We need your help now
Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.
You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.
If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.
Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
By continuing, you are indicating that you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
LAST UPDATE | 9 Dec 2024
FIANNA FÁIL’S MICHEAL Martin met with Fine Gael’s Simon Harris today in what has been described as a “positive” and “constructive” meeting.
“The Taoiseach and Tánaiste agreed the need for a stable government, underpinned by mutual respect and clear policy direction for the next five years so that it can deliver for the Irish people in face of great challenges,” said a statement issued by the two parties this afternoon.
The two party leaders have now asked their negotiating teams to commence talks tomorrow.
This move signifies government formation talks stepping up a gear, though a question mark hangs over whether a new government can be formed by the new year.
Labour leader Ivana Bacik has said this afternoon that she has contacted the leaders of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael each by phone and agreed to meet them leader to leader in separate meetings.
Bacik will meet Martin tomorrow at noon and Harris at a time later in the week.
The Labour leader also spoke with the leader of Sinn Fein Mary Lou McDonald about future engagement. Labour’s parliamentary party also agreed with Bacik’s proposal to write to the leaders of the Social Democrats and Green Party to seek further development of a centre-left common platform.
While there has been much speculation about the carving up of ministries and the rotating Taoiseach model, it is understood the focus between Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil is on policy and who will make up the third pillar of the next government.
As reported last week, the two party leaders appear to be optimistic about a stable group of Independent TDs shoring up the numbers, but the Labour Party is still in the mix, with Martin and Harris understood to have discussed their options at today’s meeting.
Martin has already held personal meetings and spoken over the phone with a number of Independents in the last week, with Harris has met with a number of them today.
It is understood the Taoiseach spoke with Wexford TD Verona Murphy this afternoon, and is due to meet with Dublin Bay North TD Barry Heneghan shortly.
Harris will tomorrow meet with the other Independents such as Galway West TD Noel Grealish, Tipperary North’s Michael Lowry, Longford-Westmeath Kevin “Boxer” Moran and Sligo-Leitrim’s Marian Harkin.
Aontú is the latest to join the Dáil technical grouping of Independents, with party leader Peadar Tóibín confirming to The Journal that the party, with two TDs, have joined the ‘Regional Group’.
The group now consists of ten TDs, with eight Independents having agreed to register as a technical group earlier this week. Technical groups are typically formed to increase speaking time for its members in the Dáil.
The eight Independents are Seán Canney, Marian Harkin, Barry Heneghan, Noel Grealish, Michael Lowry, Kevin (‘Boxer’) Moran, Verona Murphy and Gillian Toole.
Tóibín said that he and his party colleague, newly elected Paul Lawless, would not be negotiating government with Fine Gael or the Greens.
Despite recent chatter about Independents, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael still have a focus on the Labour Party and whether they might be open to forming the next government, despite the Social Democrats stating that they would not join forces with Labour in any talks.
Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have selected their negotiating teams for the talks over the next number of weeks, these include:
Fianna Fáil:
Fine Gael:
It is understood that those in both parties see there are advantages and disadvantages for going in with a party such as Labour or an amalgamation of Independents.
Throughout the talks there will be a focus on ensuring there are effective structures to ensure accountability and delivery, so as to avoid any banana skins for the next government.
Having effective dispute resolution mechanisms is understood to be of paramount importance.
In terms of parity of esteem, something Harris has been insisting on in recent days, Fianna Fáil is minded for the party to hold more Cabinet positions, as reported by The Journal last week.
Martin confirmed his position on Friday stating that the election result (which gives Fianna Fáil ten seats over Fine Gael) needs to be reflected.
If the rotating Taoiseach mechanism is agreed again, which is not a certainty, then Martin is understood to want to hold the position of Taoiseach first, and for a longer period, with Harris perhaps given the opportunity to step into the role in the final year and a half of the next government term.
The Dáil is set to meet on 18 December, but it is unclear if government formation talks will be completed by then.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Probably just go with the flow at this stage. Great idea lads. Good use of resources. Well done. Can’t see these being wrecked at all. 10m to install, ex vat, the add on extra for added costs rising so that’s 100m, then 400m to remove them when they’re wrecked in 6 months.
@Rafa C: this is a DCC project, many of us would avail of them as we don’t have space indoors or safe places to lock bikes outside. it isn’t going to affect you out past leixlip or wherever you said you lived the other day so don’t fret too much.
@Rafa C: The ones near me in Stoneybatter have been in several years and work great. But don’t let that stop you having a good aul moan.
@eoin fitzpatrick: I never said they wouldn’t be availed of, and I never said you don’t have space for storing bikes.
Does it affect me? And others? Yes. I think it does.
