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Simon Harris and Micheál Martin RollingNews.ie

Programme for Govt: Transport security, cheaper childcare and 'open the Children’s Hospital’

The programme for government sets out the roadmap for Irish political decisions over the next five years.

FIANNA FÁIL, FINE Gael and the Regional Independents Group have agreed a draft programme for Government after five weeks of negotiations.

The programme will be ratified by members of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael over the coming days. 

The document is essentially a to do list for the government, setting out its policy commitments for the next five years. It will guide all of the government’s priorities over the coming years.

It is made up of a mix of policy proposals set out in the election manifestos of the contributing parties. A lot of these pledges did not make the cut.

Here are the main points from it broken down by area.

The document sets out how the rotating Taoiseach arrangement will work, with Micheál Martin holding the office until 16 November 2027. 

It also commits the government to delivering five Budgets with a general election called no sooner than after the enactment of the principal measures to be announced in the Budget in late 2029.

Housing

  • Launch a ‘starter home’ programme – there are few details on what this would entail 
  • Retain and revise the Help to Buy scheme, but no commitment to increase it to €40,000 as pledged by Fine Gael
  • Work with the banks to expand the First Home scheme to first time buyers of second-hand homes.
  • Extend the vacancy and dereliction refurbishment grants to 2030
  • Enhance the enforcement powers of the RTB
  • Establish a Rent Price Register
  • Build over 300,000 new homes by the end of 2030
  • Create a land price register
  • Set binding targets for the use of modern methods of construction in at least 25% of all State-backed housing
  • Promote the use of timber in new buildings
  • Expand the role of Credit Unions in the housing market
  • Strengthen the Land Development Agency’s compulsory purchase powers
  • Actively recruit construction sector workers abroad through state agencies and embassies.

Childcare and parents

  • Progressively reduce the cost of childcare to €200 per month per child
  • Explore the establishment of a managed savings account for newborns with an initial once-off contribution by the State, ensuring lower income families benefit most from the scheme
  • Explore options to cap costs for larger families
  • Reduce the administrative burden on providers
  • Provide capital investment to build or purchase state-owned childcare facilities
  • Reduce the administrative burden on providers
  • Provide capital investment to build or purchase state-owned childcare facilities.
  • Plan the development of State-led facilities in tandem with the school building programme.
  • Explore making available an extra hour of ECCE each day in the second year of preschool.
  • Evaluate options to amend the ECCE eligibility criteria.
  • Extend the National Childcare Scheme to childminders working in the family home.

Disability

  • Continue to significantly increase the income disregards for Carer’s Allowance in each Budget with a view to phasing out the means test during the lifetime of the Government.
  • Consider the development of a multi-annual approach to for disability service funding, staffing and operations.
  • Reform the Disability Act 2005.
  • Create a dedicated National Therapy Service in education, beginning in special schools.
  • Establish an annual Children’s Therapies Grant Fund.
  • Double the number of college places for speech and language therapists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, dieticians, psychologists and social workers.
  • Expand programmes like WorkAbility, Employability, and the new Work and Access Programme.
  • Increase personal assistance hours.
  • Increase Disability Home Support hours and work towards aligning Disability Home Support pay with rates for Older Person Services.
  • Work to end the practice of placing young people with disabilities in nursing homes
  • Dedicated funding stream for assistive technology.
  • Expand the Travel Assistance Scheme nationally.
  • Extend the Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle Grant Scheme.
  • Work to reduce the 24-hour notice requirement for disabled users of rail services.
  • Increase number of neurology nurse specialists and neurology consultants.

Tax

  • Maintain a broad tax base to guard against the event of a downturn
  • Implement progressive changes in taxation if the economy remains strong, including indexing credits and bands
  • Managing the public finances in the event of a downturn is a subhead in the Pfg. The government promises to: Maintain capital spending to support growth in the economy; postpone changes to income tax credits or bands; work to protect the funding of existing level of public service delivery.

Social Protection

  • Maintain the State Pension Age at 66 and progressively increase weekly pension payments
  • Examine improvements to Fuel Allowance, Household Benefits Package and Living Alone Allowance to support vulnerable groups such as those in receipt of the Working Family Payment
  • Examine what modifications or changes may be made to support women who currently fall outside the existing schemes to qualify for a State Pension
  • Increase core welfare payments, ensuring that resources are also targeted at people who are unable to work
  • Progressively increase the Child Support Payment.
  • Explore a targeted Child Benefit Payment and examine how it might work alongside other supports to reduce child poverty

Energy Costs

  • Acknowledging the increased energy cost pressures on households and businesses, the Government pledges to bring forward taxation measures to help contain energy costs, including with regard to VAT.
  • Commission an independent review into the speed and level of passthrough from wholesale prices to retail prices.

Education

  • Aim to reduce the general Pupil Teacher Ratio at primary level to 19:1 over the term of government
  • Expand the School Transport Service to include 100,000 additional students by 2030
  • Create a dedicated National Therapy Service in Education, beginning with special schools
  • Reform the Drumcondra Tests which are used to gauge student learning to include assessments for dyslexia.
  • Increase the take-up of foreign languages in our schools and expand the teaching of modern foreign languages in primary schools.
  • Invest in ICT (Information and communication technology) and the development of appropriate digital skills in our schools, and embed ICT and coding in the curriculum
  • Develop a new curriculum for Irish Sign Language for primary and post-primary students up to Leaving Certificate level.
  • Continue to expand and improve the Free Hot School Meals programme
  • Provide free schoolbooks to all children in the free education system and introduce changes as needed to the operation of this scheme

Health 

  • Expand free GP services to children up to at least 12 years, and keep its further extension under review
  • Possible ban on energy drinks for kids
  • Consider further reductions in the Drugs Payment Scheme
  • Explore further ways to reduce hospital car parking charges
  • Continue to extend access to free contraception
  • Seek to further increase medical card income limits
  • Ensure that the planned rollout of free HRT medicines is available at no cost for the drug/product.
  • Increase the number of healthcare college places in nursing, medicine and other healthcare professions
  • Increase the number of public-only consultants
  • Increase capacity by between 4,000 and 4,500 new and refurbished inpatient hospital beds across the country
  • Increase ICU bed capacity by at least a further 100 beds.
  • Provide more community beds
  • Build four new elective hospitals (Cork, Dublin (2 sites) and Galway).
  • Establish six surgical hubs in Cork, Dublin (2 sites), Galway, Limerick and Waterford, and explore the provision of an additional surgical hub for the NorthWest in a timely manner
  • Open the Children’s Hospital
  • Increase staffing and resources for children’s spinal surgery, as well as coordinating spinal services across hospitals
  • Increase the number of consultants in emergency medicine by a further 50%
  • Hire more public dentists
  • Agree a new Dental Treatment Service Scheme for medical card holders.Dental Treatment Service Scheme for medical card holders
  • Expand access to the orthodontic scheme for children and strengthen the School Dental Programme

