Greetings,
We are at the onset of the Green Party’s leadership race, which has narrowed down to two candidates: Roderic O’Gorman and Pippa Hackett. While this competition might seem akin to a friendly tennis match, rest assured it will soon heat up as the nature of any typical election. Based on present circumstances as featured in our cover story today, it seems O’Gorman is edging ahead, carrying the solid backing of 16 councillors and TDs, while Hackett, at the last count, has the favour of five.
Despite O’Gorman’s lead, Hackett, a Senator, ‘super-junior’ Minister of State for agriculture and Cabinet member from Offaly, enjoys the support of notable party affiliates. However, the Green Party’s over 4,000 members have the ultimate say with their votes, using the party’s “one-member, one-vote” system. The deadline for nominations is the subsequent Monday, with the new leader’s announcement due on July 8th. The anticipation is palpable.
O’Gorman, who announced his candidacy slightly before Hackett, believes it is ‘simplistic’ to believe that a non-Dublin candidate will aid the Greens. Nevertheless, his supporters position him as the more seasoned candidate, boasting an elongated party tenure and Cabinet experience. Hackett’s following on the other hand argues that her rural grounding better equips her to tackle the perception of the Greens being opposed to rural interests.
The campaign is projected to span three weeks. For further details about the campaign, refer to the features by Harry McGee (campaign specifics,) Jack White (candidate profiles,) Cormac McQuinn (race analysis,) and Miriam Lord who asks the key question: should the duo Johnnies have been contemplated?
This update concludes with Chambers stepping up.
In a recent twist within the Fianna Fáil party, Jack Chambers has been designated as the deputy leader by Micheál Martin. This comes as the first appointment since 2020 when the party found itself without a deputy. Demonstrating an upward trajectory in his career, Chambers’ responsibilities included overseeing the recent local elections as the director. Despite the slim difference in votes, Fianna Fáil prevailed as the leading party in local government over Fine Gael. Speculation about Michael McGrath heading towards European Commission could open up chances for Chambers in the Department of Finance. However, this is merely conjectural.
Worth noting is the guidance from the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council to the budget supervision committee regarding the escalating governmental expenditure. While critics may find it easy to point fingers, economist Stephen Kinsella reminded all on RTÉ that they do not face the pressures of being elected. A vote that would touch upon the EU migration pact has been pushed back by the Government, creating room for deeper discussions next week, yet the matter is already facing legal scrutiny at the High Court. Hence, migration remains an active issue in political debates.
Turning over to the UK elections, recent polling data forecasts two different outcomes for the Labour party. A survey published in The Times suggests that Labour is in line for a 200-seat majority due to a predicted downfall of Tories. On the contrary, a forecast in the Daily Telegraph proposes a Labour lead of over 300 seats, signalling a ‘Tory Wipeout’.
Our correspondents from abroad bring two intriguing narratives. Jack Power, our representative in Brussels, presents an account of Jordan Bardella, the 28-year-old prospective PM candidate from the far-right, and his home suburb in Paris. Concurrently, Mark Paul, our London correspondent shares his observations from the political showcase by Nigel Farage in Clacton.
An incident of three gay men being targeted in the Phoenix Park has been brought to light by Fine Gael Senator Barry Ward in the Seanad.
In the latest Inside Politics podcast, the discussion centres around Eamon Ryan’s pivotal decision and the imminent Northern Ireland election.
Lastly, the Taoiseach is slated to be in the Isle of Man for the British-Irish Council today.
Today’s session in the Dáil will be a little shorter, following the marathon 15-hour days convened on Tuesday and Wednesday. Today’s activities kick-off with inquiries throughout the morning, leading up to the leaders’ session scheduled for midday. The afternoon will be dedicated to the examination of government legislation which aims to accord childcare providers with more substantial enforcement powers. ‘People Before Profit’ are also on deck to present a Private Members’ Bill in the evening session. Their focus is on urging the Central Bank to enforce a 3% limit on interest rates. The Dáil will wrap up the day’s proceedings at a sociable time of 8.50pm.
In the meantime, the members of the Seanad are looking forward to an interesting question on initiation affairs posed by Senator Sharon Keogan. She is asking about “whether climate or weather modification operations have been carried out in Irish airspace”. One wonders if she might be alluding to the discredited conspiracy notion of “chemtrails”: the suggestion that certain atmospheric conditions can make the vapour trails left by passenger aircraft appear as if they are releasing chemicals into the atmosphere. It is an intriguing query indeed.
As the day progresses, the Upper House is set to address the final levels of the assisted human reproduction legislation prior to adjourning at an even more pleasing time of 4pm. Perhaps this allows time for a belated lunch?
Over at the Public Accounts Committee, there’s an interaction scheduled with Horse Racing Ireland. Simultaneously, the Committee on Drug Use is keen to engage with representatives from the HSE as well as the departments of Health and Justice. Full timetables for the meetings are accessible via the link.