Since 2016 national housing plans have fallen into 1 of 2 categories: 1. Glossy A4 Nothing 2. Inflationary bonfire in favour of speculators. This one seems like (1) so far.

The middle initial used to be standard of course... William T. Cosgrave, Sean T. O'Kelly, Éamon D. Valera, the list goes on...

The correct style was always "President D. Higgins", by the way.

For those worried about the rise of fascism in Europe, look to Ireland's example. Notwithstanding that Verona Murphy is on the triumvirate leading the state for the next 12 hours.

Unexpectedly emotional as Michael D. Higgins exits office tonight. I volunteered in the office in 2011 and had to dash across the country with his nomination paper at one point. Tough, scholarly & proud of it, unfailingly kind & open hearted. Proud to have had a tiny part in putting him in the Áras.

Here is my expensive, controversial, and confidential communications advice which I shall also reveal to the nation in my podcast midway through your campaign. #aras25 #spéirghorm

We should all lament that the actual quadruple barrel surname of Battenberg-Saxa-Coburg-Gotha was never allowed to surface. For sheer melodic theatricality it would be a very amusing name to bestow upon a newly untitled sex offender being sent off to exile in a great big mansion.

"It will be privately funded by the King." Good one, BBC, good one.

This story is so well known now that Mary MacAleese herself must know it and possibly remember it.

What will become of Bluesky without the permanent and stabilising presence of a New York Mayoral election?

H Humphreys's high horse jumping into a chasm: 'Asked whether she declared her status as credit union manager when speaking in the Dail about mortgage repossessions or the tracker mortgage scandal, she said: “I never stood up in the Dáil and spoke about any of those things, I can assure you.” '

www.thejournal.ie/deportations... If there were 23 "threats to public security" caught by the DoJ sleuths, surely we have a right to know what security challenging conspiracy they were part of. Alternatively if the minister is on a deportation drive to pad out the CV, we should know that too.

Caoimhín Kelleher will get the 4 nominations next time no bother. #PORvIRL

“The situation has gone beyond disaster and genocide inside the city, and the world remains silent.” www.theguardian.com/world/2025/o...

This time last week there wasn't a dry eye in FF HQ as they realised that Jim Gavin was Real Fianna Fáil after all.

Ms Rachel schools Obama on why he really should stop using dehumanizing language.

Soemthing interesting about Center Parcs (to me, middle aged before my time) is that 2,500 people there on census night were counted as residents for the purposes of Dáil representation, and will be when LEAs are next changed. 2,500 being approx 1/12th of a TD, or 1 entire county councillor.

Looking forward to the various contortions that accompany the slow solidification of a Trump-Maduro axis (until it is abruptly interrupted and they trade missiles or something).

Once again: Peru, like South Korea, needs to decide which arm of government is meant to be in charge. Another President 'impeached' by a Congress that always seems to find a majority for impeachment but never for governing. Would do very well to borrow muerte cruzada from Ecuador.

That EU veg thing is a bit bonkers. A sausage is basically a bag of cheap bits picked up off the floor and packed together with a load of yummy salt or pepper, massive offal to veg to fruit to sawdust ratio variation from place to place. A veggie sausage is hardly very different.

The media are like, "No one realises just how BRUISING and INTRUSIVE presidential campaigns are." Same media: In TODAY'S PAPER: 5 PAGES of PURE HONEST TO GOD MUCKRAKING. Next Week: A lofty opinion piece complaining that the responsibilities of the office have been ignored by young people.

Jim Gavin's fans are having a right meltdown.

Don't worry everyone, the government got over the Gavin thing by funnelling hundreds of millions of your € away from children and families to subsidise restaurants and fast food. #budget26 #speirghorm

Kinda love Peadar Tóibín's visceral hatred of FF. He left Sinn Féin over social issues and is busy building a rightwing project to shift Ireland's politics to the right. ∴ his natural enemies are the (growing and now united) left opposition. But he really hates the empty husk that is Fianna Fáil.