Justice

  • A new Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration is to be set up
  • Introduce Garda Hubs at major bus and train stations to respond to incidents on public transport
  • Ban the wearing of face coverings at protests and potentially ban protests outside private homes
  • Construct a new prison at Thornton Hall in North County Dublin
  • Bring in electronic tagging for some prisoners
  • Increase the use of ASBOs to tackle anti-social behaviour
  • Bring in live facial recognition technology for cases of missing people, terrorism and national security, and allow gardaí to use AI in criminal investigations
  • Expand the powers of the Criminal Assets Bureau and give it the power to publish a list of tax defaulters
  • Provide funding for recruiting at least 5,000 new garda recruits over the next five years
  • Roll out a ‘see something, say something’ messaging system across the country to help address crime

Climate Change

  • Set ambitious targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2040.
  • Publish an annual Climate Action Plan, placing a focus on a smaller number of strategic actions across all sectors, and publish a quarterly progress report.
  • Recognise the distinct characteristics of biogenic methane, as described by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and advocate for the accounting of this Greenhouse gas to be re-classified at EU and international level.
  • Complete a review of greenhouse gas emissions on a consumption basis, with a goal of ensuring that Irish and EU actions support the reduction of global emissions, as well as on our own territories.
  • Implement a Whole-of-Government Strategy to fully integrate the Sustainable Development Goals into national policies and initiatives, ensuring that each goal is actively pursued across all levels of government.
  • Ramp up targets to deliver more B2- equivalent home retrofits each year from 2026 to 2030, with a focus on lower income households.
  • Revise and improve the provision of grants and financing models for homeowners who wish to retrofit, enhancing energy efficiency and reducing costs.
  • Deliver 9GW of onshore wind, 8GW solar and at least 5GW of offshore wind by 2030.
  • Move to holding at least one Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS) auction per year to ensure that Ireland continues to bring renewable energy projects onstream at a fast pace.
  • Allow data centres that contribute to economic growth and efficient grid usage, such as prioritising waste heat capture for district heating systems and other local uses.
  • Enhance data centres’ use of renewable energy sources, energy efficient technology and effective solutions, such as waste heat capture to reduce their carbon footprint.

Transport

  • Create a Transport Security Force under the National Transport Authority, which would operate and have similar powers to the Airport Police and Customs officers.
  • Roll out contactless fare payments on all public transport and keep fares low and affordable.
  • Commission an independent feasibility study into continuing MetroLink from the city to South West Dublin.
  • Examine the further expansion of free public transport for children.
  • Ensure each metropolitan area has a tailored transport strategy including frequent bus services and light rail where appropriate
  • Mandate the NTA to run a number of pilots enabling ride-sharing platforms to operate to improve rural connectivity
  • Develop sustainable transport options in the commuter belt, including provision of shuttle buses to train stations from surrounding towns and villages
  • Offer a bike scheme specifically for third-level students, mirroring the bike-to-work scheme, and coordinate bike and e-bike rental programmes across further and higher education campuses
  • Increase funding for new roads as part of the NDP review and the maintenance of existing roads
  • Introduce new road safety cameras to automatically detect mobile phone use and non-wearing of seat belts.
  • Review a graduated penalty points system

Enterprise

  • On VAT for businesses, the document says the government will acknowledge the “increased energy cost pressures” on home and firms and bring forward taxation measures to “help contain energy costs, including with regard to VAT”. It has been widely reported that the rate of VAT on energy will remain at 9%.
  • Create 300,000 new jobs by 2030 and a develop a 10-year plan to support the growth of and job creation in the SME sector
  • Publish an action plan to boost competitiveness and productivity in Ireland – in line with similar schemes in the EU – within the first 12 months of the government’s term
  • Scale and grow Irish firms to attract foreign direct investment by scaling back and reducing costs of doing business in Ireland.
  • Make Ireland the most-secure country in Europe for data protection
  • Boost Ireland’s participation in common infrastructure projects in the EU and ratify the EU-Canada free trade agreement for Irish businesses
  • “Rigorously implement” the SME test on every new piece of legislation and regulation impacting small businesses
  • Provide on-the-job training and apprenticeship schemes and published a new national strategy for local business within the first year of the government’s term

Higher Education

  • Continue to reduce the Student Contribution Fee over the lifetime of the Government
  • Increase maintenance grants and reform SUSI
  • Develop a multi-annual plan to urgently deliver new student accommodation, including through state financed purpose-built student accommodation on public or private lands.
  • Enable Technological Universities to borrow funds to provide for on-campus student accommodation.
  • Introduce a ‘Second Chance’ to ensure students going through a ’repeat year’ or changing courses on one occasion can access the Free Fees Initiative to avoid them being penalised and having to pay higher rates of fees.

Agriculture

  • Increase scheme supports for suckler farmers over a five-year term in office and ensure straightforward measures to encourage uptake.
  • Increase scheme supports for sheep farmers over a five-year term in office and ensure straightforward measures to encourage uptake.
  • Increase scheme support to the Dairy Beef scheme over a five-year term in office and ensure straightforward measures to encourage uptake.
  • Fight at EU level for a fully supported CAP with an increased budget.
  • Reward farmers for producing energy for their private use or by selling excess energy to the electricity grid to diversify their income.
  • Examine community-led ownership models for renewable energy production as an additional income stream for farmers.
  • Assign funds from the Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund to the agricultural sector.
  • Establish a Cabinet Committee on Water Quality chaired by the Taoiseach to coordinate water quality improvements across all sectors.
  • Work with farmers and industry to secure Ireland’s nitrates derogation at EU level, by implementing the Nitrates Derogation Renewal Plan in support of retention.
  • Examine potential barriers for women farmers within the taxation system to ensure greater inclusivity and fairness.
  • Ensure the continued support to the Horse and Greyhound Fund, considering the vital economic and social contribution generated by these sectors in rural areas.

Arts and Culture 

  • Assess the Basic Income for Artists pilot to “maximise its impact”.
  • Enact legislation to update licensing laws to allow for later opening hours, but it adds that this should be “reflective of local needs”.
  • Commits to the 481 film tax credit and says it will examine the feasibility of a minor capital works grant scheme to support arts and cultural facilities that are not funding through the Arts Council.
  • Introduce a Culture Card for 16- and 17-year-olds is also to be looked at to give them access to theatre, music and art events.
  • The government says it will “redevelop the GPO as a historic landmark” and “enhance its role as a key cultural landmark”.
  • Establishing and funding an Irish Town of Culture programme to “support local creative projects”.
  • Continue the Night-Time Economy Support Scheme.
  • During the lifetime of the government, commemorations will be held to mark the 250th anniversaries of the birth of Daniel O’Connell (2025) and the US Declaration of Independence (2026).
  • Other commemorations of note will be the birth of Hanna Sheehy-Skeffington and the death of Constance Markievicz (2027).
  • The birth of the Irish pound in 1928 will be marked, as well as the 150th anniversary of the Land League in 2029. 

