Taoiseach Micheál Martin (centre left) with former taoiseach Brian Cowen in 2011
“The banks were not bailed out” – Taoiseach Mícheál Martin tells the Dáil that bank shareholders were not bailed out during the financial crisis @rtenews pic.twitter.com/a01nJejHrF
— RTÉ Politics (@rtepolitics) December 16, 2020
Ah.
Here.
FIGHT!
Join today’s live Q&A with @DrMikeRyan and Dr @mvankerkhove, on how to spend the upcoming holidays season safely during #COVID19.#AskWHO your questions!
🗓️ Today at 6PM CET pic.twitter.com/L3bOM4eDqH
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) December 16, 2020
This afternoon.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has urged Europeans to wear masks INDOORS during family gatherings at Christmas.
Via WHO:
“It may feel awkward to wear masks and practise physical distancing when around friends and family, but doing so contributes significantly to ensuring that everyone remains safe and healthy,”
“Vulnerable people and older friends or relatives may find it very difficult to ask loved ones to stay away physically, regardless of the anxieties or concerns they may have. Consider what others may be feeling and the difficult decisions they will be facing.”
Good times.
Covid-19: Europeans urged to wear masks for family Christmas (BBC)
Pic: AP
This afternoon.
Outside the Draíocht Arts Centre in Blanchardstown, Dublin.
The cast of The Stories of Hans Christian Anderson greeting the public ahead of a show featuring Thumbelina, The Emperor’s New Clothes, The Ugly Duckling and The Little Mermaid online and at venues nationwide.
Ticketing information and venues here
Sasko Lazarov/Photocall Ireland
‘Revellers’ celebrate 420 on Custom House Quay, Dublin 1 last year
This afternoon.
Via RTÉ:
People caught with a small amount of cannabis for personal use from today can now avoid a criminal conviction if they admit the offence and accept an adult caution.
The gardaí announced today that the offence is one of four which have been approved for the adult cautioning scheme by the Director of Public Prosecutions.
It is the first time a drugs offence can be deemed not to be a criminal offence.
The Adult Cautioning Scheme allows a person who has made a mistake to avoid a criminal conviction.
FINALLY!
Adult cautions to be issued for minor cannabis possession offences (RTÉ)
Pic: Johnny Keenan
Taoiseach Micheál Martin
This afternoon.
The Dail in the Convention Centre
Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said he has put a ‘redacted version’ of the Guerin Report (commissioned to investigate the reporting of confidential information by Garda whistleblower Maurice McCabe) in the Oireachtas Library.
He told Labour TD Brendan Howlin the action was the “culmination” of correspondence with former Minister for Justice Alan Shatter on the matter.
Mr Martin said:
“In February 2019, the Supreme Court found that the conclusions regarding Mr [Alan] Shatter in the [Sean] Guerin report were outside the scope of the terms of reference for the review and were arrived at without an invitation to Mr Shatter to express his views.
“The court granted a declaration that the conclusions in the report and in respect of Mr Shatter were outside the scope of Mr Guerin’s terms of reference. The court also emphasised that it was far from being critical of Mr Guerin’s conduct in carrying out the review in the prevailing circumstances. In my view it is important that the decision of the Supreme Court is properly reflected in terms of the information placed before the House.
“Therefore as a matter of propriety and fairness, I recently placed the redacted version of the report in the Oireachtas library with those paragraphs which the Supreme Court found were out of scope of the review removed from the text. The revised report is accompanied by the full text of the Supreme Court judgment in order to contextualise the matter.”
Anyone?
Previously: Natural Justice
We made this demo over a year ago but had to walk away from it.
It was too political. People could get hurt.But with everything that’s going on, we simply cannot stay silent any longer.
So here it is.
‘Brexit Means Breakfast’#Brexit #breakfasthttps://t.co/Aiyl0Sen6b
— Synthia Nixon (@Synthia_Nixon) December 14, 2020
Breakfast Means Brexit.
White pudding-free choonage
Banging nonetheless.
This afternoon.
Irish light bulb company, Solus shines a ‘light’ on great grandfather Paddy Price, age 89, a beardless Irish Santy who has brought cheer to the village of Prosperous, County Kildare since 1965. Part of a series of stories highlighting ‘ordinary people that do extraordinary things’.
In fairness.
Thanks Helen O’Dwyer
Kieran O’Callaghan (right), Chief Executive Cargo Logistics, and colleagues arriving at Leinster House earlier to report to the Joint Committee on Transport and Communications Networks, on the impact of Brexit on haulage, freight, the ports and ferry companies.
This afternoon.
Oireachtas transport committee, Leinster House, Dublin 2.
The Irish road haulage industry has warned that disruptions and obstructions from new customs and imports controls at Irish Sea ports post-Brexit will have “catastrophic consequences”.
Irish Road Haulage Association president Eugene Drennan said the next four weeks will be “a period of unprecedented disruption for the movement of goods”.
The disruption new border checks at ports will cause to the transport industry will be “immense” and have “the capacity to bring the licensed haulage industry to a standstill”, he said
Irish hauliers warn of ‘catastrophic consequences’ post-Brexit (Irish Times)
Dr. Gabriel Scally
Sure why not.
This morning.
Public health expert Dr Gabriel Scally has said that the Irish and UK governments should ask families to postpone family gatherings this Christmas to the summer solstice in June.
Via RTÉ News:
As an incentive for people to keep their distance from families over the coming holiday period, he said two extra bank holidays should be offered in June 2021.
By then, he said, the vaccine rollout will have helped enormously.
Dr Scally warned that you cannot play catch up with a virus when case numbers rise.
He said that it was no good implementing restrictions when numbers have increased and said that sensible restrictions should be in place at all times.
Public health expert wants Christmas gatherings delayed (RTÉ)
Tents on fire in the city center.
We are hoping this was not intentionally done.
Teams are at location now.
Things really are bad enough on the streets without any malicious behavior. #DontForgetMe pic.twitter.com/6N2NmxPQJo
— Cllr. Anthony Flynn (@AnthonyICHH) December 15, 2020
Last night.
Foley Street, Dublin.
Meanwhile…
This morning.
Inner City Helping Homeless reports that the tent belonged to a rough sleeper, and was not occupied at the time of the fire.
