Campaign trail: Simon Harris cuts ribbon on radio station and Greens pledge to tackle 'ghost buses'

A rapid round-up of what’s happening on Day 14 of the general election campaign.

LAST UPDATE | 21 Nov 2024

IT’S DAY 14. On this frosty day, here’s what’s happening on the campaign trails:

Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald hit out against Fine Gael’s claim that her party would ‘raid’ public savings in an interview on Virgin Media Television last night.
Fianna Fáil candidate in Galway East Anne Rabbitte has urged the Irish Wheelchair Association to tell local authorities what polling stations are inaccessible after the organisation said a number of selected locations were creating barriers to voting.
Green Party candidate Neasa Hourigan agreed that the party’s planned Office of Punctuality and Reliability for public transport sounds “like something out of Harry Potter”.
Aontú launched its election manifesto in Dublin. Politics Reporter Jane Matthews reports that the event got off to a difficult start when no copies of the document were available for members of the media to read.
Taoiseach and Fine Gael Simon Harris made a more unusual campaign stop this morning to formally open Radio Nova’s refurbished radio studios in Dublin.
Harris said that if had he seen the video footage of the altercation in 2018 involving Louth candidate John McGahon, he would not have described it as a “scuffle”.
All of Fianna Fáil’s candidates running in Dublin launched the party’s “Manifesto for Dublin” in Sandymount, led by Ministers Darragh O’Brien and Jack Chambers.
Green Party candidates Ossian Smyth, Joe O’Brien, Neasa Hourigan and Ian Carey were in Dublin to launch the party’s transport policy, which says it would focus on improving punctuality and reliability, improving customer service, and ending ‘ghost buses’.
Social Democrats launched their health and social care policy. Health spokesperson Róisín Shorthall was out alongside Wicklow TD Jennifer Whitmore and candidate Rory Hearne. It wants to enshrine a legal entitlement to healthcare an set maximum waiting times for treatment in line with Sláintecare.
Labour leader Ivana Bacik and Councillor Angela Feeney launched the party’s disability manifesto in Maynooth. It says it would guarantee an appropriate school place for every child with additional needs and fund a €15 million Waiting List Initiative to provide assessments of needs and reimburse parents for private therapies.