Alice-Mary Higgins
@aliceeire.bsky.social
Independent Senator on NUI Panel. Leader of Seanad Civil Engagement Group.
Some good news but now we need to see the rest of the Gaza students with confirmed places granted visas. www.irishtimes.com/crime-law/co...
Three Palestinian students granted visas after Minister reverses refusal
A fourth student lost their appeal to the visa refusal
irishtimes.com
No talk of "hard choices" when spending 186 million to reduce Capital Gains Tax on profits from sale of shares, stocks & commercial property. That's apparently an easy choice requiring no evidence (though watch till end to see Minister invoke McCreevy pre 2008 as justification!!) #budget #speirgorm
Gazan students’ visas must be granted before it is too late. A group of leading Irish academics write that the mass refusal of visas to Palestinian students makes a mockery of the Taoiseach’s speech to the UN General Assembly. www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/comm...
Gazan students’ visas must be granted before it is too late
A group of leading Irish academics write that the mass refusal of visas to Palestinian students makes a mockery of the Taoiseach’s speech to the UN General Assembly
irishexaminer.com
American friends👇
Robert Reich@rbreich.bsky.social · 2w agoTODAY is the last day to register to vote in several states. I urge you to double check your state's deadline, verify that you are registered, and make changes to your registration if needed. Then contact three friends or family members and have them do the same. https://whenweallvote.org/
Ireland rolled out red carpet for Intel. Barred by EU sanctions from exporting hi-tech chips to Russia, Ireland's been sending heaps to Israel. They've both civilian and military uses. Israeli defence co. Elbit Systems uses them in "advanced tactical computer" for infantry, Special Forces etc
Tax breaks, grants and energy costs: How Ireland rolled out the red carpet for Intel - The Currency
In the two weeks following the last general election on November 29, 2024, the dust settled and it became clear that the outgoing Fianna Fáil/Fine Gael-led coalition would remain in government once it...
thecurrency.news
Dublin Inquirer@dublininquirer.com · 4mo agoBarred by EU sanctions from exporting hi-tech chips to Russia, Ireland is sending them in heaps to Israel. Intel has a plants in both Leixlip and Israel. It's a major employer and taxpayer in Ireland, where its executives meet pretty regularly with senior government figures.
Yesterday I demanded answers from the Minister about the Irish Government position on shocking proposals to give AI companies access to our personal data which are being negotiated right now on Ireland's watch. The public across EU want rights protected & more regulation of AI and big tech not less!
position.to
The Tonight Show@tonightvmtv.bsky.social · 3w agoIreland's AI Minister refutes claims that the Irish presidency had a hand in drafting legislation that would scrap GDPR protections for AI products. #TonightVMTV
Exclusive: New report says Ireland could have built 50,000 new homes over the five years of the data centre boom - and cannot “afford” to continue building. Authors called for a moratorium on new data centres - and have hit out at government comparisons painting them as “our German car industry.”
Richard Chambers@newschambers.bsky.social · 3w agoExclusive first look at a new report on data centres and Ireland coming up on @virginmedianews.bsky.social at 5.30pm. Its authors say Ireland cannot afford to continue the 'unsustainable' data centre boom - and have rejected Government comparisons with the German car industry.
Tens of thousands came out today to say we reject the politics of smash & grab & we recognise colonialism and its enablers. We sent a message of solidarity to all those oppressed around the world & the amazing Americans fighting authoritarianism.
Statement from President Connolly: We are in a world facing the existential threat posed by war and climate change, both of which are inextricably interlinked. I conveyed the strong view of the Irish people that the normalisation of war and genocide can never be accepted.
Shocked to hear of the passing of Frank McDonald. A great champion for Dublin's built heritage and good #planning. Key driver behind Mahon & Flood tribunals. We owe him a huge debt. Ar dheis lámh Dé go raibh a hanam uasal. www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2026...
Frank McDonald, former environment editor of The Irish Times, dies
McDonald’s reporting on planning corruption was pioneering in Irish journalism, and he regularly reported from abroad on climate negotiations
irishtimes.com
You can, and if you haven’t already I commend it to you, borrow his books through any library on the destruction, construction and misconstruction of Dublin. librariesireland.spydus.ie/cgi-bin/spyd...
librariesireland.spydus.ie
The Oireachtas has been leaning into Microsoft for its comms, even as other European governments abandon US tech. Switching to the US big tech provider, for phone systems and more, comes at a time of fierce debate about tech sovereignty.
The Oireachtas leans into Microsoft for its comms, even as other European governments abandon US tech
Switching to the US big tech provider, for phone systems and more, comes at a time of fierce debate about tech sovereignty.
dublininquirer.com
Holger Hestermeyer@hhesterm.bsky.social · 2mo agoThis incident needs to be thoroughly investigated. If true, no public office in the EU or any member state can continue to run any microsoft products. nltimes.nl/2026/05/22/m...
