Everything You Didn’t Really Want To Know About The Seanad Elections And Didn’t Really Want To Ask!

(🧵) It often passes under the public radar - because only a fraction of the public has a vote, and only for a fraction of the seats - but within 90 days of a general election being called, there’s also an election to Seanad Éireann, the upper house of the Irish parliament.

Catherine Martin opens her appearance at Oireachtas Media Committee by saying the two external reports into culture and governance at RTÉ - which were notionally due to report by end of February - are delayed and will now be handed over next month. First question, on the button, from SF's Fintan Warfield: shouldn't you have spent last Thursday evening meeting with Siún Ní Raghallaigh instead of being on TV?

Answer: It would be wrong to pull out of a prearranged interview, and it needed more than a rushed evening meeting

📺 Coverage of the Oireachtas Media Committee getting underway in a mo on Virgin Media One.

Be advised: Tubridy and Kelly intend to read the same opening statements (as PAC) in full to open the meeting, to contextualise answers for the nine members who weren’t there earlier Huzzah. By consent, Tubridy and Kelly won't re-read the full opening statements (to do so was a deferential act to a committee that doesn't want it) so into the questions we go.

FF's Christopher O'Sullivan goes first

Imelda Munster is first up, asking about the genesis of the 'tripartite' deal (RTE/Renault/Tubridy).

Kelly: "This is nothing about pay cuts, this is a separate commercial deal…" Says it was proposed to him by Breda O'Keeffe, then RTE CFO. Kelly frames the idea of underwriting the €75k deal suggesting it was to insulate Tubridy from any Late Late sponsor change.

"It was never for RTÉ to pay. The guarantee was for, if another sponsor came on", that they would inherit a similar arrangement for personal appearances

‘One way or another, Albert has to go’ – Peadar Tóibín calls for removal of prince’s statue from Leinster House

…so, there’s a funny story about the last time someone proposed to remove this statue… independent.ie/irish-news/one… …which is that there was a petition sent to the Oireachtas Petitions Committee in 2017 making a broadly similar argument - that Albert was the consort of a much unloved imperial monarch and there was no justification for the Leinster House authorities to keep him there.

Except:

Niall Collins now on his feet in the Dáil. "I am in absolutely no doubt that … my actions were at all times legally correct" "The question of the potential sale of the property followed various expressions of interest by members of the public… one of the people… was Dr Eimear O'Connor, who is also my wife. It was agreed at the area committee meeting that the property should be sold on open market"

ℹ️ I understand Niall Collins’ personal statement to the Dáil will be made at around 1:50pm today Same topic being raised at Leaders' Questions by Holly Cairns, who asks if standards of transparency and accountability in FF are slipping, given Barry Cowen was sacked for not taking questions while Collins will now (twice) be resisting calls for similar

🏛️ Today in the Dáil, Wednesday 9 November… (🧵) 09:12 - Topical Issues

Up to four issues of the day are raised by backbenchers and opposition TDs, with ministers (or substitutes) called to answer on them. Topics TBC; will be published at oireachtas.ie/en/publication….

🏛️ In the Dáil today, Tuesday 8 November… (🧵) 14.00 - Leaders’ Questions

Micheál Martin is away at COP27 but someone (possibly the Tánaiste) will deputise to take questions from…
🟩 Sinn Féin
🟥 Labour
⬜️ Regional Group of Inds
⬜️ Rural Independent Group

Joe McHugh solidifying his status outside the Government - he's also voting in favour of opposition amendments to the Mica bill too Government's only external supporters there were Messrs Lowry and Grealish

A... mixed reception for the Prime Minister ahead of PMQs. Starmer: "Isn't this the first case of the sinking ship fleeing the rats?"

Johnson: "He [Starmer] voted 48 times to overturn the will of the British people and take us back into the European Union..."

Running total of UK resignations now is 15.

