Tag Archives: Eamon Ryan

Houses on Inis Mor overlooking the Atlantic towards Connemara, Co Galway

For as long as I have been reading the pages of this newspaper, and observing political debate more generally, public discourse has been gripped by the trials and tribulations of a place called “Rural Ireland”.

While nobody ever defines where this place actually is, by common consensus it seems to be somewhere, or everywhere, out there “beyond the M50 motorway”.

Green Party leader Eamon Ryan was the latest to incur the instant wrath of “Rural Irelanders” by having the temerity to suggest that the radical lifestyle changes, which every major political party agrees will need to be brought about in response to climate change, may require a future with fewer cars.

The reality is that the narrative of “Rural Ireland” is now often deployed as a catch-all euphemistic trope to camouflage the deeply reactionary, car-based culture that we have allowed to develop over the past half-century.

We know from the census data that, in general, the vast bulk of “Rural Ireland” is located within 10 kilometres of a large town or city; those commuting greater than 30 minutes to work typically have higher incomes; and live in much larger houses.

“Rural Ireland” has a lot of genuine challenges which need urgent, sustained attention, but it is not a homogenous space.

North Leitrim is not the same as north Kildare. Much of what we class as “Rural Ireland” is, in fact, the sprawling geographical extension of “Urban Ireland”, or what is more pejoratively referred to as middle-class flight.

As the debate on what we do about climate change intensifies, so too will the prominence of “Rural Ireland”.

It therefore behoves us to have more nuanced media reporting. This will require a recognition that; not only does its car-dependent legacy create very many real and practical problems for decarbonisation; it is also a state of mind that needs to be challenged.

Gavin Daly,
Heseltine Institute for Public Policy, Practice and Place,
University of Liverpool.

FIGHT!

Finding ‘Rural Ireland’ (The Irish Times letters page)

Previously: It Takes A Village

‘We Deeply Regret The Hurt That Has Been Caused’

Rollingnews

From top: Ranelagh village; Green Party Leader Eamon Ryan during pre-Budget 2020 submissions last week

This morning/afternoon.

Further to the ongoing immense brouhaha over Green Party Leader Eamon Ryan’s proposal that one car could service 10 villagers in rural Ireland.

Of Mr Ryan , whose parliamentary constituency includes Ranelagh, Dublin 6,  Journalist  and columnist Philip Nolan tweetz:

‘Eamon Ryan wouldn’t dare tell his cosy D6 constituents they shouldn’t have at least one family car to drive Jemima to crèche, or he’d be toast.

So piss off telling rural ireland, where we actually have no public transport, that we somehow should organise a rota.’.

Alternatively…

Green Party Councillor for Swords, County Dublin, Ian Carey respondz:

Philip, he didn’t suggest restricting car ownership for anyone. He was proposing something additional to increase mobility. He has been totally misrepresented on this. There are lots of young ppl locked out of car ownership because of insurance costs and need cheaper options.

Alternatively…

Climate change sceptic Fiona Marie Flanagan addz:

‘One car per 10 families? Wolves in the wild? Tree planting?

Don’t for one minute think that Eamon here has the creativity to come up with any of this nonsense by himself – it’s all taken from Agenda 2030, the UN blueprint for global control…’

FIGHT!

Update:

This afternoon.

Via Eamon Ryan

Wednesday: It Takes A Village

Rollingnews

Earlier: While You Were Sleeping

This morning.

Ireland AM.

Ocean FM writez:

Villages in rural Ireland with 300 families could voluntarily restrict themselves to 30 cars per village and share transport needs…

That’s the suggestion of Green Party leader, Eamon Ryan, speaking on Ireland AM on Virgin Media One this morning, challenged by presenter, Ciara Doherty….

Via Ocean FM

Ron writes:

There are no words…

From top: The Currency; Denis O’Brien; Green Party leader Eamon Ryan; Taoiseach Leo Varadkar

This afternoon.

In the Dáil.

Green Party leader Eamon Ryan raised with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar the recent decision by Denis O’Brien-owned Communicorp – which owns Today FM, Newstalk, Dublin’s 98FM and Spin 1038 – to ban all The Currency staff, journalists, and contributors from appearing on the company’s radio stations.

It follows the implementation of similar ban against Irish Times‘ journalists in 2017.