Fianna Fáil Run a candidate for President in the 21st century Challenge

Jim Gavin has bowed out. He will no longer be running for President. #Aras25 *hunger games cannon sound*

Also Caitriona Graham, Chris Andrews, Colm Byrne, Cormac O’Daly, Diarmuid MacDubhghlais, Donna Schwarz, Louise Heaney, Maureen Almai, Michael Fix, Paddy Kelly, Patrick O’Donovan, Sarah Clancy, Tara O’Grady, Tara Sheehy and Thomas McCune

Fascism has two good friends in a democracy: Economic injustice and political instability. Macron is presenting political instability on a plate because he refuses accept an arrangement with the left (& basic maths). Like the Matteo Renzi of France, and there's plenty of willing Melonis.

Lecornu added to the pile. Perhaps Nicholas Sarkozy would like to be rehabilitated?

Anticipating the transfers of the mad bastards that will vote for Jim Gavin anyway.

I think those of us who were active on twitter during the recession have a soft spot for these absolute WTF moments in Irish politics.

And we thought this would be a boring presidential election. Brian Lenihan, Gay Mitchell, Seán Gallagher, Dana Rosemary Scallon, all the other Dragons, vi har slått dem alle sammen, vi har slått dem alle sammen!

I'd disagree with this "1990 2.0" analysis for now. In 1990, Robinson had huge momentum and Lenihan was mired in controversy. 75% of all Currie ballots transferred to MR, including the plumpers, allowing her to overcome BL's 44% - 39% lead in 1st prefs. But this race is quite different.

Really quite astonishing how the UK press & police are doing a full body press to link Palestine Action protestors to the synagogue attack in Manchester. They do not let up for a moment to take advantage of suffering for a pretty horrendous establishment political agenda.

Quite hard to appear presidential when the host is a petulent barracker who wants his own takes to define the night. Let them speak! #TonightVMTV

Claiming it’s misogynistic to comment on a bag that costs some people’s salary, falls into the lie that feminism means it’s wrong to say anything bad about a woman, rather than believing that women are equal human beings deserving of rights, which obviously is not something Maria herself believes

Jim Gavin is showcasing the skills you can acquire from a long apprenticeship in party politics or local office, by the demonstration that he doesn't have them.

How shameful for basically every country with a coastline on the med who is perfectly capable of sailing aid into Gaza that it comes down to volunteers, not states, to do it.

Big, actually.

Irish Times is insistent that Steen would've polled well but I'm not buying it. Casey 'polled well' at 20% with no FFFG candidate in the field. Dana presented as odd in 2011 and tanked. Good debater or not, i think it would be the Dana 2011 route both in terms of revealed oddness & vote %.

Headlines: DEVELOPABLE LAND VALUES GET YET ANOTHER BOOST. INFLATIONARY MEASURES WELCOMED BY CLINICALLY INSANE. More speculation encouraged! ✅️ Current schemes stall as new wave of sites flipped for quick buck to next gen of headstrong investors! ✅️ Parameters of next viability crisis locked in! ✅️

One way to ingratiate yourself with enough TDs and Senators for a presidential nomination is to do a tap of work in the political sphere between your moments of referendum-mandated publicity.

I was once trusted with a presidential nomination form for 24 hours and I'm reminded of the alarming worry that it's grown legs or been robbed or chucked out, by reports of Steen and Tóibín doing laps of the LH complex with one (presumably dog-eared and butter-stained).

Genuinely just something so beautiful about two black migrant women (and someone from Donegal) winning this show given the state of the country and the world #traitorsirl

It just straightforwardly *insane* how much political chatter in the United Kingdom is about the next general election, an event that is a long way in the future, and how basically none of it is about 'uh, this policy agenda doesn't look adequate to the scale of the inherited problem'.

Israel ha detenido al director de orquesta tambien israelí 'Ilan Volkov' por sus palabras en favor de la paz y en contra del genocidio La "única democracia de Oriente Medio" ??!!! #Gaza #Palestina #Genocidio