Leinster House finds itself on a high state of election readiness, as the situation escalates further. Upon the motion of the Ceann Comhairle on Friday afternoon, which shifted next Tuesday’s commencement of the week’s agenda by an hour at the Taoiseach’s request, there was substantial confusion across the realm of power. The motion was made for the purpose of “addressing such additional matters as are determined for that day”.
The weekly schedule for the Dáil remained unseen on the Oireachtas website, while the Seanad’s was posted as per norm. Conventionally, both timetables are released simultaneously when it comes to the website.
In the aftermath of the publication of the notice, the Taoiseach made an appearance in the cafeteria, resulting in more disquiet amongst people questioning him about the day’s events, as he hinted that he desired to wrap things up prior to his engagement with Joe Biden, indicated with a playful wink.
Stories of distress from the power base corridors circulated as election alert was maximised.
Politicians trolling the polls and baiting Sinn Féin seemed to characterise a typical day for the Taoiseach. The Taoiseach reportedly desired to conduct Leaders’ Questions before departing for Washington. However, his frequent travels rendered the situation ordinary, with senior Ministers expectedly handling matters during his absence.
On Tuesday, there seemed to be an observable emphasis on beginning early, a task that could have been managed easily by Heather, Paschal, or any other representative. However, this did not alleviate the tensions. Nervousness was heightened and the poll hassles by Simon Harris were to be put on hold. He was perceived to find amusement in the situation.
Simultaneously, Sinn Féin’s Belfast Office faced distraction the previous month when a £250,000 phone pouch pilot programme was initiated in the North for 10 schools under the leadership of their party’s deputy head, who serves as the Minister for Education in a Stormont Executive, seemingly, it went unnoticed by them.
Rantings of heated objection came from Sinn Féin a month following assurances about pouches being distributed across the Border. This happened concurrently with the party’s efforts to manage a growing controversy linked to job references from two of its erstwhile officials for a previous coworker under suspicion of child molestation.
The expense for these pouches, estimated to be a massive 25,000 pounds per school, could exceed double the already exorbitant 9 million euro quote proposed here if the assessment given by Paul Givan for Northern Ireland was projected onto all secondary schools south of the border.
Sinn Féin’s failure to condemn this costly plan from the DUP Minister might be attributed to insufficient staff at headquarters. Incidentally, the ever-watchful press office apparently missed reports about the firm opposition from other political groups.
First Minister Michelle O’Neill might have been distracted, still striving to remember who Michael McMonagle was. He was at the same minor function held in parliament buildings that she attended the previous year. He was formerly part of the Sinn Féin press office, but was suspended two years back once it was found out that he had been scrutinised for child sexual offences for nearly a year. Yet, O’Neill, the vice-president of Sinn Féin based in Belfast insists she didn’t recognise him at the event, despite photos evidencing his close proximity.
The pouches could have been ignored due to the resignations of two press officers who had given references to McMonagle. One of them held a highly ranked post. This recent turn of events now being publicly known suggests that the team working behind-the-scenes may not have been fully attentive regarding phone matters in Belfast.
Regardless of how it’s examined, the pouches advocated for by Paul Givan and his equivalent to the south, Norma Foley, didn’t notably bother Sinn Féin.
Naomi Long, leader of the Alliance Party and Justice Minister in the power-sharing government, however, promptly responded. Amidst her own department dealing with budgetary constraints, she found it difficult to comprehend this level of spending.
Michelle Guy, her party’s representative for education, expressed serious worry about the proposal to use such a large sum “during an era of incredibly tight financial constraints”.
Timothy Gaston, Traditional Unionist Voice MLA, expressed surprise at the high expenditure.
Four weeks on in Dublin, and unexpectedly Sinn Féin is up in arms about mobile phone pouches. Pearse Doherty showed strong disagreement at the Leaders’ Questions that took place on a recent Thursday. His Dáil counterparts posted videos on social media ridiculing and criticising the proposition. Sinn Féin’s leader, Mary Lou McDonald, has also been emphatically displeased.
On the following Friday, Norma Foley firmly stood by her plan. However, the said phone pouches have now firmly imprinted their presence in the history of reckless expenditures, one step above the bicycle shed, and somewhere in between the security structure and the children’s medical centre at the top.
Is Sinn Féin’s two-contestant strategy for the general elections lacking boldness? As the unsettling developments of how the party managed the Michael McMonagle issue perpetuated, Sinn Féin went full throttle on the pouches yet remained silent on what took place in Belfast.
Mary Lou personally penned a letter to the Taoiseach, requesting Foley’s plan be retracted, and the party now wishes to vote on it in the Dáil in the upcoming week.
The government came back strong with Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, Minister of State’s letter to the leader of Sinn Féin demanding a Dáil explanation about the job references provided for McMonagle who would be working with children within a charitable institution. “The lack of response regarding two high-ranking staff members providing a reference for a child sex offender from your team is deafening.” She stated.
The 33rd Dáil is rapidly approaching a fractious culmination.
During the post-colonial visit, it sometimes becomes difficult to recognize the one actually running the show, considering the recent Dublin arrivals of British PM, Keir Starmer, and Foreign Secretary, David Lammy.
Conversations last month between Irish and British delegates reportedly became contentious, with the conduct of certain London officials causing annoyance. “They can’t avoid behaving as if they’re interacting with one of the colonies” mentioned a frustrated officer.
The British had one particular demand, which was not precisely a request, that they avoid media engagement, contradicting all their talks of making Anglo-Irish relations public and shifting them ‘on a new plane.’
During his visit to Dublin, Lammy conducted a successful meeting with Tánaiste, establishing a strong rapport, similar to the relationship that exists between Starmer and the Taoiseach. Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, referred to his journey as historic, suggesting it mirrored the intentions of Number 10 to mend ties with Ireland and Europe. Warm sentiments were openly exchanged, indicating a significant improvement beyond their dealings with the Tories.
In the wake of the party conference season concluding last week across the pond, the conservatives attended numerous after-event gatherings, momentarily alleviating the sting of no longer being in power.
On early Tuesday evening, the Irish Embassy hosted its Tory guests in the Hyatt Regency Hotel’s Sonata Room, where Ambassador Martin Fraser praised Michael Lonergan, the embassy’s political counsellor. Lonergan, a seasoned diplomat with wide-reaching contacts in Westminster, is nearing the end of his London assignment in the coming year.
At the conclusion of the embassy’s gathering, attendees relocated to the nearby Mooncat piano bar. Here, a UK music industry lobby group held its own conference party, featuring the 90s heart-throb Peter Andre as the main attraction. The venue was teeming with people, as Andre effectively won over the crowd with a lively performance of Stevie Wonder’s hit song, Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours).
Despite not being known for his musical chops, Lonergan graciously participated in the performance when handed the microphone from Andre. He was well-received by his fellow attendees on his return to his table. The night concluded with a spirited gathering at the Spectator’s acclaimed champagne party where attendees included big Tory names like James Cleverly, Michael Gove, and Jacob Rees-Mogg. However, unlike earlier, Lonergan did not sing at this event.