Remember that dreaded Monday morning feeling of not having done your homework?
This morning comes news the Government is unhappy with councils – and suspects many of them are dragging their heels on revised development plans.
“Serious concern” exists, says Minister for Housing James Browne, about progress in implementing new guidelines sent out last summer.
Those guidelines are meant to speed up housing delivery – and letters have been sent to 31 city and county councils reminding them to get a move on.
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Council chiefs have been threatened with a visit to the headmaster’s office – and warned that they “might be invited” to offer updates to the Taoiseach, Tánaiste and members of the relevant Cabinet committee.
Trump’s travails
You could go around the houses all day arguing about who is to blame for Ireland’s continuing accommodation shortage – but there is no doubt as to who causes the most heart palpitations in the Department of Finance these days.
“Tariff Man” will take up a fair bit of time again this week as Irish and European politicians try to work out what his latest travails mean for the trade framework agreed last summer.
Donald Trump said he would lash another 15 per cent on global imports to the US on Friday after the supreme court there ruled his scattergun approach to trade somewhat illegal.
The “Turnberry” deal limits any tariffs on European exports that go Stateside to 15 per cent tops. Anything in addition to that would be problematic for transatlantic relations.
One of Trump’s top men has tried to assuage European jitters. Trade representative Jamieson Greer has been reportedly on the blower to Brussels to say everything remains on track.
Of course, formal implementation of the deal was stalled at the European Parliament last month after Trump had everyone up in arms about Greenland. MEPs are due to vote it through tomorrow – but this new brainwave from the US president has some of them scratching their heads.
Trump’s 15 per cent, should it stand, would be a temporary, emergency measure – limited to 150 days – and he has promised the end of it will bring new, improved and entirely legal tariffs.
Irish officials will be concerned that Trump’s reduced leeway on blanket tariffs might encourage him to finally slap heavy duties on key sectors such as pharmaceuticals.
As they go about contending with that possibility, Irish civil servants are getting the merch in for Ireland’s upcoming presidency of Europe.
Ireland’s EU presidency merchandise
Up to €600,000 is to be spent on branded goodies – tote bags, umbrellas, pens and lapel pins are all being readied in preparation for the six-month stint.
This is all small beer compared with the estimated overall cost of hosting the presidency – €293 million.
All eyes, we are told, will be on Ireland’s ability to defend itself and those very important sub-sea cables while holding the presidency. Presumably with this in mind, the Minister for Defence is set to publish a new strategy on Wednesday.
Helen McEntee’s new maritime security plan would see Ireland consider taking part in a new EU regional hub that monitors that critical infrastructure in the gloomy depths of the North Atlantic. Deeper co-operation with the French and the British is also mooted.
In other presidential-related news, the decision on who will take Catherine Connolly’s vacant Galway West seat moved a little closer over the weekend.
Fine Gael have plumped for former government chief whip and junior minister Senator Seán Kyne.
He joins a list including candidates from Labour, the Social Democrats, the Green Party, Aontú and Independent Ireland.
Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin have yet to make a call on who will be in the running for them.
Sinn Féin’s leader ran the gamut of issues yesterday, telling RTÉ’s This Week programme her party couldn’t support the recently agreed EU loan deal for Ukraine – because more weaponry would not bring peace there.
Saying she opposed Vladimir Putin and his invasion, Mary Lou McDonald said Ireland, as a militarily neutral country, should not be supporting Kyiv’s purchase of new offensive hardware.
She was also grilled about her tribute to the late republican Brendan “Bik” McFarlane – who was imprisoned for a pub bombing in 1975 – and said he had helped sustain peace in the North.
Taking to the offensive, McDonald raised her concerns about what the Government’s pausing of the special-needs-assistants review might mean come September. She said it needed to “go into reverse” on any plans to reduce school allocations.
Micheál Martin, meanwhile, reversed his poll numbers somewhat – as Fianna Fáil saw a two-point increase to 17 per cent in the Red C poll published at the weekend. Last month’s reading was a real bad look, so the improvement steadies that ship.
