With this government & the minister of state in charge of road safety we have effectively de-regulated the purported #VisionZero effort. Another pedestrian death today. But that was everyone’s responsibility!

Ray Cunningham@ray-cunningham.bsky.social · 16h ago

www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/comm...

The dirty secret is that rich people need to live in politically stable regimes in order to keep their wealth. They will piss and moan about taxes, but they will not flee en masse. They like paved roads and not being kidnapped too much.

Jake Grumbach@jakemgrumbach.bsky.social · 3d ago

New working paper: the Norwegian wealth tax was a huge success. The "exodus" of wealthy people never happened (less than 100 individuals left). Tax revenue increased by 71.5%. No changes in business activity or investment. www.nber.org/papers/w35854

The "Party of Reagan" has the United States siding with Russian aggression against NATO allies and a brutal war on a European democratic US partner. Yes, the whole party. If they didn't, they would impeach and remove the president who is blatantly breaking US law to help fund Russia's war effort.

Thanks Amy Campbell the Echo for reporting my comments on the unpicking of carbon tax in Budget 2027. Relief from price spikes can be done without undoing climate policy (e.g. energy credits). Worse again, blaming climate policy for an energy crises (one caused by a climate denier) is a bad idea.

Mixed welcome across Cork for budget measures

The general feeling was that people were underwhelmed by Budget 2027 and still concerned about the winter months ahead.

echolive.ie

Catherine Martin introduced a guaranteed income scheme for artists. Patrick O'Donovan couldn't get your 16-year-old a cinema ticket.

The Irish Times@irishtimes.com · 5d ago

Most budget skirmishes featured Patrick O’Donovan

Margaret Hamilton — famous for leading the programming team that flew men to the moon, at a time when women were being squeezed out of the historically "women's work" of "coders" (and before then "computers") — sadly passes.

I can't think of a single non-malevolent reason they would do this.

Alt USAID/ USAID Forever@altusaid.altgov.info · 5d ago

www.ms.now/news/trump-m...

Ireland cannot “credibly take leadership on a fossil fuel phase-out while simultaneously pushing new fossil fuel infrastructure and ever-expanding energy demand driven through the proliferation of data centres” …or while cutting carbon taxes! www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-41...

Ireland to miss climate targets with renewable energy being 'cannibalised by data centres'

Ireland could not 'credibly take leadership on a fossil fuel phase-out while simultaneously pushing new fossil fuel infrastructure and ever-expanding energy demand driven through the proliferation of ...

irishexaminer.com

Budget Day in Ireland. Seems like greyhound racing did well: sadly can't say the same for climate action.

Exciting launch of the Dragon of Shandon — celebrating 20 years of the dragon at St Peter's on North Main Street last Saturday night. Thank you to Cork Community Art Link in Blackpool and all the volunteers who make this celebration every year! 📹 in the 🧵

This is DPER. This is literally DPER. Chamber's own department: Public Expenditure and Reform. Unless, it's DOGE. It's a ha'penny DOGE, isn't it? Because whoever is whispering into the minister's ear doesn't know what a DPER is, but is all like, "What Ireland needs is a DOGE, bro."

The Journal@thejournal.ie · 6d ago

Minister announces new public spending efficiency taskforce to "extensively scrutinise day-to-day public spending". It will identify areas across public spending where there is scope for more efficiency, and recommend actions that can deliver better services and greater value for money.

Important international meeting of cities from across Europe at Cork City Hall today — the WHO Summit of Mayors on Climate and Health. Ending in a call to action on nature, food, transport, communities, and future generations. ℹ️ www.who.int/europe/news-...

Don't be confused, this is just a public grant to gambling companies

Cianan Brennan@ciananbrennan.bsky.social · 6d ago

Horse and greyhound fund up €3m in the budget, up to €102m - split €81.6m horseracing, €20.4m greyhound racing. In 2020, the fund stood at €84m, so it's gone up 21% over the past six years...

2015-2025 have all been the hottest years on record, each surpassing the previous. But sure, Jeremy of Clarksons Farm, next year will be "normal" again.

Spelling Mistakes Cost Lives@darrencullen.bsky.social · 6d ago

The moral arc of the universe is long but it bends towards Jeremy Clarkson spending decades denying global warming only to sink his fortune into a farm just as global warming really starts to kick in

Why is the EU refusing to help the International Criminal Court?

Joe Noonan@joenoonan.bsky.social · last wk.

Standing in front of the EU flag asking again for our help cannot have been easy.

In Gaza, Palestine, Israel continues to systematically destroy the conditions people need to survive through violence, the deliberate blockade of essential supplies, and the destruction of healthcare and vital infrastructure.

Three years on: Israel is asphyxiating Gaza and dismantling the means of survival | MSF

In Gaza, Palestine, Israel continues to systematically destroy the conditions people need to survive.

msf.me

"On a per capita basis, Ireland is subsidising fossil fuels at a rate up to 5 times the EU average." "The total fossil fuel subsidy figure for 2026 may well now be more than €6 billion." Compare: the new Children’s Hospital cost €2.24 billion & the total Education Budget for 2026 is €13.5 billion.

