Thanks Kevin Galvin and the Irish Independent for reporting on-going attempts to square a circle for local drone operators in Cork. I presented ideas yesterday at a meeting of operators — but the episode has shown me how unprepared we are for questions like these and must move fast to catch up.

Proud also to stand in solidarity yesterday, like my colleague, Honoré Kamegni, with overstretched teachers, parents and children who deserve better. The government have U-turned for now and deny their cuts to special needs assistants were "never signed off on" — after defending it all last week.

Today's by-election is another illustration of the problems with FPTP. The result may tell us less about what voters want to happen than whether they can game the system effectively to stop a result most *don't* want. The electoral system should not be an obstacle that voters have to work around.

Thanks to Thomas Lawrance and Cork Beo for reporting my comments on new restrictions for existing commercial and community drone operators in the city — to facilitate a drone-based delivery service. The consultation is open now until Saturday, 14 March: www.iaa.ie/consultation

Thanks JJ O'Donoghue and Tripe and Drisheen for reporting my comments on progress of the new live-streaming system in Cork City Council. The number of people tuning in is exceeding expectations (in the order of low hundreds). Next, we're looking into archiving meetings to allow playback afterwards.

Thanks Rachel Lysaght and the Echo for reporting the on-going consultation on enabling drone-based delivery services in the city — and the impact this has for regular drone operators, like engineers, photographers and community organisations. The consultation is open now until Saturday, 14 March.

Thanks Donal O’Keeffe and the Echo for a very interesting survey of councillors on use of AI. Not in the report is one former councillor we all suspected of using AI to write motions. The language was ludicrous ("Herefore, my solemn entreaty that this pothole be filled…") and became an inside joke.

I don't know if the problem is unwillingness, incompetence, or laziness, but the Minister for Road Safety has to take responsibility for the consequences of his inaction, and resign.

My submission to the consultation on drone operations in the city. The new "geozone" is an arbitrary imposition on commercial and community activities, with disproportionate negative impacts. As a regulator, the IAA needs to sit back and consider if this would even withstand a court challenge. 🧵

There's a weird thing in UK politics. Labour treats Reform as largely correct on the merits but bad at implementation. It treats the Greens as wrong on the merits and so good at implementation they will destroy the country. But that's... the opposite of how their actual likely voters feel?

Monitoring comments on Ye Olde Facebook, and we need to add Yank Brain to the DSM-5. In what world is a Fianna Fáil MEP a "bought commie"

Every parent's worst nightmare. Yet, we will still have ministers, judges and radio presenters make excuses and pass the buck. Officials will still prevaricate on 30km/h limits out of a "precautionary approach". Gardaí will still categorise motoring offences as "non-crime" and "square" them away.

On a pedestrian crossing. This is completely out of control. RIP to the seven people killed by motorists this weekend.

One of the identified risks is, unsurprisingly, the government’s proposal to limit judicial reviews. #speirghorm

At a national briefing to councillors this week, officials advised taking a limited approach to 30km/h zones in urban areas. They cited a "precautionary approach". I pointed out the term usually means the opposite — choosing what's safest, over what's convenient. That's what you're dealing with.

Thanks to Damien Streenan from Cork's 96FM for talking to me yesterday where I discussed the need for a directly elected Mayor in Cork city.

Thanks to Amy Campbell and the Echo for reporting my comments on the potential of Bell's Field for the city. The area needs love in the here and now — but a plan too for the longer term reinvestment of the area, including Patrick's Hill and Lady's Well.

High vis all the things.

My latest monthly newsletter is out now. This month, I've updates on: 🧑‍✈️ New restrictions affecting drone use in the city 🏞️ Ideas to re-invest in Bell's Field 🚏 Delays from government to delivering BusConnects I've also included all of my motions and questions to Cork City Council this month.

Thanks to Sara Rountree and Cork Beo for reporting my comments on how the industry is scrambling to find solutions to the drone ban in the city. From today, no open category (i.e. arrive and fly) use of drones will be allowed in parts of the city, affecting engineers, photographers, and volunteers.

Thanks to Amy Campbell and the Echo for reporting new delays to delivering BusConnects in the city. Legislation is needed to allow the National Transport Authority (originally the Dublin Transport Authority) to make plans outside of Dublin.

Thanks to Steven Fox and the Cork Independent for reporting the downing of drone use in the city. From today, open category (i.e. arrive and fly) operations will be banned in a part of the city — commercial, amateur and community uses — to facilitate food delivery by drone.

Holocaust denial? They’re talking about Holocaust denial, right

Thanks Kevin Galvin and the Irish Independent for reporting the challenge facing drone pilots in Cork — from engineers and wedding photographers to search and rescue teams. A public consultation is open now on new restrictions to enable food delivery by drone, which risks grounding other operators.

After demonising those who take judicial reviews for the better part of a year — this just drips with putrefied irony.

Thanks to Amy Campbell and the Echo for reporting the latest on the Port of Cork's proposed €80m interchange at Tivoli. I understand the plans are delayed while revisions are being made — in particular access to the €250m Dunkettle interchange, which seemed bizarre in the first iteration.

