# The Gist
> News, data policy, law and the absurdity of life. A round up of what Ireland's talking about.
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## Pages
- [About](https://www.thegist.ie/about.md) - Free or paid, all subscribers get the Gist as an email into their Inbox.
- [Privacy Notice](https://www.thegist.ie/privacy-notice.md) - Here we are now. * The Gist is published by Data Ocean Limited, and written by Simon McGarr. You can reach us at info@datacomplianceeurope.eu * The purpose for the organization to process an individual’s personal data is to send you a newsletter and manage your membership of this website. If you ar…
- [Simon McGarr](https://www.thegist.ie/simon.md) - Hello, Gist reader. I'm Simon, and I write the Gist. I'm a lawyer with McGarr Solicitors in Dublin, and the managing director of Data Compliance Europe, a global consultancy on GDPR and data protection matters. I'm a Senior Advisor for M3AAWG and a guest lecturer with the European Academy of Law in…
- [You’re a paying subscriber!](https://www.thegist.ie/that-is-gratuitously-generous.md) - That is gratuitously generous! It’s good to have you here. You will start receiving updates right in your inbox. You can also log in to this website to read the full archives and other posts as they are published. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Some…

## Posts
- [The Gist: Who Will Lead FF Next?](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-who-will-lead-ff-next.md) - We're hurtling towards silly season, so let's just have some FF fun. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: The End of the 100 Year Government](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-the-end-of-the-100-year-government.md) - Ireland's 100 year government can't change itself, but the country must find a way to change. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: Humpty Dumpty's Wall of Biometric Bamboozlement](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-humpty-dumptys-wall-of-biometric-bamboozlement.md) - Jim O'Callaghan proposes AI powers for the police 'irrespective' of EU Law
- [Guest Gist: Everything Everywhere All at Once: Crime and Justice in the Age of Total Surveillance](https://www.thegist.ie/guest-gist-everything-everywhere-all-at-once-crime-and-justice-in-the-age-of-total-surveillance.md) - Every face is now a registration plate. Detection is less about gathering clues and more about querying databases. Where is our surveilled society bringing us? From Digital Rights Ireland's director Antoin O Lachtnain, this is the Guest Gist.
- [The Gist: Britain, the Ungoverned Country](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-britain-the-ungoverned-country.md) - The Labour Party's problem since Keir Starmer was elected was that it fed itself disinformation and pooped disaffection. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: Sunshine and Lollipops](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-sunshine-and-lollipops.md) - A report released this week was full of good news about people and bad news about political and media institutions. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: A Denial Of Service Attack](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-a-denial-of-service-attack.md) - The fuel blockade demonstrated state fragility and inability. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: The Very Hungry Killerpillar](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-the-very-hungry-killerpillar.md) - Seemingly to their own surprise, the Trump administration goes to war with Iran. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: The Promise of No Change](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-the-promise-of-no-change.md) - For every action needed, why is there an equal and opposite inaction? This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: UK Labour's FG mastermind](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-uk-labours-fg-mastermind.md) - The UK Labour Party is being run into the ground, thanks to adopting FG's election tactics. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: What you can do about the Abuse Factory](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-what-you-can-do-about-the-abuse-factory.md) - Four quick and powerful things you can do about X without even putting your phone down.
- [The Gist: The Abuse Factory](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-the-abuse-factory.md) - X, the child abuse imagery app, revealed our state has no red lines. This is the Gist.
- [Guest Gist: 2026, Our Already Rotting Future](https://www.thegist.ie/guest-gist-2026-our-already-rotting-future.md) - Seamus O'Reilly warns that If AI looked asinine and craven twelve months ago, we're looking at maximum bubbledrive this year. This is the (Guest) Gist.
- [Guest Gist: Monsters, Inc: Frankenstein, Dracula and masculinity](https://www.thegist.ie/monsters-inc-frankenstein-dracula-and-masculinity.md) - Sarah Manvel considers Monsters, Men and their 1990s selves by comparing Draculas and Frankensteins from then and now. This is The (Guest) Gist.
