EACH WEEKDAY MORNING, TheJournal.ie brings you a comprehensive guide to what’s happening in the political world.

Everyone’s (still) talking about… 

The John McNulty affair… The controversy over the failed local election candidate’s appointment to the board of IMMA just days before he was announced as Fine Gael’s nominee for the Seanad by-election is all over the front pages once again.

Pressure’s now mounting on recently-appointed Arts Minister Heather Humphreys, after Taoiseach Enda Kenny yesterday insisted he did not order McNulty’s appointment to the post. Humphreys, by all accounts, gave a faltering performance in a doorstep interview with journalists yesterday, and refused to say whether she was aware the Donegal man was her party’s pick for the Seanad when she appointed him.

The Irish Times reports this morning that McNulty attended no meetings and made no formal visit to the Irish Museum of Modern art during the 13 days he served as a member of the board.

Sam Boal Sam Boal

• MP3: Listen to what Humphreys had to say yesterday (apologies for the poor audio quality) >

The agenda 

• Westminster MPs have been recalled to vote on whether the UK should join the US-led airstrikes on ISIS. David Cameron opens the debate at 10.30am.
• Sinn Féin are set to unveil a new policy document outlining the party’s “vision for the future of water services” at Dublin’s Alexander Hotel this morning.
• There’s no Dáil sitting today. TDs are off duty (from Leinster House, at least) until next Tuesday.

[Oireachtas.ie]

What the others are saying…

• Those legal warnings from Phil Hogan to Nessa Childers could be a big issue at the Commissioner-Designate’s EU committee hearing next week, the Irish Examiner reports. Some MEPs are calling for Jean Claude Juncker, the new Commission president, to address the issue.
• Former Taoiseach Brian Cowen is sleeping rough for charity tonight, in Birr, Co Offaly, the Irish Daily Mail reports. It’s part of the ‘Sleep out for Simon’ initiative. 
• And the Irish Independent reports that the Garda Fraud Bureau is looking into a claim by Frank Flannery that a confidential letter received by the Public Accounts Committee may have been unlawfully leaked. 

In case you missed it… 

• Nominations have closed for the two Dáil by-elections. Here’s a full list of the candidates, and here’s a more detailed look at the non-party hopefuls running in Dublin South West. 
• PAC member Shane Ross has called for the issue of garda discretion to be examined more closely.
• And did you see Enda’s cameo appearance at the brown bread-making contest, down at the Ploughing?…

(Skip to 48 seconds in for the Taoiseach’s appearance.)

From the halls of Leinster House… 

There’s huge interest around Leinster House in what Alan Shatter will have to say for himself on the Late Late Show tonight. So much so that some TDs are already making arrangements for how they’re going to watch it. Some Fine Gael deputies will be attending Galway-East TD Seán Kyne’s wedding — but will not let the celebrations get in the way of their viewing. “We’ll gather a crowd and head into the bar, it’ll like a football match!” said one very excited FG deputy yesterday.

On the Twitter machine…

Three languages. 26 ducks.

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