It seems like Richard Bruton can’t keep his shirt on lately. This is a sight not widely seen in the political arena since former pornstar and politician Cicciolina’s display in the Italian parliamentary elections of 1987. Nothing new, mind you. Richard’s physique has been an attractive asset, much to the delight of those hoping to capitalise on it for their voting gains.
Bruton’s Fine Gael party have even had him remove his shirt several times in the belief it’ll boost their electoral performance. They appear to consider Bruton as more beneficial shirtless rather than in his Blueshirt attire. Undoubtedly one of Dublin Bay North’s most identifiable figures, they’re banking on his appeal assisting in securing a European seat and local elections victory.
This week, in a rather novel initiative, Bruton made a trip to Howth harbour with candidate Regina Doherty. He shed his shirt and put on a life vest to explain the latest changes to Jobseeker’s Benefit while jumping in the sea – all of which seemed perfectly logical.
The stunt drew praise from both Leo Varadkar, ex-Taoiseach, and Simon Coveney, former foreign affairs minister, who himself is an avid sailor. Varadkar dubbed the ensuing video, “abs-solutely fabulous”.
The same day saw Bruton tackle a challenging rock climbing wall, all the while discussing Jobseeker’s Benefit details, which Doherty had a hand in during her tenure as social protection minister. Surprisingly, he remained fully clothed on this occasion, instead opting for a safety harness.
Here are some glimpses of what might be seen in upcoming videos ahead of Friday’s polling day:
Monday: A wet Richard, stepping out of the pond in St. Stephen’s Green, water dripping from his half-buttoned shirt clung to his torso, heading towards Iveagh House to talk about pension increase mechanism with outgoing MEP Maria Walsh.
Tuesday: Richard disrobing at Thomond Park to outline the law against not retreating after a tackle and latest sports capital grants to mayoral candidate of Limerick, Daniel Butler.
Wednesday: Watch Richard wrangle outgoing MEP Seán Kelly in a mud-wrestling match around the Ring of Kerry, while elucidating Fine Gael’s efforts to bolster the economy. Viewers discretion is advised. #NSFW
On Thursday, Richard demonstrated the newest forms of assistance for small to medium-sized businesses, during which he was doused with water by a candidate named Nina Carberry, who also gave him a sugar lump. On Friday, he found himself swimming in lukewarm minestrone soup, fending off a soup ladle-wielding Heather Humphreys who elaborated on her extensive free school meals plan for local election aspirants from Monaghan. By Saturday, Richard was observing the election tally from his hospital bed.
Leinster House’s focus is clearly on the general election. A thought lingers if Simon could flee the country, following the footsteps of Rishi. If the local and European results mirror the opinion polls, the governing officials could face immense pressure prompting them to capitalise on the decline of Sinn Féin. Fine Gael advocates are observing a somewhat positive response to their new leader’s vibrant and transparent strategies at the front doors, attributing a slight rise in popularity to what they call the ‘Harris Effect’. However, they are aware that the initial excitement has a short shelf life, hence whispers of an imminent election is widespread.
With Sinn Féin’s continual downfall, “it’s a no-brainer,” opined a government member off the record on Thursday, followed by a question, “But will Simon back out?” The upcoming Saturday’s outcomes have substantial stakes. Clearly, nerve-wracking times for all parties involved.
In the intense political sphere, there was a war of words in Dáil Éireann. Winner of the ‘Spat of the Week’ title goes to Sean Fleming, a junior minister from Fianna Fáil, who stirred up controversy by dubbing three ‘People Before Profit’ members as ‘Putin’s Puppets’. Bríd Smith, one of the implicated members, received an influx of supportive messages from voters after this heated argument led to a temporary halt of the meeting by the acting chair, Michael Ring.
The People Before Profit Dublin candidate stated they are being warmly received during door-to-door interactions, especially by women of her generation who prefer a good chat, all the while acknowledging no one is getting any younger. She described how, while they were campaigning on Thursday, a man approached them to express his view, “The person who labelled you a Putin puppet is an utter fool.”
The South Central Dublin TD, who publicly revealed her intention not to pursue re-election for the Dáil, was subsequently encouraged by peers to contest for Europe. She has become one of the leading contenders among the left-wing candidates.
During her brief journey from Tara Street station to Connolly station, she paused for a photo at the Connolly memorial with her campaigning team. This team included migrant workers who had spent many years in the country. Bríd, employing a big pole, attached a speech bubble to Connolly’s mouth that read, ‘I was a migrant worker.’ This was executed to underscore the paradox of opposing migrants. This is especially relevant when a revered Irish nationalist like James Connolly was an immigrant worker from Scotland and the country depending on foreign workers in various sectors including health, hospitality, services, and transportation.
