Good morning.
Micheál Martin’s forthcoming trip to Washington for St Patrick’s Day is getting trickier by the day. At his first cabinet meeting in Washington yesterday, presided over by the president but with Elon Musk hovering with intent in the room, Donald Trump declared that he would soon impose tariffs on goods from the European Union.
“We have made a decision and we’ll be announcing it very soon,” Mr Trump said when questioned about his plans for EU tariffs. “It’ll be 25 per cent generally speaking, and that will be on cars and all other things.”
The president did not offer any new details of his proposed tariffs on the EU, but renewed his fierce attacks on the bloc for what he has long perceived as an unbalanced economic relationship.
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“They’ve really taken advantage of us in a different way. They don’t accept our cars. They don’t accept essentially our farm products, they use all sorts of reasons why not,” he said.
“Let’s be honest, the European Union was formed in order to screw the United States. That’s the purpose of it. And they’ve done a good job of it.”
In Dublin, Government Buildings declined to comment on president Trump’s latest outburst, with sources suggesting that they were reluctant to give a running commentary on everything that was said. Which in fairness would take up most of their time.
However, Mr Trump’s comments, just a fortnight before the Taoiseach visits Washington for St Patrick’s Day, are likely to heighten the apprehension in Dublin. By the time the trip comes around, Ireland – as part of the EU – could be in the middle of a trade war with the US.
Won’t Brussels retaliate? “They can try, but they can’t,” Trump said. Actually, as Politico reports this morning, the EU can — and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen has already said she will.
Here’s our front page story.
Incidentally The New York Times has some live video footage of the US cabinet meeting, which you can see here.
Wonder if there’s any chance of that catching on here?
Speaking volumes
Back in Leinster House meanwhile, attention is on bigger issues: speaking rights for Michael Lowry and the Government-supporting (or are they?) Independent backbenchers and the timetable for questions to the Taoiseach.
Last night, Opposition leaders marched out onto the plinth to angrily decry the move by the Government to push its revised speaking arrangements through the Dáil reform committee. So the row that exploded in January is due for another airing. That was always likely: back in January the Government promised to work to gain Opposition agreement; the Opposition interpreted this as a promise to secure their agreement. Not the same thing at all, as has now become clear. The bottom line is that the Oireachtas can’t function without some level of agreement between Government and Opposition. And there’s no sign of that yet.
Best reads
Miriam Lord on more tetchy exchanges in the Dáil.
Derek Scally on the rise of the AfD in Germany.
Alanna O’Malley wonders what the geopolitical realignment will mean for Irish foreign policy and concludes it will require less fudging about neutrality.
Newton Emerson says that increases in British defence spending may mean less welfare spending in Northern Ireland.
Playbook
First ministerial questions for the new Ministers for Education and for Social Protection in the Dáil this morning.
Then Leaders’ Questions at noon – with Tánaiste Simon Harris on Thursdays – and statements on the Housing Commission report in the afternoon. Might be interesting to see what new Minister for Housing James Browne has to say about the rash of recent leaks about changes to housing policy. A quiet day in the Seanad, where the Statute Law Revision Bill is at committee stage.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin is in Belfast today, where he will speak at the Dublin Belfast Economic Corridor Summit before heading to Stormont for meetings with First Minister Michelle O’Neill and Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly and the other party leaders.
Over in Washington, meanwhile, British prime minister Keir Starmer visits the White House to meet Donald Trump. Mark Paul previews.
But basically anything could happen.
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