- [Mini-Gist: Power’s Walled City](https://www.thegist.ie/mini-gist-powers-walled-city.md) - Yesterday’s plan to control internet has already dwindled down to a pilot, with no MyGovID integration. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: Waving the Ban Hammer](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-waving-the-ban-hammer.md) - Patrick O'Donovan has proposed a National ID system, a Meta-endorsed regulation model and a mass surveillance machine, all in one. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: AI, The Sound and Fury](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-ai-the-sound-and-fury.md) - We can calculate the amount of money flowing into AI. But what will the full cost be to society when the bubble pops? This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: No contest](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-no-contest.md) - Catherine Connolly will be our next President. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: Jim Bows Out](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-jim-bows-out.md) - Jim Gavin decided to drop a Sunday night bombshell. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: Presidential Numberwang](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-presidential-numberwang.md) - After weeks of vibereporting, the first big poll of the campaign proper is out. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: A Presidental Trio](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-a-presidental-trio.md) - After a campaign lead up where every head-the-ball in Ireland suggested they'd like to be President, we're left with the bare minimum of three choices. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: The Presidential Selection](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-the-presidential-selection.md) - The time is ticking down to pick the candidates to replace Michael D. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: A Balancing Act](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-a-balancing-act.md) - The Minister for Justice wants to break the EU’s encrypted messaging security. This is the Gist
- [The Gist: Age Verification is an Epic fail](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-age-verification-is-an-epic-fail.md) - From the 21st July 2025, Ireland’s regulator will be enforcing age checks at the door for social media sites in the EU. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: The Price of Ugliness](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-the-price-of-ugliness.md) - Jack Chambers announces his new policy to fill Ireland with ugly things. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: Not Mandatory, Not Compulsory, Not Legal](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-not-mandatory-not-compulsory-not-legal.md) - The DPC has fined the Department of Social Protection €550,000. This is the Gist.
- [Guest Gist: Empires of Certainty](https://www.thegist.ie/guest-gist-empires-of-certainty.md) - Dermot Casey responds to "The Age of Diagnosis" and its suggestions that there are just too many ADHD people around these days. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: Guns, Shannon and VAT](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-guns-shannon-and-vat.md) - Faced with civilian jets illegally renditioning people through Shannon, let’s talk about VAT law. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: News of the World](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-news-of-the-world.md) - England, Canada and Australia, all with election results in a week? This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: Trans rights are Data rights](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-trans-rights-are-data-rights.md) - A UK court has made a decision defining genders which has put it at odds with a less noticed, more important, decision from the CJEU. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: Tariffifing Behaviour](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-tariffifing-behaviour.md) - Donald Trump thinks he knows what a tariff is. He is wrong. It may be enough to destroy him. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: A Bad State of Affairs](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-a-bad-state-of-affairs.md) - This week, the talk has been about empowering the state. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: A Confederacy of Dunces](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-a-confederacy-of-dunces.md) - Look, I don't like it any more than you. But we've to do Trump some time. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: The Landlord's Game](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-the-landlords-game.md) - The Government has a new policy to increase housing, which is to keep doing their failed policy, but even harder. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: The Group Think Government](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-the-group-think-government.md) - Wednesday's Dáil chaos reveals the limits of Executive power. This is the Gist.
- [Campaign Gist: And in the end...](https://www.thegist.ie/campaign-gist-and-in-the-end.md) - The election campaign ended with the public's vote but only now do we have a Government. This is the final Campaign Gist.
- [The Gist: "My Daughter's Path"](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-my-daughters-path.md) - The last of the holiday pieces before normal service is resumed is a short story I wrote when I was 20. This is the New Year's Gist.
- [The Gist: Paul Duane's "My Christmas Memories"](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-paul-duanes-my-christmas-memories.md) - Horror film director, Paul Duane, gives us a Christmas ghost story haunted by the stuff of childhood memory. This is the Guest Gist.
