Story of the Week
US president Donald Trump shows no signs of taking a break from his apparent bid to completely and utterly dominate the international news agenda.
His week encompassed everything from a campaign to bring back plastic drinking straws to his plan for talks with Russian president Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine.
On Monday Trump signed an executive order telling US government agencies to stop buying paper straws that, he railed, “don’t work”.
The same day he threatened to “let hell break loose” if Hamas did not meet a deadline of noon on Saturday for the release of Israeli hostages in captivity since the attacks on October 7th 2023.
Tuesday saw Trump meet King Abdullah of Jordan and the President reiterating his plan for the United States to take ownership of Gaza.
Later that day a bizarre Oval Office press conference where with billionaire Elon Musk (his son X on his shoulders) and Trump seated behind the Resolute desk as Musk set out what he is trying to achieve with his Department of Government Efficiency project.
There was a phone call between Trump and Putin on Wednesday where the pair agreed to immediately start negotiations aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.
A call was also made to Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskiy but there are now major fears in Europe that the country that has been battling Russia’s invasion is being sidelined.
It came as US defence secretary Pete Hegseth said Ukraine should not expect to regain all occupied territory or secure Nato membership in any deal to end the war.
On Thursday Trump unveiled a new plan of country-by-country reciprocal tariffs and flagged the possibility of targeting pharmaceuticals in the months ahead. Ireland is bracing for this prospect as the pharmaceutical sector is responsible for the bulk of Irish exports to the US.
As Washington DC wakes up on Friday morning, who knows what the day will bring. Our US correspondent Keith Duggan will no doubt be busy.
Bust up
There were furious scenes in the Dáil during Leaders’ Questions on Wednesday after Taoiseach Micheál Martin, speaking in Irish, accused Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald of “telling lies” (“ag insint bréaga”) as she raised questions about the Government’s proposals for possible alternatives to rent pressure zones (RPZs). The headline on Miriam Lord’s piece summed it up well – “It took a while for Mary Lou to register Micheál’s comment, then Sinn Féin began to spontaneously combust”
Calling someone a “liar” or claiming they are “telling lies”, is considered unparliamentary language and speakers are asked to withdraw such claims.
During the furore Sinn Féin’s Pearse Doherty, claimed Martin was “taking advantage of” the Ceann Comhairle Verona Murphy not speaking Irish.
Murphy asked the Taoiseach if he would withdraw his remark if he had made that accusation against McDonald but he said he did not call McDonald a liar “as Béarla” (in English).
Our Parliamentary Correspondent Maire O’Halloran has a report on the whole row.
Murphy suggested McDonald might make a complaint in writing, which the Sinn Féin leaders subsequently did, asking the Ceann Comhairle to follow up formally with Martin to have him withdraw the remark.
The Ceann Comhairle has since written to the Taoiseach asking him to review his comments.
Banana skin
This week’s Cabinet meeting saw the unveiling of the Governments annual St Patrick’s Day jamboree of ministerial trips around the world to glad-hand foreign political, diplomats and businesspeople – not to mention the diaspora. The goal will be along the lines of promoting Ireland as ‘the best small country in the world in which to keep doing business even as a trade war looms’.
While Ministers will be heading to far-flung destinations like Japan (Hildegarde Naughton) and Chile (Jack Chambers), the Taoiseach, Tánaiste and eight ministers will go to the United States where there will be a particular focus on Republican-voting ‘red states’.
Micheál Martin himself will head to one so those, Texas, as well as going to Washington DC from what is highly likely to be the trickiest engagement – the expected meeting with Donald Trump in the White House. An invitation has not yet landed though the Government is not getting jittery yet, insisting it usually comes closer to the time.
Martin has a delicate balancing act presuming he does meet the volatile US president amid the threat of tariffs against the EU and thorny issues like the Trump administration’s approach to Gaza and Ukraine. It is perhaps the most difficult trip any Taoiseach has made to the White House
Winners and losers
Winners: With the announcement of €713 million for roads the Healy-Rae brothers, Regional Independents and rural backbenchers from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael will claim victory after years of accusing the Green Party of resisting roads projects in the last Government.
As Political Editor Pat Leahy reports Michael Healy-Rae and his brother Danny hailed the announcement of over €33 million in road grants for Kerry saying: “The people want tar and that is what we will give them”.
Losers: Irish taxpayers are the losers once again after it emerged that there has been what has been described as a “massive waste of money” on a failed Arts Council computer project which led to a loss of at least €5.3 million.
The Big Read
With all the talk of reviewing Rent Pressure Zones and the possibility of tax incentives for private property investors, Jennifer Bray is looking at whether the government is going back to the drawing board on housing, or sticking with more of the same.
Political Editor Pat Leahy will bring us the latest findings from the ARINS Project a study that explores attitudes to a possible future united Ireland.
Hear here
Speaking of which, support for Irish unity has grown significantly in the past three years in Northern Ireland, though a clear majority remains in favour of remaining part of the United Kingdom, according to the latest opinion poll for The Irish Times and the ARINS Project.
On Wednesday’s Inside Politics podcast Hugh Linehan was joined by Leahy and Brendan O’Leary from the University of Pennsylvania to discuss.
