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SeriesThe week that was
'It’s really a slap in the face': Two winners and three losers from the political week
An increase to public transport fares, ongoing chaos in the courts, and a TD who is in front of the pact when it comes to social media.
EVERY WEEKEND, OUR political team casts an eye over the events inside and outside Leinster House that have people talking.
The Dáil is still in recess for the summer, but this week marked the beginning of think-in season and the political machine slowly gearing back up.
In a week that saw a hike to public transport fares and chaos in the criminal courts continue, it was easy to make some of our picks.
So, without further ado:
The two winners of the week are…
1. Alan Kelly
We’ve chosen the Tipperary North TD as one of our winners this week for his continued efforts to hold social media companies to account for what gets posted on their platforms and the impact it has on children and teenagers.
The Labour Party were in Galway this week for their annual think-in ahead of the Dáil’s return on 16 September.
While there, The Journal caught up with Kelly, who did not mince his words about the tech companies and the difficulty in trying to get them to come before the Oireachtas Media Committee to answer questions.
Kelly is chair of the committee and has been trying to get Meta, TikTok, Google and X in before TDs and senators to answer questions about how they tackle content showing illegal behaviour online.
In the wake of the M9 crash last month, which saw four innocent people hospitalised, and five teenage boys lose their lives after they drove the wrong way down the motorway, some focus has been cast on how social media companies platform content showing reckless and illegal behaviour.
On Friday, Meta accepted Kelly’s invitation to come before the Oireachtas Media Committee to discuss the role of social media videos in the fatal M9 collision.
Their acceptance came after TikTok twice refused the invite, with the video platform taking issue with the fact it was initially the only social media company invited to the meeting.
TikTok argued other social media companies also play a role.
Kelly told The Journal TikTok’s refusal was “bordering on shameful” given that it is “the app of choice and the communication tool of choice for so many young people”.
“Given what’s happened, it’s really a slap in the face that they haven’t come in,” Kelly said.
He said it is now coming to a point where the government is going to have to act “very forcefully” against social media tech firms if they don’t comply at a national level.
All eyes now turn to TikTok, which may decide to accept the invite now that it won’t be the only tech firm to attend.
2. Simon Harris
Our second winner this week is Tánaiste and Fine Gael leader Simon Harris for his inescapable communication skills.
Whether you are a fan of the messaging or not, there is no denying that Harris is in a league of his own when it comes to political communication among Irish politicians.
On top of the usual posts on X, Facebook, TikTok and Instagram, the Tánaiste also posts blogs on Substack, and has now started sending voice notes about what he gets up to in a day on a special Instagram channel.
“Please, Simon, I can’t even keep on top of the voice notes from my friends and family!”, we hear you say.
Same, but nonetheless you have to give him kudos for his efforts to keep in touch with voters.
The three losers of the week are…
1. Darragh O’Brien and Michéal Martin
Come on, this one was obvious.
Climate and Transport Minister Darragh O’Brien and Taoiseach Micheál Martin top our list of losers this week for hiking public transport fares in the midst of both a climate and cost of living crisis.
It is, quite frankly, ludicrous carry-on from a government that the week previous announced a further €400k subsidy on fossil fuels in the form of excise cuts on petrol and diesel.
Lest we forget, this week was also the week that the UN formally conceded that we are not going to limit global warming to 1.5°C.
And how does the Irish government respond? By making it more expensive to travel by train and bus, two of the most sustainable modes of transport.
Well, they actually left it to the National Transport Authority to deliver the news on Thursday morning.
That same day, O’Brien was at an event in Dublin City about geothermal energy, but he didn’t make time to take questions from journalists.
Both O’Brien and Martin justified the decision to increase fares by arguing it is a “crucial step” to expand capacity in our public transport system.
Asked by reporters about the fare increases during the week, the Taoiseach said: “Government is not in the position to fund everything forever”.
In response to the decision, former transport minister and green party leader Eamon Ryann, said the move was about balancing the books in the Department of Public Expenditure and nothing more.
“If they were serious about expanding public transport services, a lot of which are ready to go, then there would be a capital budget to meet it. There isn’t,” he told RTÉ Radio 1 on Thursday.
2. Jim O’Callaghan
And finally, Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan is on our loser list this week for allowing the chaos in the criminal and district courts to drag on for another week.
As the old saying goes, when you are explaining, you’re losing.
O’Callaghan claimed this week that the courts were “operating effectively” despite the ongoing criminal legal aid solicitors’ strike over changes to their fees.
In response to questions from journalists about how he was going to bring the strike to an end, he once again explained why he believes the changes to the legal aid system are necessary.
But his remarks led to sharp criticism from striking solicitors, who claim he “doesn’t seem to be on top of his brief”.
As a result of the ongoing stand-off between the minister and criminal solicitors, criminal cases across the country have faced disruption, with defendants left without legal representation.
Speaking to the Press Association news agency this week, striking solicitor Jenny McGeever questioned when the last time O’Callaghan had been in the District Court or spoken to stakeholders.
She told the Press Association: “Has he been in court to see how judges are trying to cope with this chaos?
“He is either blind to what is happening in the courts or is ignorant because he is ill-informed”.
She accused the minister of adopting a “take-it-or-leave-it” approach and called on him to meet with solicitors to hear their concerns.
Given the dispute is now entering its third month, O’Callaghan is reaching a point where he will need to put the whole affair to bed asap, even if it means making further concessions.
To do otherwise may have lasting impacts on his own future political ambitions.
While there have been more politicians out and about this week, the new political season really kicks off next week with Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, Sinn Féin and People Before Profit gathering for their respective think-ins ahead of the Dáil return.
We will be bringing you a different selection of winners and losers every week, each weekend. Keep in touch with us and let us know who you think should be on our list each week.
What do you make of the chosen winners and losers this week?
Poll Results:
I agree with the selection (20)
I agree with some of it (16)
It's been a long week and I am tired even thinking about it (12)
I agree with most of it (11)
I disagree entirely (6)
Tell us in the comments who your winners and losers are this week.
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