National Security and Defence

  • The Government will preserve and protect Ireland’s policy of active military neutrality but said it will not be politically neutral
  • Reform of Triple Lock mechanism which is directly related to how Ireland deploys troops abroad. Currently the system requires a UN mandate, Cabinet approval and a vote in the Dáil – the Government plan is to remove the need of a UN mandate.
  • In regard to the capability planning which arose out of an Action Plan following the Commission on the Defence Forces the incoming parties state that they will move from the Level of Ambition Two to highest rating of Level of Ambition Three. This level will involve the purchase of fighter jets for instance and a greater, more modern Defence Forces.
  • Retain the Special Criminal Court
  • Consider the report on the Offences Against the State Act
  • Enact new Data Retention and Interception laws

Occupied Territories Bill 

  • On the Occupied Territories Bill, this is the only mention: “Progress legislation prohibiting goods from Occupied Palestinian Territories.”

Drugs

  • Commit to a health-led approach to drug addiction and divert those found in possession of drugs for personal use to health services.
  • Re-establish the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Drugs Use and ensure that the Department of Health and the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration work collaboratively on any recommendations issued by the Committee.

Rejuvenating Dublin City

  • Implement the Dublin City Centre Taskforce; apply this taskforce model to other regions, starting with a taskforce for Cork City which will launch shortly.
  • Significantly boost Garda numbers in Dublin.
  • Introduce improved security measures in the city centre with increased CCTV coverage and a targeted response to reduce open drug use.
  • Support the designation of O’Connell Street as a Urban Development Zone to fast track planning and mixed use development.
  • Honour the historic significance of the GPO with a redevelopment plan; provide funding and resources to the National Concert Hall
  • Collaborate with cultural institutions to offer more late-night events and extended opening hours throughout the year by enacting the Night-time Economy Bill
  • Launch an Urban Communities Initiative to revitalise disadvantaged city areas with focused community development and youth programmes delivered by all State agencies

The Gaeltacht

  • Introduce special development plans for Gaeltacht areas and specific housing targets
  • Resource Údarás na Gaeltachta to offer Gaeltacht businesses effective levels of financial support and advice
  • Increase the dedicated Irish-medium teacher training programmes
  • Restore direct elections to Údarás na Gaeltachta
  • Resource the provision of services that support families and provide family supports through Irish
  • Support expansion of broadcasting licences for mainstream Irish language radio stations which focus on young listeners
  • Continue to support the growth of TG4 and Raidió na Gaeltachta 

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126 Comments
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    Mute John Fahy
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    Jan 7th 2025, 4:33 PM

    Harris’ open disdain for Trump and support of Biden/Kamala may cost this country dear.

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    Mute Ciaran
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    Jan 7th 2025, 4:40 PM

    @John Fahy: No it won’t.

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    Mute Paul Fahey
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    Jan 7th 2025, 4:56 PM

    @Ciaran: why not?

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    Mute Dr Albert S Meinheimer
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    Jan 7th 2025, 4:57 PM

    @Ciaran: Yes it will. As with his Doonbeg golf course which couldn’t be given away – he bought it and brought employment to the area yet council refused to have erosion barriers placed on the beach like Ballybunion golf course
    Helping Irish long term illegals in America will be way down his to do list

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    Mute Marvin Dollery
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    Jan 7th 2025, 5:09 PM

    @Paul Fahey: Because “Ciaran” says so. End of story. Don’t question it, just move along and pretend you didn’t see it.

    34
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    Mute SerotoninWars
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    Jan 7th 2025, 5:38 PM

    @John Fahy: Oh grow a pair. We do not need to run scared of the toddler. Remove the makeup and this is an old and ill man. I doubt he’ll make the full term. You think Trump holds more power than he does. He talks a big game, makes threats and achieves nothing. You assume that the corporations will all play ball and jump when he says how high. Just like his wall, it’s mostly bluster and as members of the EU we are not fighting alone. If anything Trump might end up creating more solidarity.

    I’d worry far more about the climate he is creating. Dumbing down the discourse to an unprecedentedly stupid level, making attacks and threats against decent journalists seem acceptable. Add in his racism, misogyny, climate denial and the symbolism of having a convicted predator in the top job, and yeah, he can do massive damage there. It’s still quite amazing than an actual sex pred has managed to garner this level of support. Unthinkable not that long ago.

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    Mute Kieran Conroy
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    Jan 7th 2025, 5:38 PM

    @Dr Albert S Meinheimer: Why should Irish illegals in the U.S. get any help? There’s a clue in the word ‘illegal’. Maybe look it up?

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    Mute Dermot Blaine
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    Jan 7th 2025, 5:52 PM

    @Dr Albert S Meinheimer: he wants to deport all illegals, helping them is nowhere even near his to do list

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    Mute Dr Albert S Meinheimer
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    Jan 7th 2025, 5:58 PM

    @Kieran Conroy: illegal as in undocumented and this topic has been an agenda since Reagan. From Kennedy to Ryan there has been a push to naturalise illegal/undocumented Irish individuals

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    Mute Mary.E.
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    Jan 7th 2025, 6:19 PM

    @SerotoninWars:
    Exactly.
    No other country would allow someone who pardon’s criminals and expects to be exempt from all his own.
    The worst Person(I can’t use the word President ) to ever wrangle his way into the W.H.
    He,along with his troop of clowns will have the country up in arms in 6 mths.
    Popcorn ready.

    41
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    Mute Father Ted
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    Jan 7th 2025, 6:39 PM

    @Mary.E.: Dont speak about Biden like that.

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    Mute SerotoninWars
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    Jan 7th 2025, 6:42 PM

    @Mary.E.: Agreed. The glaring problem with Trump and Musk and all their sycophants, is how allergic they are to basic facts. Like the multi-account frustrated men around here, they believe that something popping into their head makes it true. As fearful as I am about the far right and the creep of fascism, we have some hope. Trump’s ideas rarely ever survive contact with reality. The wall is the most obvious example. Nothing happened. They repaired a small stretch of tall railings and added a bit of fence! There is no wall. There will be no wall. Equally all of his tariffs and threats are likely to either dissipate or create untold pain in the US.

    Interesting that the bully and pervert is now threatening to kill more innocent Muslim children today. It’s almost like he knows there’s a wad of promises he won’t be able to keep and is lining up a distraction already.

