Politics is a tough game and that is as true in Ireland as anywhere else.
But as has become the norm over the decade of political turmoil in Britain since the Brexit referendum, if anyone in Leinster House thinks they’re having a hard time, they only need to look across the Irish Sea to find their counterparts in Westminster have it worse.
This week it is the turn of British prime minister and Labour leader Keir Starmer whose party suffered a drubbing in elections in England, Wales and Scotland.
As our London Correspondent Mark Paul reports on today’s front page, Starmer’s job as UK prime minister appeared to be slipping away from him on Monday night as upwards of 70 of his own Labour MPs called on him to step down or set out a timeline for departure.
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Several cabinet members were understood to have called for him to set out a timetable for his departure.
Starmer, under pressure over his party’s dire performance in elections last week, had hoped to shore up his position with a speech promising to develop closer ties with the European Union, amid a renewed effort to prove his “doubters wrong”.
However, this did not staunch the flow of internal dissent as allies of his main leadership rivals called on him to plan for his exit in what seemed to be a series of co-ordinated, drip-fed interventions.
As Monday wore on, the calls also shifted from ordinary backbenchers to more senior ministerial aides, a ratcheting up of the pressure on Starmer.
Several backbench allies of British health secretary and leadership hopeful Wes Streeting called on Starmer to step down swiftly on Monday evening.
But among the aides, Joe Morris, one of Streeting’s parliamentary private secretaries – a PPS, an MP who works as an assistant to a senior minister – quit his job to call on Starmer to go.
Other backbenchers, seen as supporters of Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, called for Starmer to plan for a slower “orderly transition” that would give their favoured candidate time to re-enter the House of Commons in a byelection.
If the flow of dissenters were to shift in the coming days from PPS rank to junior ministers, and after that, cabinet members, then Starmer’s position may become untenable.
Earlier on Monday, Starmer said he still wanted to lead Labour into a battle “for Britain’s soul” with Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party, as he insisted he would also fight any leadership challengers.
In his analysis, Mark writes Starmer has been here before with many previous attempts to “reset” his government.
He writes that unfortunately for the prime minister, the attempt at “a fresh start with a stale message fell flat.
“It was the same old Starmer, the same old story” and “the difference now is that his job really is in danger”.
Fianna Fáil centenary takes place with byelection campaigns in full swing
This week marks 100 years since the inaugural meeting of Fianna Fáil at the La Scala Theatre in Dublin.
The party is holding its 84th ardfheis this weekend to coincide with the centenary.
On Monday’s Inside Politics podcast, Hugh Linehan and Pat Leahy are joined by reporter and historian Ronan McGreevy to trace Fianna Fáil’s origins and assess its legacy.
Ronan explains how in 1926, with frustration growing at Sinn Féin’s ineffectiveness, Éamon de Valera and allies such as Seán Lemass formed Fianna Fáil, rapidly building hundreds of cumainn.
He looks at how the party first entered the Dáil, creating the two-party system that would dominate 20th-century Irish politics, and how it ultimately won power.
The discussion also covers the party’s catch-all pragmatism, recent history of compromise with Fine Gael, and its mixed legacy of ties to corruption along with a commitment to democracy and State institutions.
The party’s current leader, Taoiseach Micheál Martin, meanwhile, was interviewed on Virgin Media’s Monday with Gavan Reilly programme last night where he said there was an attitude in his party to “get things done”.
He said Fianna Fáil “made a difference” when it took over the housing portfolio in 2020 and his party had historically made “very significant achievements” in housing.
Fianna Fáil’s centenary is taking place against a backdrop of byelections in Dublin Central and Galway West that it is unlikely to win – though that is generally the case with Government parties in byelections.
In today’s coverage of the Dublin Central race we join left-wing candidates on the campaign trail – Janet Horner of Green Party, Labour’s Ruth O’Dea and Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin of People Before Profit.
They push back against a narrative that Sinn Féin and the Social Democrats are the front-runners in the constituency.
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In our Opinion section, Fintan O’Toole looks at the career of former Conservative Party adviser Steve Hilton and asks: “How do we get from a risible political farce at a cattle fair in Macroom in 1992 to the possible next governor of California?” He writes: “It’s a wildly improbable journey but one that tells us a great deal about how democratic politics lost its marbles.”
Jack Horgan-Jones reports spending on a €2.5 billion scheme to address safety defects in Celtic Tiger-era apartments could be capped and the Department of Housing is working on legislation to put the scheme into effect. Ministers were told in recent weeks that while it will cover 100 per cent of eligible costs, this will be subject to upper limits.
Dublin is to host a “Davos on tour” event next week, with the organisers of the World Economic Forum travelling beyond the Swiss mountain village, which plays host to an annual gathering of global business and political leaders.
Meanwhile, Consumer Affairs Correspondent Conor Pope reports on how holiday operators have recorded a slump in bookings despite airfare reductions to sun spots.
Playbook
The Cabinet will meet this morning. Harry McGee’s tee-up story – including how the Government is expected to approve a memo setting out how it will support the 40 businesses seriously affected by the large fire in Waterford at the weekend – is here.
Dáil proceedings begin at 2pm with Leaders’ Questions.
Government business in the afternoon is statements on International Nursing Day from 3.51pm.
Sinn Féin’s proposed legislation aimed at giving more powers to the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities to monitor energy prices and any anticompetitive behaviour in the gas and electricity market will be debated at Second Stage at 6.16pm.
Minister for Higher Education James Lawless is due to take Parliamentary Questions at 8.16pm.
There is an opportunity for TDs to raise topical issues at 9.52pm.
A Private Members’ motion on domestic, sexual and gender-based violence will be debated in the Seanad from 5pm.
In committee land, the Committee on Artificial Intelligence will look at defence and cybersecurity and just and law enforcement from 11.10am.
The Committee on Public Petitions will consider a series of petitions including one for equal parenting time/shared parenting to become the default under Irish family law; the declaration of one-off national holidays for World Cup qualification playoffs; and a ban on students and teachers using AI. The meeting begins at 11am.
The Committee on Justice will examine legislation from Sinn Féin that proposes to provide victims of sexual violence with the right to seek civil protection orders. TDs and Senators will hear from representatives of Rape Crisis Ireland and Women’s Aid from 3pm.
Peace building in the Middle East – reflecting on Ireland’s peace process will be discussed at the Committee on Foreign Affairs at 3pm.
Representatives of the Department of Housing, Dublin City Council and the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission will be before the Committee on Housing to be quizzed on Dublin inner city flat complex regeneration at 3pm.
The Committee on Budgetary Oversight will look at budgetary responses to the energy crisis and cost of living pressures from 3.40pm. Representatives of the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) as well as various academics will be in attendance.
Data Protection Commission representatives will be at the Committee on Social Protection to discuss the Social Welfare and Other Matters Bill which includes a proposal to allow people to use their Public Services Card as a form of identification when engaging with financial institutions. The meeting starts at 6pm.
The full Dáil, Seanad and Committee schedule can be found here.
