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Social Democrats swiftly complete a no-drama leadership change

Inside Politics: Catherine Murphy and Róisín Shortall enjoy a rare privilege in politics – stepping down at a time of their choosing

Holly Cairns delivers her maiden speech as the new leader of the Social Democrats to members of the party on Wednesday. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill

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Cormac McQuinn
Thu Mar 2 2023 - 07:43

Holly Cairns assumed the leadership of the Social Democrats just a week after the Catherine Murphy and Róisín Shortall announced their departure.

After eight years as co-leaders, they appear by all accounts to have enjoyed a rare privilege in politics – stepping down at a time of their choosing.

And, despite a couple of Social Democrats TDs thinking about it, no one but Cairns put their name forward to replace them and a leadership election was avoided. Political anoraks and Leinster House correspondents may never forgive the Social Democrats for the seemingly no-drama changeover at the helm of the party.

As Sarah Burns and Jennifer Bray report, Cairns took to her feet in the Dáil to quiz Taoiseach Leo Varadkar during her first Leaders’ Questions on Wednesday afternoon.

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Cairns lashed out at the Fine Gael governments in place ‘for almost my entire adult life’, saying the housing situation is now a ‘disaster'

The Cork South West TD said she was a member of the “first ever generation who will be worse off than our parents” and that this “didn’t happen by accident”.

She referenced the biggest political issue of the day, the housing crisis, and lashed out at the Fine Gael governments in place “for almost my entire adult life”, saying the situation is now a “disaster”.

Miriam Lord also cast her eye over Cairns’s first day dubbing it a “Holly Day of Coronation”. She also pokes fun at Varadkar marking her big day by talking about himself – a reference to his comments in the Dáil on the travails of leadership as he congratulated her for taking the role.

In her analysis Jennifer Bray says that while Cairns will be a breath of fresh air for the Social Democrats, her leadership will soon be tested. Bray writes that maintaining the electoral victories earned by the outgoing leaders will be the first challenge, coming uncommonly soon at the local elections in 2024.

Beyond this, writes Bray, Cairns must also find a compelling way to clearly tell voters not only what the Soc Dems would do about the biggest challenges in the country – namely housing, health, and climate – but what they would do differently than the main parties and their fellow parties on the left.

Best reads

In our lead story, Public Affairs Editor Simon Carswell reports on how AIB will tell the Finance Committee that around 1,900 AIB borrowers secured private debt write-offs of more than 90 per cent since the financial crash. The bank has disclosed this in the wake of the controversy over famed Kilkenny hurler DJ Carey’s debt write-down deal. Representatives of the bank will be before the committee at 1.30pm.

Sarah Burns reports on how a two-month electricity bill of €957 left a 100-year-old woman “totally gobsmacked”.

Harry McGee reports how Facebook has said that the online abuse of Labour councillor did not violate its community standards. It comes after a private community page in Co Louth targeted Cllr Michelle Hall with slurs over her stance on refugee issues.

As the DUP’s deliberations over the Brexit deal continue, Sinn Féin is saying its preparations for a return to the Stormont Assembly are now active. Seanín Graham reports.

Playbook

Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan is due to take Parliamentary Questions in the Dáil from 9am.

Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe is up next at 10.30am.

Leaders’ Questions is at 12pm.

Government Business in the afternoon (after 1:44pm) includes the Policing, Security and Community Safety Bill 2023.

TDs have an opportunity to raise Topical Issues at 4.30pm.

Sinn Féin has a Private Members’ Bill from Pa Daly and Rose Conway-Walsh, the Employment Equality (Pay Transparency) Bill 2022, at second stage at 5.18pm.

There will be a meeting of the Joint Committee on Autism in the Seanad Chamber from 11am.

The Committee on Housing continues pre-legislative scrutiny of the Draft Planning and Development Bill 2022 from 9.30am.

Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue will take questions on the review of the Climate Action Plan 2023 at the agriculture committee at 9.30am.

Representatives of the National Treasury Management Agency and the Department of Health will be before the Public Accounts Committee to be quizzed on the management of the Clinical Indemnity Scheme, also at 9.30am.

Women’s rights activist Bronagh Hinds is due to appear at the Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement as it continues its engagements with architects of the Belfast Agreement.

The full Dáil schedule can be found here.

The full Seanad schedule can be found here.

The full committee schedules can be found here.