- [The Gist: Sarah Manvel's 2024 Cinema Year](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-sarah-manvels-2024-cinema-year.md) - Sarah Manvel on film; 2024's sex aversion, Daniel Craig's queer renaissance and women seeking new lives. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: Cartoon Year In Review](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-cartoon-24-2.md) - Allan Cavanagh's cartoon round up on some of the Gist's biggest stories from the year, (together with some words from Simon). Ireland's Internet Age Rating Few stories will ever match the sheer number of memorable phrases provided by the Coimisiún na Meán's plan to age-gate the internet. From the "…
- [The Gist: AI, a talking dog for the 21st Century.](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-3.md) - Séamas O'Reilly on the year's biggest con, AI. This is a Christmas Cracker Gist.
- [The Gist: A week of Christmas Crackers](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-a-week-of-christmas-crackers.md) - To keep us all afloat in the great void of leftovers between Christmas and New Year, I've asked some people whose work I enjoy to contribute a piece to the Gist. These are the Christmas Crackers you found on Stephens' Day and keep opening on the drifting mush of time afterwards. Like a cracker, you…
- [Campaign Gist: FG finds the voters revolting](https://www.thegist.ie/campaign-gist-2.md) - Whoever the winner of the election turns out to be, it's clear the loser has been FG. This is the Campaign Gist.
- [Campaign Gist: Building a Wall](https://www.thegist.ie/campaign-gist-building-a-wall.md) - There are six constituencies with a risk of a far right candidate taking a seat. This is the Gist.
- [Campaign Gist: Buffalo Stance](https://www.thegist.ie/campaign-gist-buffalo-stance.md) - There wasn’t going to be a Campaign Gist until this happened. Now this is the only thing.
- [Campaign Gist: SF's Duality, Galway's volatility](https://www.thegist.ie/campaign-gist-sfs-duality-galways-volatility.md) - Polls look bad for SF. We look at the misunderstanding that took them here. This is the Campaign Gist.
- [Campaign Gist: Greenhouse Grass](https://www.thegist.ie/campaign-gist-greenhouse-grass.md) - The theme of the day was farming, as the big parties unveiled their Cow Tools. This is the Campaign Gist.
- [Campaign Gist: The Rentier Class](https://www.thegist.ie/campaign-gist.md) - Drugs, homelessness and WhatsApp. This is the 2nd Campaign Gist.
- [The Gist: Mourning in America](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-mourning-in-america.md) - The US election has ended with Donald Trump triumphant. This is the Gist.
- [Campaign Gist: Early Warnings](https://www.thegist.ie/campaign-gist-early-warnings.md) - The election has been called in Ireland and this is the first of the Campaign Gists.
- [The Gist: A dirty little Act](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-a-dirty-little-act.md) - Elected reps and candidates are being told that they could and should use a 1948 law to block housing for people seeking protection. They're wrong on both counts. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: Theatre of the Absurd](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-theatre-of-the-absurd.md) - Sometimes things all feel a bit too serious. So this week's Gist is devoted to only inherently ridiculous stories.
- [The Gist: A Free Speech](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-a-free-speech.md) - The Online Safety Code to bring age verification to Internet platforms is heading towards implementation with a fatal flaw.
- [The Gist: Here come Ireland's speech police](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-here-come-irelands-speech-police.md) - Ireland's regulators are getting ready to change what we can see and say on the Internet. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: The New US Election](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-the-new-us-election.md) - Trump got shot in the ear and the Democrats get a shot in the arm. This is The Gist.
- [The Gist: LPT, the Chew Toy Tax](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-lpt-the-chew-toy-tax.md) - Ireland's Local Property Tax creates the illusion of political choices for our newly-elected councillors.
- [The Gist: A safe pair of hands](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-a-safe-pair-of-hands.md) - The counts continue, but the dust is settling over some surprising results. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: The Death March](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-the-death-march.md) - The UK Prime Minister decided to call an election. Then he stepped outside to tell everyone about it and it all went downhill from there. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: Banning TikTok (for starters)](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-banning-tiktok.md) - The US has banned TikTok (sorta). But in doing so they've created a new permanent system for taking down foreign apps. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: Office Politics and Pink Slime](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-short-cuts.md) - A new Taoiseach promises to keep making promises and pink slime lurks in our phones. This is The Gist.