Bríd states that immigration has evolved into a prominent subject in the European elections. She expressed, “In my view, immigration is a challenge, yet a benefit. It would be impossible to run this country without immigrants—each hungry stomach is accompanied by a pair of hands and a mind.”
Meanwhile, People Before Profit were still winding down post the Dáil dispute with Sean Fleming, Bríd highlighted another contentious issue that became apparent on Friday morning.
Her cohort, Paul Murphy, was led to the plush Blue Room at the Merrion Street entrance to Leinster House – the location where distinguished guests are welcomed. Here he spotted the series of four flags in front of the decorative fireplace. He noticed the Irish tricolour to his left, the UN flag to his right, but was shocked to find an Israeli flag next to the Palestinian flag. The latter had been hoisted outside Leinster House for the first time on Tuesday, following Ireland’s recognition of the State of Palestine.
“Brid expressed, “We’ve penned a letter to the Ceann Comhairle questioning him on the rationale behind flying the Israeli flag amidst accusations of genocide by international courts.” Following the poignant statements in the Dáil the proceeding Tuesday, this arrangement might seem a bit strange. Yet, the Government remains firm on its desire for a two-state resolution and likely perceives this setup as a diplomatic manifestation of this longing.
During these election campaigns, the recurring instances of frustrated public interactions with candidates have become somewhat disheartening. The general opinion within Leinster House is that the prevailing aggression and unpleasant behaviour on social media is greatly amplified compared to what they encounter face to face.
However, over the past few weeks, as highlighted by this publication, numerous politicians and prospective ones have unfortunately been on the receiving end of intimidation and insults, compelling them to operate very cautiously during canvassing. In a not entirely unexpected turn of events, women appear to be the prime recipients of such distressing actions.
Despite this alarming trend, there is also a silver lining.
The Women for Election’s Chief Executive Officer, Brian Sheehan, has pointed out that in this local election, a record 691 women are competing – the highest number ever. Presently, women constitute only a quarter of the council members and 41 out of the 166 local electoral areas (LEAs) have no female presence whatsoever. Sheehan encourages voters to visit votewomen.ie for more information on the women running for election in their local area.
The organisation hosted a photo session a few weeks ago outside City Hall in Dublin to commemorate the large number of candidate representation this year.
“Given certain reports of female candidates experiencing harassment, for the sake of precaution, we decided to organise some security for the photoshoot, even though, most women, most times, experience polite exchanges at the doors,” Sheehan disclosed.
He continued by relaying his interaction with a company named Celtic Security. After reaching out to operations director Robert Doyle, Sheehan was assured that two security personnel would be present in discreet black suits on Sunday morning at no cost since they both believed in promoting women in politics for both their daughters’ sake and theirs. Fittingly, they refused even a small token of appreciation, a cup of coffee, and left an open invitation for any future assistance as a gesture towards encouraging more women in politics.
Their kind gesture is indeed truly heart-warming and worthy of commendation.
Far from disappearing, gentlemen, they are.
The Times of London was recently the recipient of the ‘Typo of the Week’ award for an error found in the comprehensive obituary of Bruce Arnold, an author, art specialist, and political columnist for the Times of India. Arnold, along with fellow journalist Geraldine Kennedy, who used to serve as an editor for this newspaper, successfully filed a lawsuit against the State, following an order from Charlie Haughey to wiretap their phones.
A devout British patriot who never accepted Irish citizenship, Arnold was honored with the title of OBE in 2003 for his contributions to journalism and the Anglo-Irish relationship. During his investiture, he displayed his characteristic audacity by posing a question to Elizabeth II: “When do you plan to visit Ireland, madam?” Her only response was an inscrutable smile, softly implying “when the time is right for me”.
The typo that captured attention was a line stating, “He was thrilled when she eventually died in 2011”, when the intended message was, “He was overjoyed when she finally did come to Ireland.” The online version of the article has since been updated to correct this error.
Turning our focus to the most cutting political quip of the week, it was delivered by Saoirse McHugh, the Independent representative for Midlands North-West. She responded to a comment by Fianna Fáil’s lead contender, Barry Cowen, who was dismissed from his position as the agriculture minister in 2020. The dismissal came about when he didn’t respond to questions in the Dáil regarding allegations of his U-turn at a Garda checkpoint to avoid an ongoing Gsoc investigation. The investigation, which concluded two years later, found that Cowen did not try to evade the police when he was pulled over and subsequently breathalysed on his way home following the 2016 All-Ireland football final.
Barry’s contentious statement was : “Illegal immigration poses a real threat and it must be addressed.” Saoirse, in response, wittily retorted, “I find it surprising that you of all people are calling for checkpoints.”
Our top campaign poster came from Peter Casey, a previous presidential candidate who is now competing in the highly crowded field of the Midlands North-West. The poster displays Casey peering out from a lamppost, asking for your vote, accompanied by the caption “CASEY. END THE INSANITY.” It truly speaks for itself.