Let’s just wait and see the final cost for this project, and the inevitable removal of these due to thievery, vandalism, anti-social behaviour and probably a few other things.
They won’t last long.
Out where I live, they put a cycle pump and bike repair kit at the entrance to the canal – it was only put in 2 weeks ago and it’s already wrecked and unusable.
@Sal Paradise: Great to hear Sal, but with many others being put in the risk rises for thievery, vandalism and other anti-social situations.
I’m delighted it works for you in your area. But there’s a bigger picture, additional costs, and inevitable removal due to issues.
@Rafa C: in case you dont realise it Rafa , most citizens of our fair city dont go around wrecking facilities provided by city council Fingal, Dun Laoghaire Rathdown or SDCC. In fact most of the great public facilities of our country are in Dublin
@Peter Byrne: We clearly have not experienced the same Dublin. Time will tell.
@Rafa C: The same was said when Dublin Bikes was launched. Vandals will destroy them. It never happened and it turned out to be a great success.
@Rafa C: Ah, I don’t know Rafa. I see winter potential right there, bikes having been stolen the shed shell can then be covered in tarpaulin; sort of accommodation for ‘visitors’. Safe spaces, like…
@Rafa C: yes but please do think of the effect of the green stamp it will have for every person who’s on a bike for those 6 months who uses it. The reduction in emissions from not using vehicles for that limited time will have tremendous results. The air quality will be absolutely wonderful altogether there.
Great news. Addresses the problem of keeping a bike in a small or terraced house.
I use the one in Stoneybatter as I live in a third floor apartment, they have never been vandalised due to their solid structure.
@Áine G: C’mon now. Can’t be having that sort of positive reaction to a story.
Great news. I have friends who have been using these in a couple of locations and so it’s good that others will be able to avail of them.
We need more bike bunkers I am sure.
@Sean Money: Any place where bimes can be locked safely is good.
@Sean O’Dhubhghaill: we must protect the bimes
@Sean Money: 20,000 bikes reported stolen every year, the real figure is multiples of that probably. So yes, it’s a good idea
Be a shining beacon for anti-social types.
@AnthonyK: Haven’t been to date.
@Jack Hayes: save the lads putting up tents. Accommodation in Dublin for €100 a year . Great value
Anything for motorbikes on the horizon…
To many thefts
Love it when I hear councillors saying it will be great for the inner city. As when requests were made to get them installed in council flat complex’s in the inner city, they were ignored by DCC and the party of the councilors quoted!
I was there when the requests were made repeatedly!
And repeatedly ignored.
Like the idea but 33k per bunker is mad stuff
How does it cost in excess of 30,000 for each ex vat.?
@Mark Fox: no the €30k is for the brown envelope. The bunker only costs €1k in normal land.
For crying out loud DCC it rains every other day and it pitch dark 6 months of the year! Who wants to cycle in Dublin. Tha vast majority of cyclists are school kids and delivery drivers! They don’t need bike bunkers your only keeping the thieves dry while there robbing the bikes in Dublins fair city!
It’s taken up a car park space
@Shane O Mac: That’s the hope!
@Shane O Mac: where will I park my 4wd range rover archorpanzer now?
@Shane O Mac: yes, one car space lost = 6 bike spaces gained. Win,win.
@Dermot Blaine: for €33,000 per bunker you could ditch your bicycle and actually finally be able to afford a car.
@Shane O Mac: takes up a car space but frees up several.
@Dermot Blaine: loss loss in winter time
They will be put in the same type of locations as the others. You will not see them in council estates or older persons accommodation.
Ugly things that take away from the areas they are in. Look like old watchmen’s huts.
@Gary Kearney: if that’s your take, you’ll be outraged when you see all the private cars stored on streets up and down the country.
Just everywhere, they are!
@Ciaran Foster: and they pay for the privilege with road tax insurance what do bikes pay sod all
@Paul Dennis: no such thing as “road tax” and plenty of taxpayers pay taxes
@Paul Dennis: They pay more than a car does. Residential parking permit in DCC is 65e for 12 months. One of those bunkers also takes 6 bikes. Assuming it fills, that is 600e for one spot rather than 65e for one car
@KL M: explain how there is no such thing as road tax?
I’m order to use any motorised vehicle one has to pay tax. It is a tax on the usage of a motor vehicle on a public road so it is, in affect, a road tax. One can own a motor vehicle & declare it off the road removing the need to pay tax.
Have to laugh at all the brainwashed NPC’s that believe they are saving the world by eliminating cars. Bigots the most of them that don’t understand they are being manipulated & the ones that realise it won’t admit it because of their ego (but like covid & vaccines
This is a real problem I know people who don’t cycle cause don’t have any place to keep a bike.