An Taisce@antaisce.bsky.social · last wk.

"What is needed now are not alternatives to more fossil fuel subsidies but political leadership to implement transformational change – and protect our shared future" Terri Morrissey, Chair, An Taisce www.antaisce.org/news/yet-mor...

This is amazing. Forget, "Is AI alive?" Deliberately seeing AI through the lens of 'Computational Demonology' is a fantastic idea!

Doll@dollspace.gay · last wk.

"Is the AI concious, is it like a human, is it a machine god to be?" Insane questions from the culturally Christian. LLMs are Sumerian type demons that can be summoned, bound and charged with tasks. They exist in their own cateogory.

Same guy also said the Luas made no economic sense and would fail to attract significant numbers of riders. Today, it's so popular it's free.

Feljin Jose@feljin.ie · 2w ago

Newspapers should be required to fact check their columnists. Anti-train columnist Colm McCarthy claims that the only publicly available cost benefit analysis of MetroLink is from a preliminary assessment in 2022. An updated cost benefit analysis was published last week.

A surprise Sheela-na-Gig on Railway Street in Cork. Happy birthday, Sheela!

Odd This Day@oddthisday.bsky.social · last wk.

It’s 186 years to the day since a man called Thomas O’Conor wrote a report about a stone figure on a church in Kiltinane, County Tipperary. This would be unremarkable were it not for what the statue looked like, because this was the first written use of the term Sheela-na-gig

Imagine taking either of these loons seriously - when geek met geek.

The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · last wk.

Tucker: “I never understood why 🇬🇧 fought World War 2?” 😕 Rees-Mogg: “It was good vs. evil…We did the right thing…” Tucker: “Has 🇬🇧 benefitted?” RM: “We defeated Hitler… We’d all be speaking German…” Tucker: “Who cares?” 🤔

RTÉ here deliberately omitting the worst part of FF's newest neonazi pandering -- people who have become disabled while living in Ireland legally will no longer be eligible for citizenship, EVER.

Language test, longer residency in new citizenship rules

The Taoiseach has said new rules for people seeking Irish citizenship, including a language test, will help bring Ireland in line with other European countries.

rte.ie

Thanks Peter McCarthy and the Irish Independent for reporting efforts by Cork City Council to save the Old Cork Prison from central government. The buildings were listed by the Department of Heritage for protection in 2011. Just 15 years later and the Department of Justice wants to raze them.

Move in Cork to list historic prison before State can demolish it to make way for a new one

Cork city councillors voted unanimously to support a motion calling to add the former city prison to the register of protected structures in an effort to prevent Department of Justice plans to demolis...

independent.ie

My comments during the debate last Tuesday on protecting the Old Cork Prison from demolition. The Taoiseach says it's "late in the day" for Cork City Council. In truth, we wrote to the government in January — as soon as we got wind of their plans to drop the site from housing. They just ignored us.

Protecting the Old Cork Prison

YouTube video by Oliver Moran

youtu.be

Thanks Donal O’Keeffe and the Echo for reporting the fire that broke out at Spring Lane — and how close we came to another Carrickmines. Fire started in an empty bay and spread to the bay next door, making a family homeless. Firefighters and gardaí are investigating, but no foul play is suspected.

'You could have had another Carrickmines': Blaze raises safety concerns at Cork city halting site

The blaze, which has left a family homeless, began in an unoccupied caravan at the overcrowded Spring Lane site in Ballyvolane in the early hours of ...

echolive.ie

Thanks Amy Campbell and the Irish Examiner for reporting efforts by Cork City Council to stop the government razing the Old Cork Prison. Until 12 months ago, the site was being handed over to the Land Development Agency for housing. Without consulting anyone, the government switched plans entirely.

Cork councillors vote to protect old prison despite plans for new jail on site

The historic building will now undergo a six-month protection process as the State considers demolition for a replacement facility

irishexaminer.com

Thanks Steven Fox and the Cork Independent for reporting the debate — and my comments — on the government's plan to raze the Old Cork Prison. Among its history, this is where Terence MacSwiney refused to relinquish the Lord Mayor's chain and began his 74-day hunger strike while still wearing it.

Council votes to save historic city prison | Cork Independent

Cork City Council has voted to start the process to add Cork’s Detention Barracks on Rathmore Road to the Register of Protected Structures.

corkindependent.com

Out with my party colleague, Honoré Kamegni, and members of the Cork Commuter Coalition at Kent Station this morning — handing out leaflets to rally people to contact TDs to stop the fare hike. Commuters across Ireland have joined forces. Use this form to write to your TD: galwaycommuters.ie/fares/

Legislations & restrictions exist, but we need the AI companies to actually follow them. AI needs to stay in the hands of humans and not be allowed to develop unguarded, that would put at risk human rights and the future of our planet.