Story of the Week
No problem scratching around for that one this week. It was the bigly story made even more bigly.
To quote the guy himself in the Rose Garden only nine days ago: “This is one of the most important days in American history. It is our declaration of American independence.”
He continued: “This is the golden age of United States. It’s coming back and coming back very strongly.”
For a little over a week. The climbdown on Wednesday, after the bond markets looked in danger of going into free fall, would have been a career-ending humiliation for any other politician and the clock would be ticking (think of former British prime minister Liz Truss who held on to her job for less time than it took for a lettuce to wilt). For Trump, everything is a victory – even a resounding defeat. He and his aides tried to present the volte face as part of the strategy all along.
But the retreat was only partial, and markets are still not reassured. There’s an escalating trade war with China. As of today both have announced crippling tariffs of 125 per cent on each other’s exports (bringing it up to 145 per cent for China as Trump already imposed one of 20 per cent). There is still a universal 10 per cent tariff in place for all other countries around the world with sectoral tariffs for pharma, lumber and semiconductors also being threatened. There’s already 25 per cent tariffs on steel and aluminium, and on cars and car parts.
This all-encompassing protectionist policy is beyond anything the US has done in the past, even arguably more than the early 1930s when similar policies led to the Great Recession in the US and around the world.
The prospect of stinging universal tariffs – plus high-percentage taxes on pharma imports in the US – has dominated Irish political discourse this month, with senior Ministers spelling out relatively grim scenarios (loss of job opportunities, reduction in growth forecast) of their impact on the economy here.
The 90-day ‘pause’ will allow a window for negotiation and perhaps more modest arrangements. But the unpredictability of Trump and his team of hard-core advisers, especially the influential tariff hawk Peter Navarro, don’t guarantee anything like that.
We will leave the last words to former US treasury secretary Janet Yellen. She described Trump’s tariffs as “the worst self-inflicted wound that I have ever seen an administration impose on a well-functioning economy”.
She also accused the US president of having “taken a wrecking ball” to the American economy.
Bigly, as he himself might say.
Bust up
Is Eoin Hayes a Social Democrats TD, or is he not a Social Democrats TD?
The Dublin Bay South TD has been a persona non grata with the SocDems since admitting he was economical with the verité when disclosing when he actually sold his shares in a US tech company which supplied software and solutions to the Israeli military.
Mr Hayes remains suspended from the parliamentary party with no immediate prospect of a fatted calf being prepared for his return. On sitting days in the Dáil, you will find him in the furthest corner of the Opposition benches sitting alongside Danny Healy-Rae.
But lo and behold. Suddenly the Soc Dems claimed their banished TD back during the week. However, it was not to give him a second chance. Rather, to use the mere fact that he had been elected a Soc Dems TD to leverage more of the spoils when the committee chairs were being handed out. The Soc Dems landed the chair of the health committee.
Miriam Lord made great fun of it on Thursday. Noting that the SocDems had made huge play of the argument that Michael Lowry’s group could not be in Government and Opposition at the same time, Miriam quoted Fianna Fáil TD Malcolm Byrne’s tasty quip: “So you can be a member of the SocDems and not a member of the Soc Dems at the same time.”
Labour grumbled about it in private but ultimately did not make an issue of it, even though it was at odds with the move. Its whip Duncan Smith did say publicly it was a bit rich. Others in the party would say the Soc Dems were pulling a bit of a fast one and they did not like it.
That’s all very well but does any of this affect me?
The HSE announced this week that it would be spending €250 million on capital investment on projects in Beaumont Hospital and in the northeast Dublin region.
No sooner was it out than the Dublin Bay North TD Barry Heneghan had issued a rather modest press release.
Young Heneghan (25) is a protege of former Independent TD and junior minister Finian McGrath, and is also part of the Regional Independent Group which supports the Government.
Pat Leahy reported on this on Wednesday. In a line taken straight from the Jackie Healy-Rae playbook, Heneghan stated: “Former minister for disabilities and current adviser of Mr Heneghan Finian McGrath has said ‘It is great to see the ‘HENEGHAN DEAL’ coming to fruition, long may it continue’.”
The Government quickly took issue with it, saying no such deal existed. When asked about it later Taoiseach Micheál Martin said of both Barry and Finian: “There is no Heneghan deal. To be fair to Finian, he would have form in the odd bout of hyperbole.”
Banana skin
A preliminary ruling by the European Court of Justice may have far-reaching implications for the Government’s decision to tell male asylum seekers it cannot provide sleeping quarters for them when there is no available accommodation. There are currently 3,000 people who have sought international protection who have no accommodation at present. It cited force majeure, or an unprecedented situation caused by the sudden upsurge in those arriving into the State as refugees from the Ukrainian war, or as asylum seekers.
Kitty Holland reported on Thursday that a legal opinion by an adviser to the court stated that Ireland “cannot use force majeure to justify failure to provide basic needs for international protection applicants”.
It says even where there is “a large influx of people” applying for asylum “member States cannot invoke force majeure to avoid responsibility for providing adequate reception conditions or compensating for harm caused”.
Winners and losers
Winner: The two Sinn Féin TDs who will chair the Oireachtas Committees on Justice and on Defence. A decade ago it would have been inconceivable for the party to hold those chairs.
Loser: Donald Trump
The Big Read
Pat Leahy has an interview with An Taoiseach Micheál Martin on Saturday.
Also, Pat’s column, and that of Miriam Lord, are indispensable reads for the weekend.
Hear here
The presidential election will be the set piece of the Irish political year.
The race has not yet taken shape but there are some early clues as to which candidates will be on ballot papers in November. Cormac McQuinn and Jack Horgan-Jones join Hugh for the first of many episodes dedicated to the presidency this year.