We need them also farther away from the city centre like 6/7km at least.
@MM: The Further the better!!!
Use precise geolocation data. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Store and/or access information on a device. Personalised advertising and content, advertising and content measurement, audience research and services development.
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work.
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then these services may not function properly.
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we will not be able to monitor our performance.
Cookies, device or similar online identifiers (e.g. login-based identifiers, randomly assigned identifiers, network based identifiers) together with other information (e.g. browser type and information, language, screen size, supported technologies etc.) can be stored or read on your device to recognise it each time it connects to an app or to a website, for one or several of the purposes presented here.
Advertising presented to you on this service can be based on limited data, such as the website or app you are using, your non-precise location, your device type or which content you are (or have been) interacting with (for example, to limit the number of times an ad is presented to you).
Information about your activity on this service (such as forms you submit, content you look at) can be stored and combined with other information about you (for example, information from your previous activity on this service and other websites or apps) or similar users. This is then used to build or improve a profile about you (that might include possible interests and personal aspects). Your profile can be used (also later) to present advertising that appears more relevant based on your possible interests by this and other entities.
Advertising presented to you on this service can be based on your advertising profiles, which can reflect your activity on this service or other websites or apps (like the forms you submit, content you look at), possible interests and personal aspects.
Information about your activity on this service (for instance, forms you submit, non-advertising content you look at) can be stored and combined with other information about you (such as your previous activity on this service or other websites or apps) or similar users. This is then used to build or improve a profile about you (which might for example include possible interests and personal aspects). Your profile can be used (also later) to present content that appears more relevant based on your possible interests, such as by adapting the order in which content is shown to you, so that it is even easier for you to find content that matches your interests.
Content presented to you on this service can be based on your content personalisation profiles, which can reflect your activity on this or other services (for instance, the forms you submit, content you look at), possible interests and personal aspects. This can for example be used to adapt the order in which content is shown to you, so that it is even easier for you to find (non-advertising) content that matches your interests.
Information regarding which advertising is presented to you and how you interact with it can be used to determine how well an advert has worked for you or other users and whether the goals of the advertising were reached. For instance, whether you saw an ad, whether you clicked on it, whether it led you to buy a product or visit a website, etc. This is very helpful to understand the relevance of advertising campaigns.
Information regarding which content is presented to you and how you interact with it can be used to determine whether the (non-advertising) content e.g. reached its intended audience and matched your interests. For instance, whether you read an article, watch a video, listen to a podcast or look at a product description, how long you spent on this service and the web pages you visit etc. This is very helpful to understand the relevance of (non-advertising) content that is shown to you.
Reports can be generated based on the combination of data sets (like user profiles, statistics, market research, analytics data) regarding your interactions and those of other users with advertising or (non-advertising) content to identify common characteristics (for instance, to determine which target audiences are more receptive to an ad campaign or to certain contents).
Information about your activity on this service, such as your interaction with ads or content, can be very helpful to improve products and services and to build new products and services based on user interactions, the type of audience, etc. This specific purpose does not include the development or improvement of user profiles and identifiers.
Content presented to you on this service can be based on limited data, such as the website or app you are using, your non-precise location, your device type, or which content you are (or have been) interacting with (for example, to limit the number of times a video or an article is presented to you).
With your acceptance, your precise location (within a radius of less than 500 metres) may be used in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
With your acceptance, certain characteristics specific to your device might be requested and used to distinguish it from other devices (such as the installed fonts or plugins, the resolution of your screen) in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
Your data can be used to monitor for and prevent unusual and possibly fraudulent activity (for example, regarding advertising, ad clicks by bots), and ensure systems and processes work properly and securely. It can also be used to correct any problems you, the publisher or the advertiser may encounter in the delivery of content and ads and in your interaction with them.
Certain information (like an IP address or device capabilities) is used to ensure the technical compatibility of the content or advertising, and to facilitate the transmission of the content or ad to your device.
Information about your activity on this service may be matched and combined with other information relating to you and originating from various sources (for instance your activity on a separate online service, your use of a loyalty card in-store, or your answers to a survey), in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
In support of the purposes explained in this notice, your device might be considered as likely linked to other devices that belong to you or your household (for instance because you are logged in to the same service on both your phone and your computer, or because you may use the same Internet connection on both devices).
Your device might be distinguished from other devices based on information it automatically sends when accessing the Internet (for instance, the IP address of your Internet connection or the type of browser you are using) in support of the purposes exposed in this notice.
The choices you make regarding the purposes and entities listed in this notice are saved and made available to those entities in the form of digital signals (such as a string of characters). This is necessary in order to enable both this service and those entities to respect such choices.
have your say