Andy Kearns

[ChainOfThought @0x445352]

Paschal Donohoe is to resign. Expect many serious commentators to talk about what a loss this is, what a capable minister, a steady hand at the tiller etc. Allow me to prebunk:

Donohoe promised to abolish the USC ahead of the 2016, 2020 and 2024 general elections. He never abolished the USC . During his time as a govt TD taxes have increased across all categories, from VAT to capital gains, excise and taxes on fuel, booze . He's increased the tax thresholds in two budgets but these increases don't even cover even 10% of the value that has been destroyed by inflation during the same period.

Ireland is now 35/38 OECD countries on tax competitiveness, and 37/38 for tax on income. To make things far worse, Donohoe presided over sweeping employment law changes that require employers to fund employee pension, sick leave and holiday pay. These changes are being rolled out now and will costs thousands of people their jobs.

Donohoe also saw the introduction of carbon and other green taxes and levies that are gutting the disposable income of normal people. During the same period, energy costs have ballooned to the extent that Ireland now has the highest retail energy costs in the EU and the lack of a secure energy supply is means billions of euro of potential investment is diverted to other more competitive jurisdictions.

For the last 10 years Donohoe has carefully cultivated an image of a sober and judicious Finance Minister . Since taking over at DPER , he and his DOF colleagues have taken public spending from 76bn to 126bn, an increase of 63%, with demonstrably less oversight and accountability than there has ever been . Much of this increase is baked into current spending, even though by his own departments' analysis, there is zero guarantee that the tax revenue will continue to come in.

Since becoming a government TD in 2011 he and his trade union buddies have awarded themselves 14 separate "negotiated" increases to their pay and pensions . His pension pot is at least an order of magnitude larger than most people will make over their entire lives.

When the FG /Lab government took over in 2011 it was still possible to start a company, rent an office, hire some people and make some money. 14 years on and there is only the State. Small businesses are dropping like flies. Dublin is gutted. Office blocks are half full and the north inner city is basically the third world. Nobody with a brain would even consider hiring a full time employee now. To put it simply , more than any other individual , Donohoe has played a key role in bringing Ireland and Dublin to its knees.

Since becoming president of the Eurogroup in 2020, Donohoe has invested all addressable political capital in aiding and abetting Christine Lagarde's CDBC , the most important step in implementing a Chinese CCP-style social credit system in which every financial transaction is routed through a government filter.

During his tenure as the President of the Eurogroup , the euro has lost about 25% of its spending power, a massive tax on savers and private pensions, and a real reduction in the standard of living for hundreds of millions of european workers. Paschal fully supported all of the decisions of the ECB during this time.

For these and other reasons, it's my view that Paschal Donohoe is one of the most cynical , nasty and destructive politicians to ever hold office in an Irish government. He should be remembered that way. Good riddance.

[Courts News Ireland @courtsnewsIRL]

"Ashling represents the best of everything Ireland is. She represents beauty and kindness, compassion, and talent, love and innocence. This will forever be her legacy.

Ireland is a better place because she was here.

I ask the Puska family sitting here today: what is your legacy? What have you done for Ireland but damage it beyond repair.

You all came to our great country in search of a better life, but built that life on a strong foundation of taking, never giving.

A family who benefited greatly from everything our nation offers to those in need while contributing absolutely nothing in return.

A family who knew, without question, that one of their own had gone out into the streets of Tullamore and murdered our beautiful girl in the most horrific way imaginable.

And instead of doing what was right, instead of doing the honourable thing by coming forward and telling Gardai what you knew, you did everything possible to conceal what you knew and to destroy vital evidence in the hopes that my family would be left without justice and closure for the rest of our lives, while your husband and brother would be left free to roam the streets of Ireland to possibly do this all over again to another innocent family."

- Victim Impact Statement of Ray Murphy, father of Ashling Murphy

[Elaine Mullally ☘️ @mullallyelaine]

R.I.P.

[Andy Kearns @akearnsy3]

@Norris_James_ @eircare you should give @cantwell_andrew a call

[Dr. Eoin Lenihan @EoinLenihan]

Irish beef is the best in the world. Ireland doesn't need outside imports. If Europe needs more then release the bureaucratic shackles and let the Irish and others to oblige. They'd happily step up I'm sure.

Irish and European farmers are right to be angry. They have to jump through extraordinary hoops to get their product to market. Hoops that make their living almost unsustainable. The wider issue however, is that for decades Ireland became dependent on EU handouts in return for allowing the EU to impose punitive Green and other legislations on farmers. Ireland also give away individual bargaining rights to Europe. That's unfortunately the game with the EU. The EU is a Union, and like all unions, they're collective bargaining outfits that individual nations lend their voices to. When it comes to global deals like this, Ireland is just a tiny voice. Should that voice get too loud, the EU holds all the subsidy checks.
👇👇👇
https://t.co/wwLXadcOMo

[gript @griptmedia]

NIAMH UÍ BHRIAIN: The absolutely vile portrayal of GAA-loving, Irish dancing, Irish 'Family A' as narrow-minded, controlling bigots in this SPHE book used in our schools, is the very opposite of inclusivity. No wonder parents are outraged.

https://t.co/mJW21XCkLm

[Andy Kearns @akearnsy3]

@washedxr @murphyoisin19 you know nothing

[Andy Kearns @akearnsy3]

@sarm0161 @icyestretro @EoinCroghan if only TT new 😅

[Dubs life @dubslife1]

😎

[Andy Kearns @akearnsy3]

@views09 @Rodge_1986

[Matt Walsh @MattWalshBlog]

Impeached. Arrested. Convicted. Shot.

