This week’s Floating Voter podcast on Independent.ie took a look at how social media abuse should be tackled by the Government. Fianna Fáil’s Niamh Smyth and Sinn Féin’s Louise O’Reilly shared their own experiences of some of the hate they have received online. Deputy O’Reilly revealed that she was this week contacted by Gardaí who inquired about her home security. She also said that she has been previously targeted by the now-removed Barbara J Pym Twitter account, which former Sunday Independent columnist Eoghan Harris admitted to helping to run. Cavan Monaghan Deputy Smith, who is the chair ..read more

Mary Lou McDonald should answer “detailed questions” on Sinn Féin’s internal voter database to ensure her party is not carrying out “Cold War” like profiling of Irish citizens, Labour Party leader Alan Kelly has said. Mr Kelly said revelations about Sinn Féin’s Abú system posed serious questions for Ms McDonald. Speaking on Independent.ie’s Floating Voter podcast, the Tipperary TD said: “I think Mary Lou McDonald needs to come out front and face questions in relation to this - very detailed questions.” “Effectively we need to know if we have a political party that's building a national databas ..read more

Green Party Chairperson and Dublin Lord Mayor has admitted that while the chances of her winning a Seanad seat are slim, she has put herself forward for her daughter. Cllr Hazel Chu is in the running as an independent candidate for a seat on the Commercial and Industrial panel, having failed to secure the backing of her party. Following her move, there has been discontent in the Green Party, with three Senators putting forward three motions before the parliamentary party meeting last night, one of which was no confidence in the Chair. Speaking on Independent.ie’s Floating Voter podcast, Cllr C ..read more

Sinn Féin is taking disciplinary action against councillor Paddy Holohan after he failed to remove a Facebook post supporting a salon owner who reopened in breach of Covid-19 restrictions. Senior Sinn Féin TD Pearse Doherty said there is a disciplinary procedure underway after Mr Holohan, who has previously been suspended from the party, failed to remove the post. “This fella made a comment, we told him that comment isn’t in keeping with the party’s view, we told him to withdraw it, he isn’t doing so, there’s a disciplinary procedure, the party will deal with that,” Mr Doherty told Independent ..read more

European nationalism has turned Ireland into “bureaucratic losers” in the race to vaccinate citizens, a Fianna Fáil TD has said. Outspoken Sligo-Leitrim deputy Marc MacSharry said the EU “made a balls” of procuring vaccines and insisted Ireland should explore other ways to increase supply Speaking on the Floating voter podcast, Mr MacShary also severely criticised the Government’s reliance on the EU for vaccines and called on the Taoiseach to ask Prime Minister Boris Johnson for any extra supplies the UK has left over. He said the Government should extend the date between first and second vacc ..read more

The Taoiseach should receive the coronavirus vaccine ahead of Cabinet colleagues to travel to the US, according to a Fine Gael Junior Minister. Fine Gael Minister of State for Overseas Development Aid and Diaspora Colm Brophy said on Independent.ie’s Floating Voter podcast that Taoiseach Micheál Martin should be vaccinated to be able to travel to the US for the St Patrick’s Day visit. Mr Brophy said that Cabinet Ministers should then be vaccinated as per the vaccine priority list and should be “no exception” to the list. “I don’t think that with the exception of the Taoiseach and for the reaso ..read more

Criticism of government is “jumped on and stamped down” by internal Green Party “enforcers”, a TD has claimed. She was speaking on the Independent.ie Floating Voter podcast about Cllr Peter Kavanagh’s statements after he left the party this week, where he stated that criticism of the party by members is viewed as “betrayal”. “That resonated with me and I think that kind of, people within the party taking up the role as enforcer, that is a genuinely a problem,” she said. “That doesn’t lead to an atmosphere within the party that’s nice, that’s a nice place to be.” She said that criticism is some ..read more

A Fine Gael senator has detailed her experience with Covid-19, which saw her isolated in her room for days on end while her young children cried out for their mother. Emer Currie tested positive for coronavirus in October. When she first started coughing, the Dublin politician did not believe she had been infected with the virus but went for a test as a precaution. However, by the time the positive result came back, her cough had become more persistent and she was suffering a shortness of breath. Speaking to Independent.ie’s Floating Voter podcast, Ms Currie said: “There is a split second when ..read more

'Hostility and aggression' amongst principals after Taoiseach announces plans for Leaving Certs to attend school three days a week There is “hostility” among principals in reaction to government plans to allow Leaving Certs to attend school for three days a week, according to education spokesperson for the Social Democrats and Dublin Central TD Gary Gannon. Speaking on Independent.ie’s political podcast The Floating Voter, the TD said that some principals were, in hyperbole, calling to storm on the Dáil “Trump style” in a meeting this morning. “The level of hostility in general, aggression on ..read more

Waiting times at pedestrian crossings should be reduced to just 30 seconds, Green Party leader Eamon Ryan has said. As part of an effort to encourage walking, the Dublin TD says cars should be made to wait rather than people travelling by foot.He told Independent.ie’s ‘Floating Voter’ podcast that many pedestrian lights leave walkers waiting 90 seconds before giving them a green light to cross.“Everybody jay-walks. Why? Well one of the reasons is that we have 90 second waits on a lot crossing. It doesn’t have to be like that,” he said.“If you go to San Francisco, a not too dissimilar city to D ..read more