    You are of course right. He’s not just the worst President in waiting, he’s one of the worst humans occupying the planet right now. A dangerous elite rich kid riling up the gullible. It’s truly amazing they think the most transparently selfish man on the planet cares a jot for people he views as ‘losers’. Oh well, they’ll just have to learn a painful lesson. Although it’s highly debatable whether they’ll have the wit or savvy to understand the lesson on offer.

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    Mute John Fahy
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    Jan 7th 2025, 7:13 PM

    @Chutes Idiot: interference in a foreign election even!!

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    Mute Thomas Sheridan
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    Jan 7th 2025, 7:17 PM

    @John Fahy: Simon would be the Fr Dougal of the Fr Ted & Fr Dougal leadership duo.
    Mrs Doyle is also due back on stage with her “go on, go on, you’ll have another hate speech bill won’t you. Go on, go on, sure what harm can it do”

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    Mute smatrix mantra
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    Jan 7th 2025, 8:11 PM

    @John Fahy: Still better than licking a.. if that was your strategy

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    Mute hans vos
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    Jan 8th 2025, 12:49 AM

    @John Fahy: He is right though.

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    Mute Billy Joe
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    Jan 8th 2025, 6:19 AM

    @SerotoninWars: one of the great, if not greatest, USA Presidents.
    MAGA- then we have non entities, Harris, Martin, McEntee, O’Gorman etc.
    living off the backs of taxes paid by USA companies.

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    Mute Billy Joe
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    Jan 8th 2025, 6:20 AM

    @Dermot Blaine: Pity our bunch don’t do the same with illegals.

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    Mute SerotoninWars
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    Jan 8th 2025, 9:16 AM

    @Billy Joe: Oh behave yourself. It’s a cynical land grab of the imagination and comprehension skills of the masses. They bandy noble sounding terms like free speech about. As if they want some pure factual conversation happening. It’s about destroying any sense of reality where we have certain facts as a baseline. Verifiable, researched, evidence based stuff. It’s about destroying this idea and flooding the space with bad actors and propaganda to manipulate people into supporting the worst people imaginable, acting against the best interests of humanity as a whole.

    Trumpism wouldn’t have worked even 25 years ago. The a la carte world of believing any old nonsense because it feels good is manna from heaven for these guys. You are being played by highly organised groups and manipulators who don’t care a jot about the noble aspect of free speech. They just want a completely deregulated media and social media space where they can spread lies and propaganda to their hearts content. Divide and conquer.

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    Mute garrettmckeon@hotmail.com
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    Jan 8th 2025, 9:52 AM

    @SerotoninWars: couldn’t have said it better, spot on

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    Mute SerotoninWars
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    Jan 8th 2025, 10:37 AM

    @garrettmckeon@hotmail.com: Thanks Garrett :)

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    Mute Fidgenti
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    Jan 9th 2025, 8:15 AM

    @SerotoninWars: The current administration failed to provide a better alternative to what you have just ( pretty accurately) described. And that is why Trump is getting another term of office.
    Clearly, the democrats’ agenda does not jive well with the American electorate, so much so that they would rather see a scoundrel like Trump in the Oval Office, and have his cronies dominate the house and senate.
    The solution is simple; provide the electorate with a better alternative.

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    Mute Gerard Kennelly
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    Jan 16th 2025, 6:32 AM

    @John Fahy: simon harris is like Robert Shaw character in ‘The Sting’ . He bet on the wrong horse

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    Mute FlipBip
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    Jan 7th 2025, 4:40 PM

    Harris, like Musk, is interfering in the democratic process of another country. This should be widely condemned. Shocking behaviour.

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    Mute brian mc cabe
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    Jan 7th 2025, 5:25 PM

    @FlipBip: he’s already elected ya Gowl

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    Mute FlipBip
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    Jan 7th 2025, 5:34 PM

    @brian mc cabe: Yeah but he wasn’t at the time, you thicko.

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    Mute Kevin Kerr
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    Jan 7th 2025, 5:38 PM

    @FlipBip: i thought you were being facetious with your first comment, but after your second, probably not……So, I don’t think making such a remark on the 2FM breakfast show constitutes US election interference

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    Mute SerotoninWars
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    Jan 7th 2025, 6:52 PM

    @Kevin Kerr: The hypocrisy is comical! If one insult from a country thousands of miles away = election interference, is there even a word for what Trump does?! He spends half his day insulting, belittling and firing insults out at anyone who doesn’t bend the knee. All in an effort to distract from his lack of intellect, and of course, to grab another chance to wave his orange makeup caked mickey around for a bit again!

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    Mute Noel Doherty
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    Jan 7th 2025, 8:20 PM

    @SerotoninWars: that’s not all he grabs

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    Mute FlipBip
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    Jan 7th 2025, 8:22 PM

    @Kevin Kerr: You should have went with your first instinct. I don’t give a damn what Harris says and neither does anyone else. He’s a clown.

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    Mute SerotoninWars
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    Jan 7th 2025, 10:20 PM

    @Noel Doherty: Very true!

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    Mute Billy Joe
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    Jan 8th 2025, 6:21 AM

    @FlipBip: Agreed. If he was of any use, he’d do something good for Ireland but then we all know he is of no use.

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    Mute jaune hendy
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    Jan 9th 2025, 9:01 AM

    @FlipBip: he was. It was 4 years ago and there’s way better words to describe him such as felon or sex offender

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    Mute Carl Valderrama
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    Jan 7th 2025, 4:38 PM

    An 80 year old man who stormed to victory not once but twice. Harris is a dweeb who isnt fit to even shine trump’s shoes

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    Mute P. V. Aglue
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    Jan 7th 2025, 4:47 PM

    @Carl Valderrama: elons’s aiming to be the first world president,onnce he gets all the main leaders in his pocket

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    Mute Carl Valderrama
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    Jan 7th 2025, 4:53 PM

    @P. V. Aglue: I doubt trump needs the money in fairness

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    Mute K O
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    Jan 7th 2025, 5:27 PM

    @Carl Valderrama: Simon Harris should resign he lost the election.

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    Mute Argus Romsworth
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    Jan 7th 2025, 5:27 PM

    @P. V. Aglue: FYI. Elon Musk is controlled by Peter Thiel

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    Mute Patricia Mc namara
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    Jan 7th 2025, 5:28 PM

    @Carl Valderrama: Harris is right. Trump is a growl and worse.

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    Mute Meatball Martin
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    Jan 7th 2025, 5:33 PM

    @K O: a party got an overall majority?

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    Mute Mary.E.
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    Jan 7th 2025, 6:42 PM

    @Carl Valderrama:
    A margin of 1.5%.
    Not exactly storming .,but plenty of underhand tactics.

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    Mute Billy Joe
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    Jan 8th 2025, 6:24 AM

    @Patricia Mc namara: Ah come on now. Your talking about the best USA
    President ever. As for simple Simon….

    .