Still standing.

[gript @griptmedia]

Michael McNamara TD grills Justice Minister Helen McEntee on asylum seeker returns:

"The other country accepted responsibility, accepted they would take them back, a decision was made to transfer them, and you transferred 3 of those 188 [asylum seekers]. Where's the problem?"

[Dr. Eoin Lenihan @EoinLenihan]

This young man is the voice of the silent majority across Ireland. The most succinct and honest speech you’ll see in a long time.

[J.K. Rowling @jk_rowling]

Scotland's Hate Crime Act comes into effect today. Women gain no additional protections, of course, but well-known trans activist Beth Douglas, darling of prominent Scottish politicians, falls within a protected category. Phew! 1/11

[Senator Rónán Mullen @RonanMullen]

The people of Ireland have had their first chance in four years to give their view as an electorate on the way they are being governed. This referendum result is their verdict on the political leadership class and it is a damning one.

Faced with secretly drawn-up proposals to dilute the significance of marriage for family life, and to dishonour women and motherhood by removing the only direct reference to their interests in Bunreacht na hEireann, and observing the ruthless way in which debate on these proposals was suppressed in the Dáil and Seanad, the people have – I think it is fair to say – snapped back. They weren’t confused. They knew what they were voting for. They didn’t like it. And they rejected it massively. The Irish people can be led. But they won’t be pushed.

The arrogance, secrecy, insider-ism, and sometimes duplicity, that characterised the selling of the so-called ‘Family’ and ‘Care’ referendums, not just by the Government and their allies in State-funded NGOs but also by the main opposition parties, Sinn Féin and the parties of the Left, has got the response it deserved. This arrogancy and insider-ism has characteristed the Government’s handling of a whole range of issues in recent years – from aspects of public health management during the pandemic, to controversies in recent times around migration and gender and the pushing of ideology at children in schools. In all these areas, we see a Government that seems to be in a propaganda war against its own people, unwilling to face up to or even acknowledge the existence of hard questions, mainly backed up by opposition parties who largely share their point of view that the people are not to be trusted, and a media that seems too often worried about biting the hand that feeds it.

The result is a loss of faith among many ordinary people in our democratic institutions. And to the rise of the citizen journalist and the citizen politician. Because the people do not want faceless people, with names we don’t know and no accountability to us, shaping our destiny.

Today we see a resounding defeat for the Government, Sinn Féin and other parties (with the honourable exception of Aontú). There are lessons to be learned:

-You can’t put referendum questions to the people without properly teasing them out in the Oireachtas first. The Government must apologise to people on this specific point and the main opposition parties should acknowledge their complicity in this.

-You can’t hijack the apparatus and resources of the State to push through your own ideological agenda. In that context, the three Government parties should be pressured to fundraise to pay back between €15m and €20m of taxpayers’ money that they squandered on a standalone referendum.

You can’t ignore for years the importance of promoting marriage as the bedrock of a stable society and then try to get rid of the only Constitutional incentive to marriage. The Government must now, in the light of today’s result, commit to policies to promote marriage as an institution that serves our society well.

You can’t use a promised recognition of care as the carrot to entice people to get rid of the only bit of Constitutional support that’s there for mothers and the vital work they do for us all. The Government must reflect on what it must do in future to promote recognition for fathers and carers without diluting the special Constitutional pledge to support motherhood.

The Government must stop playing ideological games. Today’s resounding reaffirmation of family life, marriage and the role of mothers, and the rejection of NGO-sponsored groupthink means the Government should press the pause button on its culture war policies, including to name three:

-its controversial hate speech legislation, with its lack of definition of hate and its strange new definition of gender; this Bill threatens our political freedom of expression;

-the abuse of the education system to promote gender ideology;

-any legislation that would try to underpin surrogacy, which turns children into commodities.

Right now, the Independents and Aontú are the only show in town telling the truth to people. That culture wars and ideology are the Government's focus, not the real challenges that people are facing in their lives.

Finally, there are two major concerns that have arisen in this campaign. One is the extent of mistruths peddled at the highest levels of Government. This brings politics into disrepute and cannot go unchallenged. Number two is the apparent abuse of the McKenna judgement principles which forbid the spending of public money on advocating one side of a referendum. When an organisation like the National Women’s Council, which gets 95% of its staffing costs from the State, is leading one side of a referendum campaign without any consultation with ordinary women across the country, you see another blatant case of insider-ism and the abuse of taxpayers’ money.

The Government and the main opposition parties have a lot to think about. They should start by apologising to the people today.

#Referendum2024

[Linda M: John 14:6✝️🇮🇪 🇮🇱 @LindaMu38317430]

After they are finished coming after Women, Mothers and Carers the Irish government is coming after your home.
Wake up

[Chief Nerd @TheChiefNerd]

Jim Carrey & Jenny McCarthy Tried to Warn Us Back in 2009

[gript @griptmedia]

Roderic O’Gorman said that progressive groups who weren't supporting a 'Yes' vote in the referendum would have to explain why.

Fianna Fáil TD John McGuinness says this "sounded like a threat," and that O'Gorman was "out of order." He added that he is personally voting 'No'.

[gript @griptmedia]

Media Minister Catherine Martin is asked if she will delete a tweet in which she falsely claimed that the Constitution says "a woman's place is in the home" - a claim which was explicitly contradicted by her government's own Electoral Commission.

Question by @Ben_Scallan.

[Stating the Obvious @the_stating]

@Michael_O_Regan With respect you are reverting to using an isolated fringe argument to colour all No voters. Maybe some of us might like to know what exactly we are voting for and we don't take a politicians word for it