"We’re witnessing the biggest #deregulation agenda in the history of the EU – driven by big corporations, who want to make it easier to exploit people and our planet for profit. With so much at stake, Ireland’s EU Presidency is more important than ever" 🚨 @uplift.ie www.uplift.ie/corpwatch-de...
Ireland’s EU Presidency: what do big corporations have to do with it? - Uplift - People Powered Change
Cartoon by Khalil Bendib, via Corporate Europe Observatory Right now, the EU laws that are meant to protect our food, workplaces, and environment are under attack. We’re witnessing the biggest “deregu...
uplift.ie
Coincidentally, €800 billion is what the EU has committed to ReArm Europe. A militarisation agenda that will not only increase the likelihood of catastrophic war but also increase emissions and resource extraction. euobserver.com/228758/extre...
Extreme heat puts €800bn hole in Europe’s economy — as Germany, France and Italy bear the brunt
Europe’s failure to shield workers from extreme heat is becoming an €800bn threat to jobs, wages, and national budgets, as farms and construction sites grind to a halt.
euobserver.com
The Government commissioned a €100k report by KMPG not to inform policy but to 'provide the evidence base that supports the position that we should continue to further develop our data centre landscape post 2030.' That is reckless and negligent. www.thejournal.ie/data-centre-...
Concerns over supporting data centres ahead of transport or housing scrubbed from government report
Several aspects which questioned continued investment in the sector were later cut from the final version released to the public.
thejournal.ie
Powerful words from Senator Alice-Mary Higgins at Government Buildings yesterday. "If Ireland says no and if our Central Bank says no, the bonds will not be sold in Europe." The Central Bank of Ireland must #StopFundingGenocide
When is biometric identification not biometric identification? When the minister says so. A new Garda AI bill would allow gardaí use facial recognition & biometrics like gait to track people in CCTV footage. @tupped.bsky.social @tjmcintyre.com @digitalrightsirl.bsky.social @olgacronin.bsky.social
Environmentalist friends - a lot of interesting roles with UNEP at the moment.
UN Environment Programme@unep.org · 4mo agoInterested in a career with UNEP? We regularly seek qualified individuals from around the world with skills to help safeguard the environment for future generations. See current vacancies here: https://www.unep.org/work-with-us
The authors of the letter are in strong agreement on this point. @colmduff.bsky.social @hannahdaly.ie @swimsure.bsky.social @autofac.bsky.social & David Styles 5/13
The Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy recommended that the minister and government should consider aligning targets using the previous ‘Paris Test’ and not temperature neutrality as proposed by the Climate Change Advisory Council. 4/13
updated to link to all I know of; please sign: openletter.earth/open-letter-... > Colleagues and I have written and published: Open Letter: Stop the Uncritical Adoption of AI Technologies in Academia. Also there are versions in Dutch, French, German, Italian, and Spanish olivia.science/ai/#activism
Open Letter: Stop the Uncritical Adoption of AI Technologies in Academia
openletter.earth
Iris van Rooij 💭@irisvanrooij.bsky.social · 5mo agoThe @olivia.science et al. (2025) open letter has >1800 signatures by now (please all, don't forget to confirm via email! Check your spam box if needed). The letter is already translated into 5 languages: 1. Spanish 2. French 3. Italian 4. German 5. Dutch See also olivia.science/ai/#activism
The voter registration deadline for the Dublin Central and Galway West by-elections is midnight tonight. You can check the register here: www.voter.ie #SpeirGorm
Electoral Portal
voter.ie
The problem with the words unsustainable is it means one thing to the neoliberal political class and something else entirely to the rest of us. When our leaders describe something as unsustainable they mean "economically" and by extension "politically". What the rest of us mean is "existentially".
As the 1st Conference on Transitioning Away From Fossil Fuels is about to start, a major yet little-known blocker needs attention: #ISDS ISDS lets big polluters sue states over climate action, sabotaging the just transition we need. +300 organisations agree: it's a threat to our collective future👇
Investor-State Dispute Settlement is a threat to our collective future
Investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) threatens a just transition from fossil fuels and the urgent need for a social and ecological transformation for people and the planet.
friendsoftheearth.eu
At 2.30 today, I will be bringing our CEG Arms Embargo Bill back to the Seanad for Report & Final stages. Our Bill would end the flow of weapons through our airports & airspace to illegal military action by Israel, move us from zero inspections to mandatory inspections & tackle illegal overflights!
Sad & disappointed that tonight in Dail Government are voting to kill my Quality in Public Procurement Bill which already passed all stages in Seanad with full cross-party support & backing from from unions, construction industry, RIAI & many more. This is a missed chance to #SpendBetter #speirgorm
My Quality in Public Procurement Bill which already passed all stages in Seanad will be debated in the Dail later today. My Bill puts quality at the heart of procurement, making sure the €19billion in annual spending is spent better and avoids the race to the bottom that is the current model.
are you displeased with today’s AI safety evaluation landscape and curious about what greater conceptual clarity, methodological soundness, and rigour in AI evaluation could look like? if so, consider coming to Dublin to pursue a PhD with me apply here: aial.ie/hiring/phd-a... pls repost