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    Mute Billy Joe
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    Jan 8th 2025, 6:25 AM

    @Patricia Mc namara: What’s a Growl?

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    Mute N D K
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    Jan 7th 2025, 5:23 PM

    Harris rodric and Helen are ministers for the whole world except Ireland.

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    Mute William O leary
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    Jan 7th 2025, 4:51 PM

    a prime example of the wisdom and political savvy of our elected politicians…nil

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    Mute SV3tN8M4
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    Jan 8th 2025, 12:39 AM

    @William O leary: Harris is a very average politician with zero credibility. He has surrounded himself with people from Irish MSM & he comes out with gaffes like this or his Kanturk moment. Arrogant & can’t control his mouth or his impulses, Trump will make him pay for that comment.

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    Mute James T.Kirk
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    Jan 8th 2025, 2:57 AM

    @SV3tN8M4: lol, Trump hasn’t a clue. A proven pathological liar.

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    Mute Billy Joe
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    Jan 8th 2025, 6:01 AM

    @James T.Kirk: But he is President elect of the most powerful country in the world. As for Harris….. he’s a nobody from Wickla.

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    Mute Gwanddon
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    Jan 8th 2025, 11:32 AM

    @James T.Kirk: you have proof of this ? Care to share some of the proven lies .

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    Mute Frank O'Hara
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    Jan 7th 2025, 5:50 PM

    The main problem that I have with Harris saying that is if Trump said a similar thing, everyone knows right well that the media over here would throw a hissy fit at how Trump is “denigrating Irish politics” and how he’s “behaving in a manner unbecoming of a President.” I’d bet my bottom dollar that Trump wouldn’t be allowed to simply walk it off and say he was “just joking around” when speaking about Harris if he threw a verbal jab back. In any case, the reason that this still hangs over Harris is because it was extremely unprofessional to begin with to go onto a major radio station and start insulting the incumbent leader of one of our main trading and business partners.

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    Mute Mary.E.
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    Jan 7th 2025, 6:28 PM

    @Frank O’Hara:
    Trump,And leader should never be used in the same sentence.

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    Mute Setanta O'Toole
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    Jan 7th 2025, 6:57 PM

    @Frank O’Hara: because he has faced so much censure for the literally hundreds of people he has called names in the past. Oh wait, literally nothing has happened to him as a result.

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    Jan 7th 2025, 10:30 PM

    @Mary.E.: Well it is because he’s just been elected to a second term by the voters in November so suck it up.

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    Mute Frank O'Hara
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    Jan 7th 2025, 10:35 PM

    @Setanta O’Toole: You must be living in an alternate reality buddy. It’s clear to anyone who follows the news even slightly that members of various cable television networks enjoy picking out and giving out about even the slightest thing that Trump says online. Every single insult or joke that he’s pulled out has been scrutinised by a wide variety of different channels. By the way, if you had even basic understanding of the US Constitution, you would know that Trump can’t be censured by Congress for throwing insults because they are protected under the First Amendment.

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    Mute Setanta O'Toole
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    Jan 7th 2025, 10:46 PM

    @Frank O’Hara: oh wow, he gets a dig out off a few news channels. What politician doesn’t? Now do the right leaning media’s treatment of Biden for the last 4 years. you carry on like a juvenile idiot don’t expect it to be ignored in the press. You saying he ‘wouldn’t be allowed’ to get away with something like this is laughable. By who? Thanks for informing me about the first amendment, might go for my citizenship and run for congress so I can call you a bollocks with impunity.

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    Mute Frank O'Hara
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    Jan 8th 2025, 12:25 AM

    @Setanta O’Toole: Boo-hoo buddy, do you want me take out my tiny violin for you? There are 8 major news channels that are Democrat-leaning and there are only 2 major news channels that are Republican-leaning. 88% of journalists donate to Democrat politicians. All you are doing is engaging in pure whataboutism and you know it. I didn’t ask you about what Biden’s relationship with the media was (very cosy as you know), I asked how you can seriously believe that Donald Trump gets a fair shake when it comes to the news coverage that he receives. I don’t know whether you know basic maths, but 88% is a bigger number than 12% and 8 is a bigger number than 2. It’s pretty clear though that you’re quite the clown considering you think that Congress could have censored Trump!

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    Mute Billy Joe
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    Jan 8th 2025, 6:03 AM

    @Mary.E.: Why not? He is, very soon to be, the leader of the biggest and richest country in the World. As for Harris…. Nobody outside of the 26 has heard of him.
    .

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    Mute SerotoninWars
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    Jan 8th 2025, 9:21 AM

    @Billy Joe: More lies. The Irish stance on the Palestinian situation, on its own, has been covered globally. Harris quoted, interview extracts etc. He’s even been on your beloved looney right misinformation channels around the globe.

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    Mute Setanta O'Toole
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    Jan 8th 2025, 10:16 AM

    @Frank O’Hara: Trump says and does stupid things unbecoming of a president constantly Frank, you and I both know this even though you won’t admit to it. Even if a news channel reports on it factually with no bias it looks negative. News channels don’t need to spin stories on him negatively to make him look bad, he does it himself through his words and actions. Also, if you don’t think he plays up to the perceived bias against him in the media, you are very naive. Fostering a siege mentality against the media and the democrats is how he has gained a lot of his support.

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    Mute terriogorman
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    Jan 8th 2025, 3:15 PM

    @Mary.E.: And he is a gowl!

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    Mute Ned
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    Jan 7th 2025, 5:08 PM

    He ment all of of it and now he’s backtracking out of fear and embarrassment, trump doesn’t forget.

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    Mute Mary.E.
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    Jan 7th 2025, 6:32 PM

    @Ned:
    I doubt Simon gives a toss.
    Trump can’t remember what he had for breakfast.

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    Mute Ned
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    Jan 7th 2025, 8:39 PM

    @Mary.E.: you are out of touch if you think that dude has short memory and now you will see that Harris lad hoping trump doesn’t throw a hape tariffs at Ireland because of his short sighted comments.

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    Mute Billy Joe
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    Jan 8th 2025, 6:05 AM

    @Mary.E.: That’s a slip on your part. You mean Biden.

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    Mute honey badger
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    Jan 7th 2025, 4:39 PM

    Between this and the occupied territories bill ( which will do SFA for Palestinians or peace) they’ve really backed us into a corner. I was less than enthused by the announcement from various politicians over the weekend that Ireland can expect there to be a fair bit of economic turbulence ahead. Trump is brittle and doesn’t forget a slight. His team are looking for ways to take our FDI billions back to the US. Let’s not make it easy for them.

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    Mute Brendan O'Brien
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    Jan 7th 2025, 4:43 PM

    @honey badger: You’re suggesting that Harris should time-travel back to 2020 and behave differently?