Although only two are of Cabinet grade, the rump of Tory MPs who now don't back Boris Johnson is so large that he may soon find it tough to fill the bottom-of-the-ladder Government roles. Running total: 27

https://twitter.com/kemibadenoch/status/1544673839363268616

🚨🇬🇧 Britain’s health secretary resigns - “people expect integrity from their government” @VirginMediaNews

https://twitter.com/sajidjavid/status/1544366218789937152

Hugely sensitive timing - Johnson has spent the day trying to calm his uneasy backbenchers, including being seen in the Commons tea rooms, and had given a clip to the 6pm TV news bulletins. Now because of Wimbledon the clip won’t air on BBC until after Javid’s announcement

Slightly earlier than expected, the weekly row over the Dáil schedule - some grievance about how little time is available to debate possible amendments to the defective blocks (#micaredress) legislation - is it to avoid scrutiny, or necessary to get it passed before the recess? Should be noted that many of the TDs who routinely demand Dáil time for ‘statements on X’ are also now complaining that there is too little time for legislating - though should also be noted that some bills (e.g. mica) are being published by various Govt departments late in term

And a warm welcome back to ‘we can’t cut Beechwood in two’ discourse

https://twitter.com/RobOHanrahan/status/1544242151571263489

A reminder that the whole premise of ‘Metrolink’ was to link the Metro to the existing Luas Green line, which isn’t happening because properly linking the two would require construction work that no southside community is prepared to tolerate

https://twitter.com/gavreilly/status/1098725095164522496

A thing to remember about #LoveIsland is the lag between filming and airing - and how, when it suits the storytelling, entire days are left out of the timeline you actually see on TV. (🧵) (This is semi-prompted by an observation between @zaraking and @OrlaithCondon on the latest My Pod On Paper, about Indiyah having a possible change of heart about Ikenna - I’ve made similar points on that podcast before)

“Ireland is not going to be collateral damage for unilateral actions by the British government” - @simoncoveney reacts to UK’s latest protocol plans @VirginMediaNews “This is a big deal”
“A breach of international law, I don’t think there’s any other way to describe this”
“I presume the a British Government will have some justification for that, I don’t think that will be valid”
“This is an act of bad faith”
“Breach of its word to Ireland”

HSE is convening a meeting with local reps this morning to announce the closure of emergency services at Navan Hospital, to be replaced with a Medical Assessment Unit and Local Injury Unit @VirginMediaNews 🧵 Navan is the last of nine EDs which had been earmarked for downgrade/reconfiguration/closure (depending on whose outlook you share) - others that have been through the same process include Roscommon, which has largely led to better patient outcomes, as well as Ennis and Nenagh

👀 Visiting U.S. @RepRichardNeal says political concerns about the NI Protocol have been “manufactured” - claiming only 7% of voters in #ae22 cast their ballot based on that issue.

@simoncoveney adds that Johnson’s government *proposed* this arrangement… @VirginMediaNews @RepRichardNeal @simoncoveney @VirginMediaNews Coveney also adds that the idea of cross-community consent (as cited by the UK and the DUP) under the GFA applies to devolved matters, not to issues controlled by Westminster. Points out that a majority of MLAs are pro-protocol, and there was no cross-community support for Brexit

Interesting opening at Oir Health Committee. Rhona Mahony tells members that once shares were handed over by nuns, religious involvement in Vincent’s ended, and constitutions of St Vincent’s Holdings (new owner) and SVHG (group operating company) are secular.

This is the latter: The preamble of this constitution - which was only updated on April 22 - still mentions Mary Aikenhead and the goal of fulfilling her mission… it’s that specific clause which sets the tone for legal critiques about possible influences. Is secularism in the eye of the beholder?

Mary Lou McDonald uses Leaders' Questions asking Taoiseach and Tánaiste to "get around the table" with St Vincent's Healthcare Group and convince them to gift the NMH land to the State.

Taoiseach indirectly, in calling for 'honesty', says this would "delay it another few years" It is being "dishonest" of McDonald to suggest that a 300-year lease with a nominal rent of a tenner a year does not amount to ownership, the Taoiseach says @VirginMediaNews