to believe that fun is synonymous with drinking alcohol!
In my opinion I don’t think that drink advertising has any impact on the number of people that drink. I’d like to know what the incidence of smoking is now compared to when they were allowed to advertise. Considering the massive anti smoking campaigns etc. that go on now it should have had a very dramatic fall. It is only a hypothesis of mine but advertising for these companies will generate no new customers for drinking but merely promote one brand over the other.
The smoking issue was raised on prime time when discussing this alcohol banning issue a couple of months ago, it was stated on that program that the anti-smoking campaigns and advertising bans have had virtually no impact.
Alcohol companies advertise for different reasons to tobacco companies. Tobacco companies advertise to get someone hooked on a brand. Most smokers start socially, thus showing that their advertising works.
Drinks companies advertise to get someone to drink their product as opposed to the competitions product. The psychology behind each is different.
Advertising alcohol doesn’t need to change – what needs to change is the attitude towards alcohol. Many nations actually drink a lot more than the Irish do, but very few have the problems that go with it.
Drinking in Ireland is done for the result – the inebriation – people go out specifically to get drunk. In most other countries, alcohol is to be enjoyed in conjunction with an activity – usually eating dinner, having lunch, meeting friends. In France for example, people will be aware of the idea that one goes to a cafe for lunch and enjoys a leisurely glass of their tipple with their food, and usually a glass of water.
Michael McDowell wanted to change to this model, and it’s a pity he didn’t succeed – but unfortunately he listened to the voters, who apparently know best.
So then the tobacco companies could also have said that they were only promoting one product over another! Alcohol is not a bad thing, but constant exposure to it seems to be having a bad effect on people! Does anyone really think we have a healthy attitude towards drinking?
Well, yes. That’s the point of any advertising – no? The ulterior motives are different.
Also, smoking is bad from the first cigarette onwards. There are no benefits to it. Alcohol can actually have health benefits – if enjoyed responsibly.
You’re dead right Ted. Watching the Heineken cup might make me want to have a Heineken instead of a carlsberg but that’s all
Lads, there is a HUGE drinking problem in this country. The amount of people getting absolutely langers at the weekend has to decrease! How do alcohol advertisements make sports such as rugby and GAA more competitive? It doesn’t. It just gives the fans an excuse to get pissed and do the “Irish” thing that is now embedded in our culture. Everything has to be celebrated with a few tins.
Now I’m not against people having a few pints, that’s fine by me, my father works in a brewery- but even with fifteen and sixteen year old youths nowadays getting drunk out of their mind every weekend, I think we’ve got a bigger problem on our hands…
Cian,
The biggest reason young people don’t drink in this country is sports… How many guys gave up a Saturday Night because of a match on Sunday… High class competive sport encourages the lower standards, look at Rugby…
Now if the Governent wants to replace the money that will be taken out of High Class sport so as not to impact overall parcipation in sport, I am fine… But at the moment this move looks a bit short sighted…
Finally, The problem we are trying to address the over consumption of alcohol… Over indulagence of anything is bad… If they want to really stop this just arrest everyone who had over 6 pints…
Under this premise we should ban Tesco advertising because of obesity…
I completely agree. I’m not against having a pint at a match or a brand like Heineken advertising a match- in fact I think it would be wrong if they stopped serving drinks in places like The Aviva and Croke Park for example.
However one thing I thought was pretty stupid and I know its a bit off topic but remember when Munster were playing Leinster a few years back? When they were deciding whether or not they should open the pubs on Good Friday- it was on the front pages of all the papers. More important things deserve to make the news.
While accepting the need for some form of sponsorship it needs to be stated that alcohol is the drug that is still destroying the most lives and collaterally families of abusers.
It’s about time a new form of sponsorship was initiated.
I have no problem with drinks companies sponsoring events. I think it promotes a product, rather than getting bladdered. People will still drink whether it’s the Heineken Cup or the Cheno-Unction Cup (A quare name but great schtuff!). They stopped tobacco advertising, put ugly pictures and warnings all over the pack and now they’re removing branding, but you still have idiots who smoke.
It won’t change anything, so why penalise groups who rely on sponsorship to remain in existence?
It doesn’t work….that’s why we charge the drinks companies hundreds of thousands for the privilege to sponsor ….because it doesn’t have any effect…it’s only opinion….no wait hang on….
So people only drink because of advertising……no wait hang on……
Also drinking has been decreasing in Ireland, while advertising is in place…..oh wait hang on….
Educated adults should be allowed to make the decisions they wish in a free country, even if that is detrimental to themselves….with out interference by others. Those are the principles of an enlightened free republic…..
…..oh wait hang on…..
educated adults making decisions even if it is detrimental to themselves without the interference of others…is that what you really think when your in accident and emergency and its full of drunken idiots causing mayhem….or if youve been ‘so detrimental to yourself’ that you inevitably end up clogging up the health care system expecting to be taken care of …really…the principles of an englightened free republic…christ spare us the bull shit on such a pleasant summer day please…
did you just make up that stuff about drinking decreasing as well….you can read up the stats on the OECD site for alcohol consumption here showing how we compare to other countries and see the overall picture since the 1980….