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    Mute honey badger
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    Jan 7th 2025, 4:44 PM

    @Brendan O’Brien: Don’t be silly, Brendan.

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    Jan 7th 2025, 4:47 PM

    @honey badger: I’m not ‘silly’ enough to condone genocide, as you do every day.

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    Mute Brendan O'Brien
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    Jan 7th 2025, 4:53 PM

    @honey badger: “Irish people want to know our hands are clean in this conflict. We don’t want to be complicit in any way with illegal Israeli occupation. We stand beside the Palestinian people who have suffered long enough.”— Bríd McGrath, head of Public Affairs at Oxfam Ireland.

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    Mute honey badger
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    Jan 7th 2025, 4:55 PM

    @Brendan O’Brien: Good for you, Brendan.
    In the meantime, I’d rather not see us commit the largest act of national self harm in our history for zero gain anywhere.

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    Mute Brendan O'Brien
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    Jan 7th 2025, 5:05 PM

    @honey badger: Solidarity with victims of oppression is not ‘self-harm’: it’s our basic duty as human beings.

    You may wish to see Ireland bow and scrape before an erratic narcissist, but I don’t.

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    Mute honey badger
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    Jan 7th 2025, 5:12 PM

    @Brendan O’Brien: We have given millions to Palestinians over the years, in humanitarian funding, aid, built water treatment plants, etc. There are ways to show solidarity that doesn’t put an even bigger target on our backs with a Trump team that already has us in its sights. Costing ourselves billions for zero gain is definitionally self-harm. Solidarity isn’t going to fund our health services etc.

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    Mute Ger Whelan
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    Jan 7th 2025, 5:13 PM

    @honey badger: well since you don’t give a dam about our national interest you’ll be alright. Just remember when you took Israel side against your own president who spoke the truth and our own armed forces when Israel threatened them and accused them of harbouring terrorists. All you are is a hy po crite trai tor.

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    Mute honey badger
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    Jan 7th 2025, 5:20 PM

    @Ger Whelan: I’ve run out of road with your constant lies, terrible comprehension, and room temperature iq. Muted.

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    Mute Ger Whelan
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    Jan 7th 2025, 5:32 PM

    @honey badger: Ah truth hurts the poor Badger. Bye bye.

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    Mute Brendan O'Brien
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    Jan 7th 2025, 5:51 PM

    @honey badger: We have to call out a genocidal far-right regime if we are to have any self-respect.

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    Mute honey badger
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    Jan 7th 2025, 5:58 PM

    @Brendan O’Brien: You and most of our political parties are already doing that now. Knock yourselves out. The OTB will cost us billions. Find any way that continues to show your solidarity that doesn’t give Trump and his team the tools to take us to the cleaners. He needs little excuse. You know I loathe Trump, but this would be an unprecedented act of national self-harm. For absolutely no gain anywhere for any one.

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    Mute Brendan O'Brien
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    Jan 7th 2025, 6:04 PM

    @honey badger: He needs *no* excuse. His ‘MAGA’ strategy is already in place.

    ‘Many within the new Trump administration’s appointees also see Ireland as a problem. Trump’s trade tsar Robert Lighthizer has said “Ireland gets a substantial part of the tax revenue that would normally be due to the US government” and this is a “transfer of wealth from us to them”. Howard Lutnick, nominee to head the US commerce department, said “it’s nonsense that Ireland of all places runs a trade surplus at our expense … When we end this nonsense, America will be a truly great country again.”’

    https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2025/01/07/liz-carolan-trumps-alt-right-edgelords-will-inevitably-come-for-ireland-we-cant-take-the-bait/

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    Mute Marvin Dollery
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    Jan 7th 2025, 6:10 PM

    @Brendan O’Brien: Call it out until the cows come home. Wonderfully bizarre how empathetic you are. No ulterior motive whatsoever, just an angelic modern day Jesus Christ. But don’t put Irish people at risk in the process. Why not head over to Palestine and help them fight if you’re so passionate and involved? Didn’t think so.

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    Mute honey badger
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    Jan 7th 2025, 6:11 PM

    @Brendan O’Brien: Yes. I referred to this twice already. Let’s not compound it.

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    Mute Ger Whelan
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    Jan 7th 2025, 6:17 PM

    @Brendan O’Brien: Don’t worry Brendan Honey Badger will be back to giving out about trump shortly when he pulls military support for Ukraine.

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    Mute Brendan O'Brien
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    Jan 7th 2025, 6:43 PM

    @Marvin Dollery: How typical of a moral vacuum like you to believe that support for human rights and international law must have an ‘ulterior motive’.

    You really shouldn’t judge others in the light of your own glaring shortcomings.

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    Mute Marvin Dollery
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    Jan 7th 2025, 7:14 PM

    @Brendan O’Brien: Apology accepted. Now go and apologise to all the others like a good little man.

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    Mute Richard Keogh
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    Jan 7th 2025, 8:04 PM

    @Brendan O’Brien: So we should be calling out Hamas who have genocide of Israelis as their aim (without having to change the definition), instead our muppet leaders reward them by recognising a non-existent state with no defined borders, capital or even government. Listening to Trump today he’s in no mood for kidnapping terrorists or their apologists (and as not one Palestinian in Gaza has come forward with information on the whereabouts of a hostage despite the $5m reward then they are just as complicit, as they were when celebrating and disrespecting hostages and the dead on the streets of Gaza on Oct 7th). What a shame Biden was so beholden to the Squad, this could’ve been over in weeks with a strong US President.

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    Mute Thomas Sheridan
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    Jan 7th 2025, 9:51 PM

    @Ger Whelan: Our own president does have an unhealthy attraction to certain tyrannical regimes and has clearly shown poor judgement and lack of impartiality in some recent ramblings.

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    Mute Thomas Sheridan
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    Jan 7th 2025, 9:59 PM

    @Brendan O’Brien: The only genocide that is taking place is in Somalia, principly caused by Arabs striving to take full control of the country and its wealth
    160000 killed and 11 million displaced.
    You haven’t said a word about it, so I can only conclude that you’re a paid Palestinian agītator.

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    Mute Meatball Martin
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    Jan 7th 2025, 4:57 PM

    How to manage the Irish economy the Paddy way, support Hamas and throw childish insults at America

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    Mute Meatball Martin
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    Jan 7th 2025, 4:43 PM

    Harris should resign, he’s an embarrassment and brings shame on this country

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    Mute FoxyBoiiYT
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    Jan 7th 2025, 4:36 PM

    Trump says truly terrible things and gets free passes but his snowflake cult menbers meltdown if someone doesn’t kiss his …. Sad

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    Mute Numinous20111
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    Jan 7th 2025, 5:41 PM

    @FoxyBoiiYT: Trump supporters almost always enjoy trolling. So they’ll claim anything as long as they ‘think’ it will annoy non-cult members/non-trolls. This is why they often claim transparently contradictory, or entirely opportunistic things. There’s no getting through to true believers and trolls’ motives make them immune to rational arguments.

