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TÁNAISTE LEO VARADKAR has told his parliamentary party meeting that the next two weeks will be “critical” in terms of deciding what Ireland’s Covid-19 strategy will be for the final few months of 2020.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin confirmed today that the government’s new roadmap on reopening the rest of Irish society will be ready in mid-September.
The Fine Gael leader told his members tonight that there needs to be a change in how matters are being handled, pointing out to his party colleagues that pubs and theatres are fully open elsewhere in Europe.
Varadkar said international travel is another issue the government needs to deal with, telling his party that other EU countries are much less restricted when it comes to travel, and they are following the same trend as Ireland in terms of case numbers.
Government sources have said the full scope of the roadmap is still being determined but consideration regarding travel is happening at the moment.
The Department of Foreign Affairs continues to advise against non-essential travel overseas. However, travel to a very limited set of locations that are on the Government’s Green List is exempted from this advice.
Varadkar also said that he doesn’t know why Ireland should be the only country with pubs not open. He said publicans should be given a chance to show they can open safely.
His comments come as the Dáil debates legislation that will give gardaí powers to close down and sanction pubs that break Covid guidelines.
The issue of Phil Hogan’s resignation was also raised at the meeting.
Varadkar told his party members that the three party leaders were aware of the inaccuracies in Phil Hogan’s first Golfgate statements, prior to media reports. It is understood that this is due to the input from the Garda Commissioner on the matter of Hogan being stopped by gardaí in Kildare for using a phone while driving.
Varadkar said that if Hogan had remained in his position, the debate over his movements in Ireland would still be ongoing now.
While there is no white smoke in relation to who might replace Hogan, Varadkar said
he wouldn’t be surprised if Ireland loses the Trade Commissioner role, which puts doubt on whether Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney will put his name forward for the job now.
Varadkar said he believes the Irish government should submit two names to the European President.
Fine Gael TDs also raised the issue of restrictions on spectator numbers at GAA matches.
TDs said parents had been in touch about not being able to attend GAA matches due to the restrictions, with politicians calling for them to be changed.
Speaking in the Dáil earlier, Taoiseach Micheál Martin also said he was unhappy with the rules.
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They should really teach kids about giant hogweed in schools. It is truly horrific stuff.
@Chop Chop: Before some smartarse says it, I’m not saying there’s hogweed IN the schools. It was poor phrasing on my part. It’s late.
@Chop Chop: your handle means I’ll take u very seriously on anything u have to say on this topic
@Danny O’Mahony: U da man danny
@Danny O’Mahony: Never mind the handle, you should see the couple of scars on my leg.
@Danny O’Mahony: Never mind the handle, you should see the couple of scars on my leg.
@Chop Chop: You got lucky! I know people that required surgery to remove scaring!
If the council ask for the publics help there would be 1000s of volunteers to help with this problem. National parks & wildlife could recruit secondary school teenagers as well. Maybe even the work shy could be deployed, they can earn their money by helping the environment.
@Dean Carroll: Teenagers handling poison and dangerous equipment, yup that’s a good solution. I’d even be wary of letting adults volunteers near that stuff.
@Jason Walsh: what about a wood saw and gloves? No chemicals. Cut down Laurel, Rhododendron. Manually weed etc.
Climate change promotions opportunity missed by the journal Climate cultists.
@087 bed Has nothing to do with Climate Change you nonce. knotweed was introduced by some clown Lord, 100s of years ago in the UK to run along train-lines, the morons assumed it would be grand, the root structure is highly invasive. Our street in London had some and rendered the nearby houses unsellable/unliveable… Apparently in its native country’s there’s a particular grub that eats the root and controls the spread, that bug doesn’t survive here. Was very surprised to see it here when we returned, as it wasn’t around when I was a kid. You wont get a mortgage if these weeds are anywhere near.
@087 bed: You and the other that liked your post have no idea what the article is about. Read it, google it and learn the real problems that are happening all over the country and the damage it does.
@Thesaltyurchin: It was brought in by fancy gardeners and escaped same as the Hogweed. It escaped from the Botanical Gardens!
@Gary Kearney: Apologies, it was a “Sir” rather than a lord. “The invasive plant Japanese knotweed (Fallopia japonica) was introduced to the UK by Sir Robert Fortune. He brought it to Britain in 1850s from Japan, where it was originally native”
I see in Canada some areas let loose a herd of goats and sometimes herds of sheep who devour these type of weeds that are harmful, should Ireland look at this as a solution?
@Ned: I’ve seen goats grazing council land in the Netherlands. This country has so many sheep too and they’re just standing around doing nothing
@Ned: But then someone can’t get rich off govt contracts!!!….. Maybe set the goats up with bank accounts and then put them to work at the expense of the taxpayer. The money is there to be thrown away as per usual!
@Ned: It’s the roots are the problem, and they multiply in size when the plants are cut.
@Darth O’Leary: Are they not grazing like normal sheep or do they stand and stare ?
@Lulu: let’s tap into the power of sheep is all I’m saying. Might make for less lean chop but we could cut down on the glyphosate
As you drive around take note of the trees, hedges and historical buildings being swallowed up by ivy. Everything that’s growing being choked with the stuff.
Good journalism Big problem here round my patch
Argument can me made its natural evolution
All plants and all successful species increase their range over time
Homo Sapiens being the prime example
Heartbreaking to see native species disappearing all the same
Ash being a tragic example
But that’s mother nature
99% of all lifeforms that have ever existed are extinct
As Frank Sinatra famously put it
That’s life
@Danny O’Mahony: Watch out, it will destroy any structure nearby, soon enough the banks will pulling back from investing in mortgages where this could happen.
Japanese knot weed is beloved by bee keepers for its late flowers. All the plants in Ireland are female I’m and it cannot seed here. It actually spreads quite slowly. It’s related to rhubarb and the young shoots can be used the same way in tarts and desserts (and as a veg with your dinner if you’re Dutch). Articles like this never mention that. Livestock, especially goats, love it. I had it on a property a few years ago in an area I was planting trees on, and after a few years it was shaded out.
Fuscia is a major invasive plant, but no one mentions it, cos it’s pretty.
@Seosamh mac Cárthaigh: The fact that if disturbed small sections of it, as little as 0.7g, can re-grow into a new plant is the problem. It doesn’t need to go to seed to spread.
Cork is heavily affected. The biggest culprit for spreading knotweed has been the flail verge trimmers which spread the mown plant matter extensively along roadside for miles. This fact was only detected in recent times but the damage had been done. “Do not mow” signs are erected by councils. As happens every year on the Cork-Kinsale road the contractors ignore the signs and mow away. No checking by City Council. How can you win with such people in charge?
Not surprised with Louth Co Co position on the league table. Totally ineffective. Wipe their hands totally on eradication of knotweed…… Speaking from experience!!!
We humans are the biggest invasive species of all time! I’m just putting it out there!
A supermarket chain was selling rhododendron plants last summer.
@Pork Hunt: You can buy horticultural varieties at any garden centre. The article is talking about a specific species, that is a problem. The garden stuff is fine.
Add to this the malicious spreading of Japanese Knotweed onto proposed development sites to dissuade development of the land. It’s not a conspiracy theory either.
Incursio bona?
What about the non-native trees escaping from forestry plantations around ireland as well???
Japanese Lilac is another invasive species that does massive damage.
The butterfly tree as I knew it as a child. They love it. It chews up building however! It is extremly difficult to kill as grows very fast as well.
have your say