He said:

“It seems to me that there’s a lacuna on our law. The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland seems unwilling to take action against Communicorp which recently made a decision that certain members of the media, Tom Lyons and Ian Kehoe, from currency.ie [sic, thecurrency.news] will be restricted from taking part in radio programmes on their stations.

“It’s similar to the decision taken two years ago in response to an article Fintan O’Toole wrote which saw The Irish Times’ journalists banned from the stations.

“The recent case they say it because of commercial rivalry.

“I sense, I’ve talked to every grouping here today, is that every party is in agreement that that’s an egregious or has a poor effect on our democracy. We need a free press which is open to debate and allows different voices to be heard.

“And whether it’s for commercial reasons or whether it’s an editorial view of a certain owner – that they mightn’t like what is written in a paper – to ban journalists from radio stations is not what we want.

“To avoid the legislation, could I ask you maybe to join the other leaders and groups of every grouping in this House, to write a letter to Communicorp asking them to reverse the decision in both cases and to stand up for press freedom.

“I’d be keen to hear your views on that so I’d be happy to join the deputy in that.

In response, Mr Varadkar said:

“My sentiments are the same as his [Eamon Ryan’s] on this matter. I believe in free speech and I believe in a free press and I don’t believe anyone should be banned from the airwaves – journalist or citizen – unless it’s for a very good reason.

“And those reasons should be somebody inciting hatred but I don’t think that anyone should be banned from the radio, from TV, or from any publication, solely based on who their employer is.”

The Currency was launched last week by former Sunday Business Post editor Ian Kehoe and business editor Tom Lyons.

Hours after the website went live, Communicorp producers were informed of the ban.

Earlier this year, Mr O’Brien lost a defamation action he took against the Sunday Business Post over articles published in March 2015 about a Government-commissioned but unpublished PricewaterhouseCoopers report into Ireland’s top 22 borrowers.

The newspaper reported that PwC recorded Mr O’Brien as No.10 on the list.

In November 2008, after receiving the PwC report, the then Taoiseach Brian Cowen told the Dáil that Ireland was right to guarantee the banks in September 2008.

He also told the Dáil that there was enough money in Ireland’s banks for the next three years.

Mr O’Brien claimed the articles concerning him in the Sunday Business Post were defamatory of him but the jury found this was not the case.

Previously: Converted

Closing Arguments

Further to the Morning Ireland ‘coverage gap‘

Green Party TD Eamon Ryan tweetz:

What a pity then that RTÉ is all at sea when it comes to covering climate change. With the exception of their correspondent and a few programme makers, they don’t seem to know how to inform the public on the issue. Can that change?

RTE ‘failing’ to inform public about environmental issues, new study finds (Green News)

Last week: The Coverage Gap

90411250

This afternoon.

Leinster House, Dublin.

Newly forgiven Green Party leader Eamon Ryan, just elected in Dublin South, and Green Party deputy leader Catherine Martin, a new TD for the Dublin Rathdown constituency.

Bloody hippies.

Earlier: Dan Boyle: The Germans Have A Word For It

Guess Who Just Got Back Today

Sam Boal/Rollingnews

90342910-190342920-1

(Top) Brian Hayes and  Eamon Ryan  (above) calling for a recount.

4am: A night of high drama in the RDS, Ballsbridge, Dublin as the Dublin European election went to a 7th count to decide the final 2 seats.

Lynn Boylan of Sinn Féin was the first candidate to be elected on count 3 after recording an initial 83,264 first preferences votes.

By count 7, it came down to Eamon Ryan (Green), Nessa Childers (Ind) and Brian Hayes (Fine Gael) for the remaining two seats.

It ended with victory to Childers (73,598) and Hayes (73,405) with Ryan closely behind on 72,256 votes who immediately asked for a recount.

A decision on whether a recount will be held will be made at 2pm this afternoon. If Brian Hayes is elected, a by-election in Dublin South West will be needed to decide his vacant Dáil seat.

Recount Requested in Dublin Constituency (RTE)

Meanwhile, earlier…

903428979034285290342847

From top: Lynn Boylan (Sinn Fein) following the third count; and the eliminated: Emer Costello (Labour) with her husband Joe Costello TD and Mary Fitzpatrick (Fianna Fail).

(Laura Hutton, Mark Stedman/Photocall Ireland)