Attorney General Paul Gallagher; Minister for Children, Disabilty, Equality and Integration Roderic O’Gorman in the Dail at the Convention Centre, October 22

But did they?

This morning.

Further to controversy over the sealing of the Mother and Baby Home Commission records…

“My department has engaged extensively with the Attorney General’s office on this issue and the advice we have received, to which the department is bound, is that the GDPR right of access to personal data set out in article 15 of the GDPR is expressly prohibited by section 39 of the Commissions of Investigation Act.”

Minister for Children Roderic O’Gorman, October 22

Via the Irish Times:

However, a spokesman for Mr O’Gorman confirmed that the first time there was direct contact between the Minister’s office and the Attorney General’s office was in the week of October 19th, after a query about access to records in the archive had been raised by the Data Protection Commissioner.

…The first time the current Attorney General, Paul Gallagher, gave direct official advice on the matter was at the Cabinet meeting on October 28th, when he said the 2004 Act did not preclude the consideration of data access requests by his department.

Roderic O’Gorman’s first direct contact with AG was in October (Irish Times)

Meanwhile…

Anyone?

Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney leaving Government Buildings last night following an apology from the Tánaiste for giving a copy of a contract negotiated between the Government and the Irish Medical Organisation to rival GP group, the National Association of General Practitioners

Yesterday.

Tanaiste Leo Varadkar’s full speech to the Dáil.

Meanwhile…

Yesterday.

Sinn Féin’s Pearse Doherty challenges the Tanaiste.

Meanwhile…

Last night: Meanwhile, In The Dáil

A dark parody by filmmaker Lydia Cambron, paralleling Dave Bowman’s hallucinogenic trip in Kubrick’s ‘2001: A space Odyssey’ with similar experiences we’ve all had since March of this year.

awesomer

Wombats use their backside for burrowing, mating and skull-crushing

One thing that you should learn to fear
Is the wombat and its rock hard rear
With the four boney plates
That they use to woo mates
And crush any foe that comes near

John Moynes

Pic: Dick King-Smith

This evening.

Tánaiste Leo Varadkar addresses the Dáil about why he gave a contract negotiated between the Government and the Irish Medical Organisation to former National Association of General Practitioners’ president Dr Maitiú O Tuathail in April 2019.

He opened with the following:

“I welcome this opportunity to give an account to the Dáil of my actions in April 2019 in relation to the contract negotiated between the Government and GPs, as represented by the Irish Medical Organisation or IMO.

“I welcome the opportunity to set the record straight and also the opportunity to refute some of the allegations against me and also apologise for my errors of judgment.”

Mr Varadkar will answer questions from deputies after his address.

Watch live here

UPDATE:

Except those last few times.

This afternoon.

The final poll of polls as America goes to the, er, polls.

The tally puts Democrat candidate Joe Biden leading President Donald Trump by 8.1 percentage points.

A Donald Trump victory would be the “biggest polling miss of the 21st century“, according to one leading US bookmaker.

Hmm.

US election 2020 live results: Donald Trump takes on Joe Biden in race for White House (The Guardian)

Meanwhile…

It has begun.

This afternoon.

Taoiseach Micheal Martin calls Tanaiste Leo Varadkar the Taoiseach ahead of a statement from Mr Varadkaer at 4.50pm on the leak brouhaha.

Meanwhile…

FIGHT!

Earlier: In The Soup

‘Confidential Basis’

Broadsheet.ie