Thanks to Dáire Fitton and Cork Beo for reporting my comments on restrictions coming into effect this week — on engineers, photographers, community organisations in the city using drones. The reason is to facilitate a single company with preferred access to airspace to make takeaway deliveries.

Irish Aviation Authority are planning to restrict air space in the city to facilitate a single takeaway-food company. Everyone else will lose access to the skies they have now, including photographers, tradespeople, volunteers. Think this is unfair? Have your say today: www.iaa.ie/media/2026/0...

I was at a party and few years ago when this discussion came up. The only opponents of UBI in the room were the people who said they themselves would "abuse" it. They assumed the rest of us are as lazy as they are so they'd prefer that nobody has it. It's nonsense.

This rules. I love how delighted they all look!

All these “never before” protesters getting out there should be a massive red flag to republicans.

A forensic look on X suggests the wrongful claim about Alan Shatter and Jeffrey Epstein - subsequently shared by Gary Gannon TD, who has now paid damages - was first posted by a little-known ‘news outlet’ solely sharing ethnonationalist content A vivid example of how disinformation gets to the top

Palestine Action have WON their judicial review in the High Court! A massive victory for free speech, freedom of association and the right to protest. A massive defeat for the draconian attempts by Keir Starmer's government to curtail our fundamental rights.

Anglo-derived Scotch-Irish culture, with its Irish and Italian subcultures, is "white" and is being "Balkanised" by singing in Spanish? [blinks in European] Below, a 19th century "scientific" illustration describing the Irish and Spanish as being of "low type" and originally an African race.

Thanks to Steven Fox and the Cork Independent for reporting the idea of a museum of music in Cork. The city library already holds the Rory Gallagher Music Library — and the city's streets are teeming with musicians and musical heritage. And, yes, as everyone knows, Cork is an anagram of Rock. 🤘

In any functioning democracy, this would mean things hanging in the balance between a right-wing coalition and a rainbow coalition, with the SNP potentially kingmakers. In the UK? ...

📢 Public consultation on urban speed limits ends tomorrow. Honestly, 31 pages later I feel like charging Seán Canney for my time when legislation was passed already by the Green Party in government. Speak up! Make yourself heard. Don't let them wear you down. ➡️ consult.corkcity.ie/en/consultat...

Thanks to Thomas Lawrance and Cork Beo for reporting comments by me and my colleague Dan Boyle on student accommodation in the city. A lot of people have asked if this is the best use of the former tax office site. Meanwhile, the Model Farm Road seems like an ideal place for student accommodation.

Gda Galvin said Brett was wearing a high-vis jacket and helmet. It was a dry day, the road conditions were good and there were no obstructions.

Thanks Kevin Galvin and the Irish Independent for reporting my experience of AGS engagement with the new Local Community Safety Forum. No answers to questions from elected representatives. No reporting of their presentation, which was no more than statistics that will be on the CSO website in time.

"… it is not unreasonable to suggest that we are now seeing eviction rates not seen in Ireland since the 1850s. … "When eviction reaches this scale, it ceases to be an unfortunate by-product of the market and becomes a signal that the system itself is failing to provide basic housing security."

We’d a good show last night on @tonightvmtv.bsky.social, digging in to the case of Irish citizens detained under ICE in the US and whether the government’s own policies undermine its efforts to address them.

2/12 There is a reason why Putin, Musk, Trump, Vance, Thiel, and Xi all spend fortunes to attack Brussels. They do not hate the EU because it fails. They hate it because of its potential. Our unity is their nightmare

BAAAAAAABE BABE BABE BABE WAKE UP THEY’RE RECREATING THE 2008 FINANCIAL CRISIS FROM FIRST PRINCIPLES

Government ignores rural housing crisis with its new rules on short-term lets @oliver.ie @rodericogorman.bsky.social

The list of towns in Ireland with a 20,000 pop. can fit in a single post: Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway, Waterford, Drogheda, Dundalk, Swords, Navan, Bray, Ennis, Carlow, Kilkenny, Naas, Tralee, Newbridge, Balbriggan, Portlaoise, Athlone, Mullingar, Letterkenny, Greystones-Delgany, Wexford, Sligo.

Thanks to PJ Coogan and the Opinion Line for having me on earlier to talk about my most controversial opinion yet — motoring offenses should be taken seriously. 185 people killed on our roads last year. 70% of them motorists and their passengers. Half of all crimes classified as homicide in 2024.

As Ireland secures Nitrates derogation, scraps airport limits and tries to scupper Mercosur trade deal, what a GREAT time to go to the EU with the béal bocht routine, begging to be saved from our own greed & stupidity yet again.

‘The hysteria that has developed about abuse of women’ (Chomsky in an email to Epstein).To all the Chomsky defenders, esp those on the left-this sentence, alone, dripping with misogyny & a sexist dismissal of sexual violence against women condemns him.There is no acceptable apology for this #epstein

Watch this space: Next up will be ministerial regulations exempting certain developments and sectors from the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act. No forward planning. Just blame Met Éireann.