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    Mute Damien Leahy
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    Jan 7th 2025, 5:43 PM

    @FoxyBoiiYT: does he get free passes though? The media and politicians don’t berate him constantly?

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    Mute Kieran Conroy
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    Jan 7th 2025, 5:36 PM

    The far-left are running scared. President Trump will wipe the floor with them. They have more reverse gears than Italy from 1939 – 45. Game over. MAGA

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    Mute Setanta O'Toole
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    Jan 7th 2025, 6:05 PM

    @Kieran Conroy: I have a feeling you have a great affinity for 1939-45 Kieran.

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    Mute Setanta O'Toole
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    Jan 7th 2025, 4:38 PM

    Trump would never lower himself to name calling and all his loyal fan boys on here are 100% justified in being enraged by this.

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    Mute Brian D'Arcy
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    Jan 7th 2025, 4:40 PM

    @Setanta O’Toole: Did you happen to listen to his attacks on Harris, saying it was the first time she’s identified as black so save your faux rage.

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    Mute Carl Valderrama
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    Jan 7th 2025, 4:45 PM

    @Setanta O’Toole: hon the farreler (your best mate) lol

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    Jan 7th 2025, 4:59 PM

    @Brian D’Arcy: I was being sarky D’arcy.

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    Mute Setanta O'Toole
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    Jan 7th 2025, 5:01 PM

    @Carl Valderrama: we can’t all be best mates with the saggy balled 47th president, Carl.

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    Mute Patricia Mc namara
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    Jan 7th 2025, 5:32 PM

    @Setanta O’Toole: you need hearing aids. Trump himself is the ultimate insult.

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    Mute Gerard Kennelly
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    Jan 16th 2025, 6:41 AM

    @Brian D’Arcy: she is whiter than me ffs

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    Mute J Cronin
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    Jan 7th 2025, 5:04 PM

    “Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer” comes to mind, but clearly Harris is a genius who knows what he’s doing……..

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    Mute Daire O’Reilly
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    Jan 7th 2025, 4:31 PM

    Can’t have a bit of craic anymore

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    Mute Jason Memail
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    Jan 7th 2025, 4:35 PM

    Trump snowflakes will really get their knickers in a twist about the most minor of things while turning a blind eye to the most vile – a truly weird bunch.

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    Mute Meatball Martin
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    Jan 7th 2025, 4:37 PM

    @Jason Memail: looks like you beat them to it

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    Mute Freda Peeple
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    Jan 7th 2025, 4:54 PM

    Trump is a gowl but he is the gowl we need right now, there are a lot of Americans living in and working in Ireland and the Uk, don’t think Trump or any Americans are enthused about their allies and expats living under censorship and propaganda. I hope he sanctions our governments.

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    Mute Setanta O'Toole
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    Jan 7th 2025, 5:19 PM

    @Freda Peeple: for what exactly?

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    Mute Freda Peeple
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    Jan 7th 2025, 5:41 PM

    @Setanta O’Toole: It’s well known that that republicans are appalled by how Britain has been taken over by immigration, they could within a couple of decades be the only nuclear armed Muslim majority country which is a threat to the US directly. Also the disdain for communism in America is still fresh and I’m
    Sure many would have something to say about the EU making us feel guilty for being patriotic and calling us racist because we long to keep our identities and cultures alive.

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    Mute Setanta O'Toole
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    Jan 7th 2025, 6:55 PM

    @Freda Peeple: Yes, lets look up to those running a country literally founded on extermination of the native population and their identity and culture as great arbiters of preserving culture and identity. Your paranoid fantasies about Muslims taking over the UK and launching a Nuclear strike at the US has no basis in fact either. You might want to look at how prolific the US has been with drone attacks and civilian casualties in Muslim majority countries in the Middle East over the last two decades and reassess who is a bigger threat to who.

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    Mute Freda Peeple
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    Jan 7th 2025, 7:15 PM

    @Setanta O’Toole: It was actually Europeans who founded America and slaughtered the natives, worth noting as a European I’m assuming if you’re pointing fingers. The UK will be Muslim dominant in our life time so it’s not Paranoid at all to worry about how that might alter a nations stance with its allies. and yes the Uk and the US amongst others have caused carnage in the Middle East I’m not disputing that, do you reckon they might have a thirst for vengeance?

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    Mute Kevin Kerr
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    Jan 7th 2025, 7:53 PM

    @Freda Peeple: your second post says 2 decades, your next post says “in our lifetime” – now I don’t know what age you are, but I suspect you’ve got more than 20 years to live. So which is it? Hint: it’s neither – most reliable forecasts (and of course these are forecasts, which I wouldn’t dream of presenting as fact) predict that Muslims will make up 15 – 20% of the UK population in 25 years. Any predictions after that time are so fraught with uncertainty that thy are pretty much worthless

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    Mute Setanta O'Toole
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    Jan 7th 2025, 7:56 PM

    @Freda Peeple: Where did I imply that it wasn’t Europeans? Why is it worth noting? I don’t have any ancestors from any of the countries who engaged in the slaughter and colonisation of Native Americans, so I’ll point fingers all I like thanks. Do you have any data or evidence to show that a Muslim majority country with nuclear weapons would be any greater a threat to humanity than a western one? Pakistan has plenty. However, the only country that has ever used them is the one that you are claiming is under the most threat from them, with no evidence or precedent to back it up.

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    Mute Setanta O'Toole
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    Jan 7th 2025, 5:18 PM

    Trump is going to grab Simon by the gowl now.

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    Mute Tommy
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    Jan 7th 2025, 6:03 PM

    I wonder what Harris call us the Irish Electorate?

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    Mute Damien Leahy
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    Jan 7th 2025, 6:11 PM

    @Tommy: the far right

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    Mute Meatball Martin
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    Jan 7th 2025, 5:46 PM

    It is a joy to witness Pat Kenny’s public meltdown on weekday mornings

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    Mute Brendan O'Brien
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    Jan 7th 2025, 4:46 PM

    Given that ‘gowl’ comes from an Irish word for ‘crotch’, he was simply stating a fact.

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    Mute De Danainn
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    Jan 8th 2025, 1:54 AM

    @Brendan O’Brien: or it could come from Gall….foreigner?

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    Mute Jack Hayes
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    Jan 7th 2025, 4:57 PM

    I’m going to agree with Harris on this one. I think he was being too kind though.

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    Mute ecrowley ecrowley
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    Jan 7th 2025, 4:57 PM

    Ah jaysus, Simon, fair play. Managed to be funny and correct all in one. Unusual for him.

