Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Social democrats co-leader Catherine Murphy

This afternoon.

The Dáil, Leinster House, Dublin 2

“I think we have to continue to base our decisions on evidence but the plan, as was agreed by Government and published, is a living document.

I said from the very start, and I’ll say it again, that as things develop, elements of that plan could be accelerated, could be brought forward. But I really would ask the public and ask the House to hold firm for now.

We’re only in phase one and one of the reasons why it’s a three-week phase is so that we can have proper data. We know that, we won’t really now what effect the easing of the restrictions had for about two weeks.

So if we see that the numbers are still going very much in the right direction in the first week of June, that can give us an assurance that we could accelerate some of the things in the plan.

But before doing that, I think we’d be acting without evidence and that would be premature. So I would just ask people to hold firm until that first week in June.

And if the numbers are still going in the right direction, then we can have some confidence about bringing forward some of the things from the later phases to earlier on.”

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar under questioning from Social Democrats co-leader Catherine Murphy.

Clear?

More as we get it.

Earlier: You Won’t Lose Your Shirt

 

This afternoon.

Rotterdam in the Netherlands.

Civilised.

Meanwhile…

SIX steps.

Damn rotters.

Gemma O’Doherty and John Waters outside the High Court on May 6

This morning/afternoon.

Via The Irish Examiner:

High Court today was told of their intention to appeal Mr Justice Charles Meenan’s decision as the court heard arguments as to who should pay the legal costs of their action against the State and the Minister for Health.

The Dáil, the Seanad and the Ceann Comhairle were notice parties to the action.

When making submissions to the court on the issues of costs, both Ms O’Doherty and Mr Waters said they would be appealing the court’s refusal to grant them leave to mount a legal challenge to the Court of Appeal.

They argued that the court should not order them to pay the legal costs of the State or the notice parties on grounds including that their action was brought in the public interest.

John Waters and Gemma O’Doherty to appeal High Court refusal to allow challenge to Covid-19 laws

Previously: Dollyer

Rollingnews

Behold: the 1957 Willys FC-150 pickup, 30,000 of which were made between 1957 and 1963.

Dinky yet utilitarian and benefitting from a full Concours restoration in 2013, this 72bhp forward control (cab-over) oddity with a mere 65,000km on the clock comes up for auction next month.

hiconsumption

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar in the Dáil this afternoon

“There are in fact people making more on the Covid payments than they were working part-time and some employers are actually telling us that it’s hard to get people to go back to work because of that.”

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar on May 14 announcing plans to cut the Covid-19 unemployment payment as he claimed some people were milking the system.

Meanwhile…

This afternoon.

There you go now.

A little humility.

That’s wasn’t difficult.

Square Pegs – Thinking Of You

Need a pick-me-up?

This should do the trick. An Irish supergroup of all the talents, Square Pegs comprises Colm Quearney, Conor Brady, Justin Carroll, Cian Boylan, Graham Hopkins and Naomi Macleod.

The result is every bit as good as you’d expect.

Nick says: Be Square.

Square Pegs

‘sup?

This morning.

Gougane Barra, County Cork.

What a racket.

Broadsheet.ie