Alcohol consumption is down 19% since 2001, as per the revenue commissioners, which is an acknowledged fact by anyone who know the facts.
Quote
“Alcohol consumption in Ireland declined by 12.5% between the years 2007 and 2012, and has fallen by 19.1% since consumption levels peaked in 2001. The current average consumption levels are at 11.681 litres of alcohol per adult per annum (lpa). A decrease of 0.5% on last year’s figure of 11.743 lpa. In 2001, the lpa was 14.44.”
http://www.drinksindustry.ie/news.php?intPageID=4&intSectionID=112
Also yes personal freedoms will lead to some individuals going overboard and perhaps ending up in hospitals. However this is not a reason to allow a nanny state and the abolishment of personal responsibility and the idea of adulthood.
We all pay tax and all deserve treatment in hospitals and emergency room irrespective of your simple minded judgemental puritan views.
Where do you draw the line? And by the way, everyone ends up “clogging up” the healthcare system as you phrase it. You will get old and require care, on the balance of all probabilities.
Lets ban anyone from healthcare that do not meet your requirements, all preventable accidents ban them clogging it up, ban all smokers from clogging it up, ban people who are obese, ban ban ban………….Go live in a repressive dictatorship will ya
More moralistic mumbo jumbo. Short sighted thinking. Without this sponsorship money the gap in funds created would be impossible to fill. If alternative funds were available I still think its ridiculous. Our society doesn’t see adds for alcohol and suddenly go out and get drunk. Give us some credit
The massive budgets these companies put into advertising would suggest otherwise…but I’m sure you know better than decades of advertising research.
Welcome to Ireland, the world’s most annoying socialist nanny state. Let people make decisions for themselves. I’ve yet to hear of any causal link between sport sponsorship and alcohol consumption. This is the usual rubbish produced by nosey interest groups in Ireland who’s only interest is self interest and justifying their existence.
Stick to supporting Sean Quinn, Kelly!
What gives politicians the right to interfere with the sponsorship of sport?
A step too far!
Enda should stop this interference!
This doesn’t make much sense unless you have a complete ban on alcohol advertising i.e. films etc. Also while they are at it maybe they should ban pubs from showing sporting events as surely, based on this logic, this just encourages us sheep to drink more
The free world we are used too is disappearing as we look on. The Irish nanny state continues to strengthen its grasp! If these companies are banned advertising at sporting events, there are plenty of other places they could advertise. How about more massive billboards on all roads?
The concern is that important funding will be taken away from various sports clubs that are unattractive to other sponsors such as financial institutions, pharmaceutical, and communication/IT providers.
What will be interesting is if bars and/or restaurants are included in the ban by association. This could mean bad news for small GAA/football and other small clubs. What about sponsoring specific prizes for amature competitions?
The Irish sporting bodies are in the hands of the alcohol lobby and have done so for years. I wouldn’t put it past the former head of the GAA to have some invested interest in keeping the advertisements there.
I’d rather see this time, resources and effort going into banning smoking in public places
Id rather stub a smoke out in a smoking-naxis eye-ball and get them banned from A+E!…..go chase after some cars and complain…..on the M1 northbound preferably!!
When they banned cigarette advertising in the UK profits for cigarette companies went up on average. The same amount of people smoked but the companies no longer spent money on advertising trying to steal customers away from each other. Heineken don’t advertise to get teetotallers to start drinking, they do it so that people will drink Heineken instead of Budweiser. The only way that has been shown to dissuade people from drinking is by increasing the price and that won’t hurt our beloved rugby and GAA teams.
Why doesn’t the government worry about something that’s really important, like the state of the economy.
I have one drink for the first half of the game and a second drink for the second half of the game and that’s it personally hate when people are walking up and down the stand the whole way through a match getting drinks….don’t feel the need to go out and get absolutely hammered at a match because it’s sponsored by a drinks comapany
2020!!! Who cares…..
Well then it’s my opinion that it should be banned !
While I don’t agree with banning sports sponsorship associated with drinks companies, I find Philip Browne’s objections and claims that sporting organisations are ideally placed to promote drinking responsibly disingenuous in the extreme. What were drink-free stands and terraces in the old Lansdowne are now areas of near binge-drinking during rugby matches.
Yes, fans got tanked up before and after games in the past, usually in bars and hostelries outside the ground. But now this facility is extended to the viewing areas surrounding the pitches. This is pure greed on behalf of the IRFU and frankly, makes hypocrisy of Browne’s stance.
The GAA and FAI at least keep the viewing areas drinks free during games and are to be admired for doing so.
What bullshit this ban will be if they wanted to stop youngsters drinking they should put the legal age up to 21s simple the reason they didn’t do it was because of the youth council of Ireland protesting makes sense this country not a bit of it Leo car asker came out and said in France this ban hasn’t worked it did for the first couple if years after that it went up again this government is a joke as no radical ideas just the same lets tax and ban that’s it the only two what about putting garages on motorways owned by the government and use the oil off cork to supply it there’s just one idea there would be a thousand different excuses against it
What a joker!
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