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    Mute Brian
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    Jan 7th 2025, 6:04 PM

    “awful gowl’ .. beautiful use of language and so very apt.. credit where it’s due.

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    Mute Freda Peeple
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    Jan 7th 2025, 6:24 PM

    @Brian: takes one to know one in this case.

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    Mute Brian
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    Jan 7th 2025, 7:22 PM

    @Freda Peeple: Hmmm… In gowl stakes ..Simon might well be described as a ‘bit of a gowl’, as opposed to Trump who is an ‘awful gowl’ .. trust me.. there’s a world of a difference…

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    Mute Stiofán ÓB
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    Jan 7th 2025, 5:22 PM

    Trump wouldn’t give this cuckold the time of day.

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    Mute Patricia Mc namara
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    Jan 7th 2025, 5:29 PM

    @Stiofán ÓB: trump!! Unadulterated faeces.

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    Mute Argus Romsworth
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    Jan 7th 2025, 5:30 PM

    @Stiofán ÓB: the rothschilds are in control of trump

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    Mute Ollie Fitzpatrick
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    Jan 7th 2025, 5:03 PM

    Kettle calling the pot black methinks!!

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    Mute Thomas Meaney
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    Jan 7th 2025, 5:37 PM

    Trouble is…it’s all true!!!

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    Mute Vincent Hickey
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    Jan 7th 2025, 6:10 PM

    Harris is an awful gowl

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    Mute Thomas O'Donnell
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    Jan 7th 2025, 5:24 PM

    There is one thing we know for a fact about Trump. He is a convicted felon and a four time very successful bankruptee. No one, it appears can prove his racial and misogynistic tendencies. Yet Irish Ministers and Taoisigh cannot wait to prostrate themselves infront of him and his hand selected yokels with a begging bowl and a bit of shamrock. Our standards internationally have been dropping a for while, but this is new low. This guy will use the 17th March to publicly insult and embarrass us (ministers and Taoisigh don’t do embarasment) and make us a laughing stock world wide. Meanwhile all our Minsiters and musical chairs Taoisigh will be bending over and taking one for Ireland

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    Mute Numinous20111
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    Jan 7th 2025, 5:49 PM

    @Thomas O’Donnell: I despise Trump, but the reality is that more American citizens voted for him this time than the alternative candidates. 49% approx. of the popular vote and a 1.5% margin over Harris. So he’s their choice (as crazy as that is). Also, the reality is that other countries have to deal with Trump and his cronies, so they have to act like adults and keep relations as constructive as they can….regardless of the awful gowl’s own 8 year old toxic vengeful mentality.

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    Mute Mary.E.
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    Jan 7th 2025, 6:24 PM

    @Thomas O’Donnell:
    I think we should refuse to partake in this for the next 4 yrs,or probably less,as I definitely can’t see this joker Trump lasting.

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    Mute Father Ted
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    Jan 7th 2025, 6:47 PM

    @Numinous20111:
    Trump had the American economy roaring, and not a war in sight. Then Biden and the Democrats got in, destroyed the economy, started a proxy war with Russia, gave billions to Ukraine and Israel while their own are on the streets. You keep believing msm. Funny how a wee bit of false tan can upset some people.

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    Mute Numinous20111
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    Jan 7th 2025, 7:27 PM

    @Father Ted: Well, you see, there’s the small issues of what Trump said publicly, which torpedoes your cookie-cutter pro-Trump argument. Then there’s the other small matters of the statistics, reports and public announcements of Trump’s administration between 2017 and 2021. Then there’s the statements of Trump’s administration officials……you get the idea. You are at best pulling arguments out of thin air. The factual information from Trump and the GOP contradict you. Pick up a booby prize on your way out.

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    Mute Setanta O'Toole
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    Jan 7th 2025, 8:05 PM

    @Father Ted: the American economy is currently booming, and it wasn’t ‘roaring’ spontaneously the second Trump took office in 2017. He was riding the coat tails of the steady growth under Obama, and he had tanked it by the end of his term. The wars weren’t in sight because he signed legislation so he didn’t have to report on them. He bombed Syria, he backed Saudi’s to the hilt against Yemen, his drone strikes in 4 years doubled Obama’s in 8. Russia started a war with Ukraine, and if you think that the backing of Israel is going to stop when Trump takes office you are even more clueless than I thought.

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    Mute Hector turtlehead
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    Jan 7th 2025, 4:58 PM

    He wouldn’t know what gowl is anyhow

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    Mute Kevin Kerr
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    Jan 7th 2025, 5:28 PM

    Bloody hell, it’s a comment frenzy on the Journal today

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    Mute Mary.E.
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    Jan 7th 2025, 6:10 PM

    Whatever a gowl is, it sounds just about right.
    Harris doesn’t mince his words.,

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    Mute Freda Peeple
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    Jan 7th 2025, 6:27 PM

    @Mary.E.: Harris is a weak man, hence his back peddling.

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    Mute Gerard Kennelly
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    Jan 16th 2025, 6:38 AM

    @Freda Peeple: Simon Harris brought abortion to Ireland, Trump is 100% pro life .

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    Mute Mel Fitzpatrick
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    Jan 7th 2025, 4:46 PM

    They’re both awful gowls

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    Mute damien leen
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    Jan 7th 2025, 6:54 PM

    Beep…beep…beep!

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    Mute Liam Meade
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    Jan 7th 2025, 10:09 PM

    Yep but he is . Harris utters a universal truth..

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    Mute Todd Hebert
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    Jan 7th 2025, 10:43 PM

    “Awful gowl” is being quite polite about Dump. I guarantee you would let me post any correct and truthful words about Dump.

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    Mute POC
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    Jan 8th 2025, 12:31 AM

    So we can comment on this name calling, but not on Trump re naming the Panama Canal? Someone please explain the why and why not of this to me.

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    Mute socheallaigh
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    Jan 7th 2025, 10:02 PM

    Truth hurts

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    Mute K H
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    Jan 7th 2025, 9:11 PM

    He’s now backpedalling…. as are many other ” leaders ” … Trump is a clown , and the real circus , has only just begun . Fasten your seatbelts

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    Mute pauley870
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    Jan 8th 2025, 7:43 AM

    Simon will do what all Irish politicians do and bend over and take one for the team

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    Mute Anthony Ross
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    Jan 7th 2025, 10:20 PM

    Trump is a convicted s-x offender

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    Mute Gerard Kennelly
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    Jan 16th 2025, 6:34 AM

    @Anthony Ross: they protest paddy jackson trial verdict, they snub Conor McGregor whiskey.. meanwhile Bill Clinton gets an honorary doctorate

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    Mute Derek O Gorman
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    Jan 8th 2025, 12:40 PM

    Elon will prob run next time. The future of humanity is bleak

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    Mute De Danainn
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    Jan 8th 2025, 1:49 AM

    Tbf like….?

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