They have always been absolutely split from each other. The MacMhathuna machine had connections to the INLA that always put off the more respectable middle class conservatives. Plus they were always out for stunts the latter wouldn't touch, who in turn preferred lawfare, eg SPUC etc

Its interesting. McGuirk brought a tad more respectability to the MacMhathuna machine it had always struggled to achieve. But they do like power, which is why they've never played nice with other conservatives

John McGuirk complaining about being vilified by "unsubstantiated and unfounded" allegations published by Gript

That's why

"vote left, transfer left" sounds great in theory but if you are telling your potential viewers this, you're also signaling to voters opposed to you & more crucially, those opposed to anyone in your purported alliance that they can play the same game. Hence an FG/FF voting bloc nobody even organizes

Who would win: a needlessly complex legal wilderness developed over generations of NIMBYism, or a Squamish guy saying "this is my land and that shit don't apply to me"

The same people who want a million rounds of community reviews will talk about how China can build things so quickly.

The Squamish people of what is now Vancouver were illegally dispossessed of their land 100 years ago. They sued, got the land back, and used their sovereignty to ignore local zoning and build 6,000 new homes over the loud objections of nearby wealthy NIMBYs. Now other tribes are getting in the game.

this is incredible

my eyes www.myhome.ie/residential/...

They’re doing this to prevent whistleblowers. They are that corrupt.

Sublime hoisting. First Cllr Mannion does a pirouette that wouldn't look out of place on Strictly. This move reveals two well practiced hoisters already in position to take a leg each. The entire ensemble effect completed by the addition of a party leader and small child. A classic #SpeirGorm

Who knew Milli Vanilli is still booking gigs

The best he could do is Milli Vanilli and gerrymandering out Black Democrats

tbh beetroot is kinda underrrated generally

Beetroot is surprisingly good in a sandwich, just sayin

This aged like a fine wine - hoist of all hoists was Sean Kyne's moment, where they hoisted not just himself, but also Simon Harris AND someone's kid as well

You still see people on Bluesky who speak toffee-nose and declare confidently that the Nordic countries are Democratic Socialist success stories, which proves the legitimacy of DSA aims, when in reality they are mixed economy welfare states that are still remarkably capitalist in character.

its far from uniquely American, this is everywhere

Stancil is completely right about the economy,ppl have baked their brains and convinced themselves there’s some obvious fair way everything could work that they’re not doing. This is the long tail of the wild eyed Obama years where so many of us convinced ourselves communism was around the corner

"it's your own time you're wasting"

the mad shit is, there's 2 homes right up at the top of the daft listings, both advertising with a price of around 700k, and they couldn't be more different. One is 214m2, and the other is a small 124m2 on Brian Rd. Both have extensions but obviously the 2nd chews up more

Sad thing about it, is that tenants probably were evicted (or are dead under the patio) to sell this for a cool 550k (probably won't get that due to the poor condition)

If you don't understand why we needed PRS regulation so badly, have a look at this obvious ex rental, built in late 1800s & proudly left to decay since Daft.ie www.daft.ie/for-sale/hou... #Daft

When you need to get to the opera straight after your 12 hour shift in a Gdańsk shipyard www.ft.com/content/90e7...

@generalboles.bsky.social You need this bit of whimsy. bsky.app/profile/sted...

Catch up on our latest SimonTalks Webinar! This discussion focuses on obstacles to accessing housing and homeless services 🏘️ We were joined by Adam Boyle for a legal perspective on the most common issues. Huge thank you to Adam for such an informative presentation. youtu.be/RxfM6RmRFqk

Big thanks to Kitty Holland & Rory Hearne for taking part in the book launch. It was a great discussion which threw up a lot of hard questions tbh. Really nice to meet @fingalpimpernel.bsky.social in person! Buy the book with 40% discount code MIB26 www.politybooks.com/bookdetail?b...

Interesting discussion of estimation of housing need in Ireland. Concerns have been raised around this by a few people hometruths.substack.com/p/are-there-...

March 2025 column on this "entire communities" trope www.easterneye.biz/reform-uk-po...

Poke @sickosfc.bsky.social French play-off just sayin

It's worse. He's having a prize fight on the lawn

Continue to think the core problem with “ban the under 16s from social media” is it treats “online harms” as similar to a bottle of Grey Goose when they are far more akin to bathtub moonshine:

bro no way

Fair point actually. They run this playbook a lot and they get a lot out of it.

...He's far from the only TD who runs with any idea he hears from people, but he seems to be prolific at it.

Because while such voters want "change" they don't want the kind of change that II promises (thuggish State approach to migration, enthno-nationalist discrimination) & would prefer a soft right candidate not demanding this

For those not au fait with electoral mechanics: by the time Labour's candidate was eliminated and her votes redistributed, all other candidates were eliminated - so preferences for those other candidates are skipped, and given only to whichever of Kyne or Thomas got a higher pref (e.g. 16th v 17th)

So true

Slite Cement works and lime quarry, Gotland, Sweden. Sweden's only real remaining cement industry of any scale. Deceptive, in that the real damage is elsewhere. About two thirds of the unknown number of tonnes of mined limestone's mass will circulate as CO2 in the atmosphere for a very long time...

As for the big green vote in Dublin Central. This is one of 3 constituencies that has been starved of Metrolink. All the parties would do well to reflect upon that

I would like to thank the Leaving Cert students for the sunny weather. #spéirgorm

For all the others, consider it a learning experience, regardless of how well you did it didn't do. Special shout out to Helen Ogbu and Ray McAdam though

For SF it's a number of things, the message you are sending, candidate quality, and your leadership may be a problem, certainly in terms of style. Look at Ivana Bacik and how she expresses herself

As for FF. There's so much to learn from there and it's not about your leadership. It's about how you transition from populism in a more populist world. It needs careful reflection

Well done to the two successful candidates in the by-elections. I'll suggest FG will learn more from reflecting on the Dublin loss than the Galway win. It's illustrative of the fact that voting pacts are not a simple matter

Oh also we are in Kenmare tomorrow. Donations all go to Kerry hospice which right now is kinda personal (sister's father in law very ill again)

Sometimes you say something and then realize afterwards it might be inadvertently too on the nose

Please share and pass on our concert in UCC honan chapel in Sunday 19.00. A programme of women composers which you will enjoy. We are not yet sold out and plenty of tickets at www.eventbrite.ie/e/musicorum-...