Tag Archives: Think-In

This morning.

Clayton Hotel, Dublin.

Sinn Féin parliamentary members, including party President Mary Lou McDonald (above left) and Finance Spokesperson Pearse Doherty (above right) gather ahead of Sinn Féin’s think-in.

 Sasko Lazarov/RollingNews

Earlier…

Alternatively…

G’wan the Bilderberg.

This afternoon.

Airfield Estate, Dundrum, Dublin.

Green Party Leader Eamon Ryan speaking to the media with Green Party Ministers Catherine Martin, Roderic O’Gorman and Pippa Hackett on day 1 of the party’s think-in.

Via RTÉ:

Regarding criticism from the National Women’s Council of a decision by the party not to sanction Brian Leddin TD over his comments on a WhatsApp group, Mr Ryan said the Greens had the highest representation of women in any political party.

He added the party needed to maintain a “culture of dignity and respect” to promote women in politics and confirmed the issue would be discussed at the party’s think-in.

Green Party Deputy Leader Catherine Martin said she had made her views known on the issue and had spoken to Brian Leddin but she would not comment further as the matter “is subject of a garda investigation.”

Ryan says councils must row in behind Government housing plan (RTÉ)

Leah Farrell/RollingNews

This afternoon.

Trim county Meath.

Tanaiste and Fine Gael leader Leo Varadkar on the roof of Trim Castle Hotel with Trim Castle in the background, speaking to the media on the first day of the party’s think-in, alongside Minister of State for Civil and Criminal Law Hildegarde Naughton (in yellow) and Minister of State for Business, Employment and Retail, Damien English (above left).

All the big hitters.

FIGHT!

Think-in will unite Fine Gael party – Varadkar (RTÉ)

Eamonn Farrell/RollingNews

Update:

This afternoon.

Late to the roof were: Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney and Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris and Frances Fitzgerald MEP.

RollingNews


This afternoon.

Ballycotton, East Cork

A break during Day 2 of the Fine Gael ‘think-in’ with from top: Senator Frank Feighan and Maria Walsh MEP; lMinister for the Environment and Housing Eoin Murphy and Senator Michelle Mulherin; from left: Heather Humphries, Minister for Enterprise, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, Minister for Rural and Community Affairs Michael Ring, and Minister for Justice, Charlie Flanagan; Maria Bailey TD and Senator Tim Lomdbard.

Earlier: “You Can Leave Anytime”

Eamonn Farrell/Rollingnews

This morning.

Members of Fine Gael, including Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Minister for Agriculture and Cork TD Michael Creed (centre pic) and Maria Bailey TD and Marcella Corcoran Kennedy TD (above), at the party’s ‘think-in’ at Garryvoe Hotel in Garryvoe, Co Cork.

Meanwhile…

On RTÉ’s News At One

Tánaiste Simon Coveney, above, told the show:

“Fine Gael is a safe pair of hands in Government. Yes, we’ve made some mistakes….I would ask people to judge governments and judge political parties by their record and I think, by the time an election comes around next May, I would hope that we’ll be able to stand over a very strong record.”

Listen back in full here

Rollingnews

UPDATE:

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has told those attending the Fine Gael think-in:

“I have always said that I believed that the next general election should take place in the summer of 2020.

I think May 2020 is the right moment. It will allow to us to complete a full parliamentary session in the new year, discharge our Government duties around St Patrick’s Day and the March European Council and have a new Government in place well in advance of the next summer recess.”

May 2020 is the ‘right moment’ for a general election, says Taoiseach (The Irish Times)

From top: Members of the Labour party at its think-in at the D Hotel in Drogheda, Co Louth; a number of political correspondents outside a meeting of the party yesterday

Yesterday.

At the Labour party think-in in Drogheda, Co Louth.

A number of political correspondents listened through a door while a private meeting of Labour party members was under way.

Further to this…

Jennifer Bray, in Times Ireland edition, reports:

Brendan Howlin was excoriated by disgruntled members at a private meeting during the Labour Party’s think-in yesterday.

Mr Howlin faced a sustained onslaught about his leadership and was told that the public was “indifferent” to him and that the manner in which he was elected leader was “disgraceful”.

During a sometimes raucous meeting, councillors also vented their frustration about “disenfranchised” voters and the direction of the party.

Alan Kelly, the Labour TD for Tipperary, attacked his party, saying that the performance of the parliamentary group was “not good enough”.

Members should be encouraged to break ranks to air their grievances, he said, while representatives in the Dáil needed to be in the media more often.

Meanwhile, this morning.

Elaine Loughlin, in the Irish Examiner, reports:

A lengthy and at times heated debate on the Labour party leadership ended with members hugging each other, Brendan Howlin has revealed.

Mr Howlin has said the issue of leadership of the Labour party has been put to bed until after the next General Election.

Brendan Howlin attacked by Labour members over ‘lacklustre leadership’ (Jennifer Bray, Times Ireland edition)

Labour Party think-in: We are ‘going nowhere fast and doomed if we don’t change’ (Daniel McConnell, Irish Examiner)

Latest: Labour party are now united, says Brendan Howlin (Elaine Loughlin, Irish Examiner)

Pics: Labour and Sean Defoe


This morning/afternoon.

Grand Hotel, Malahide, County Dublin

Fianna Fáil Leader Micheál Martin and TDs, including a stubbly Stephen Donnelly,  at the start of the party’s think-in.

What is he think-in, any-one?

Sam Boal/RollingNews

Meanwhile…

This morning/afternoon.

Wynne’s Hotel, Dublin

Solidarity People Before Profit hold a ‘Think in’  with top, from left: Ruth Coppinger TD, Gino Kenny TD, Richard Boyd Barrett TD and Mick Barry TD.

Rollingnews

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Local Water charge protestors outside the second day of the Labour Party Think-In at White’s Hotel in Wexford town.

From top: William Duggan, Nikki O’Brien and various protestors outside the hotel on Abbery Street, Wexford this morning.

Meanwhile…Joan Burton under fire over ‘skin a cat’ remark (Independent.ie)

(Sam Boal/Photocall Ireland)

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Last night.

The FG Annual Think-In at the Fota Island Resort in County Cork.

An essay by Eamonn Farrell who writes:

“Normally a political party Think-In starts with the party leader addressing the media from a podium after his or her arrival at the event via a phalanx of brightly coloured mics, supported by a microphone holder on the podium. This year the party minders changed the set up with only the taoiseach, two ministers and a local TD at the podium. But they also left out the mic holders, which meant that the poor media operators (there are no journalists/photographers/cameramen or broadcasters anymore, just ‘media operators’), had to try and build a pyramid of individual mics…”

From top: Fergal Keane;  Paraic Gallagher (Newstalk) and Eileen Brophy (UTV); Martina Fitzgerald  of RTÉ (left), Damien Eagars (Irish Independent) and unidentified Sorcha Ní Riada, (RTÉ Nuacht) RTE.; Stephen O’Brien (Sunday Times); Katie Hannon (RTÉ); Enda Kenny and Michael Noonan.

(Eamonn Farrell/Photocall Ireland)