- [The Gist: The Zugzwang Referendum](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-the-zugzwang-referendum.md) - Ireland holds its head in its hands trying to pick a vote in today's referendums. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: Facing Facial Recognition Down](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-facial-recognition-technology-doesnt-work.md) - The Facial Recognition Bill just can't get no respect. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: Coimisiún na Meán is Big Mad](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-coimisiun-na-mean-is-big-mad.md) - Oh boy, Ireland's new Internet Regulator is super mad that their idea to get people to upload their passports and live selfies to porn sites is being criticised. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: Coimisiún na Meán go off the rails](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-wtf-commission.md) - The Irish State announced its new plan to build a porn preference register for most of the EU, amongst other mad things. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: Saving Face](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-saving-face.md) - Once again, the Government really wants to bring in laws for the police to use Facial Recognition Technology. Once agin, it won't happen. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: A foreseeable surprise](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-a-foreseeable-surprise.md) - A riot in Dublin was triggered by longstanding far right networks, taking advantage of a shocking crime. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: An Invitation](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-an-invitation.md) - There's going to be a meetup 1st Dec and you're invited! This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: A Man For All Seasons](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-a-man-for-all-seasons.md) - The Rishi Sunak regenerations continued this week, with a piece of stunt casting and a crossover Two PMs special. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: Off Their Trolley](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-off-their-trolley.md) - The UK Covid Inquiry has revealed a nation governed by a group of people you wouldn’t leave in charge of a pet rock. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: Parliament of Fools](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-parliament-of-fools.md) - The US Republican Party has moved so far down the list of groups to hate it has finally reached “Republicans.” This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: In Want of a Miracle](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-in-want-of-a-miracle.md) - We can only speak from the perspective of who we are and what our experience has taught us. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: Let's do the Twist!](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-lets-do-the-twist.md) - When you're underwater in the polls and you just need to change the topic to something your voters used to like, you do the Twist!
- [The Gist: Do not pass Go...](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-checking-the-weather.md) - Enoch Burke learned Back to School wasn't an invitation that applied to him and we enjoyed some malignly unseasonable heat. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: Capital Crimes](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-capital-crimes.md) - Ireland’s police meet Bank of Ireland’s IT failures with some heavy presence budgeting advice. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: Mapping the Election](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-2.md) - The Courts have closed. The Oireachtas has scattered. The rains will seemingly never end. So, of course, this is the Gist!
- [The Gist: The Road from Perdition](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-the-road-from-perdition.md) - Solving RTE's three biggest problems with one weird trick. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: All the news](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-all-the-news.md) - RTE's empties out its forty coats and its fifty pockets and Russian tanks invade Russia led by their nation’s most ambitious hot-dog salesman. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: Faced Down](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-faced-down.md) - Fine Gael fold on illegal live facial recognition while the President tackles neutrality. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: Rise of the Deskarati](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-people-behind-desks.md) - The Minister for Justice regenerated back into Helen McEntee, but not before Simon Harris identified the source of his failures in the office. This is the Gist
- [The Gist: The AIrish Times](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-the-airish-times.md) - This week saw a media novelty, as an AI generated article ran in the Irish Times. This is The Gist.
- [The Gist: The Late Late Low](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-late-late-low.md) - The biggest job in Irish media has come free and nobody wants to touch it with a bargepole. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: "My superpower is not knowing"](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-my-superpower-is-not-knowing.md) - Twitter devolves into a battle between the man who owns it and the users who owned him. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: The Aul Sod](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-the-aul-sod.md) - Joe Biden's visit to Ireland provoked an unexpectedly seething envy from our neighbours to the East.
- [The Gist: No homes to go to](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-no-homes-to-go-to.md) - Housing has dominated the headlines for a month and the political consequences are only beginning. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: Episode 2 A New Chart](https://www.thegist.ie/bonus-gist-a-new-chart.md) - I had a fever, and the only cure was More Chart! This is a Bonus Gist.
- [The Gist: Where did the houses go?](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-where-did-the-houses-go.md) - For most of the history of the state, Local Authorities have been building houses to put people in. Then FG became the largest party and that mostly stopped. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: Eviction Politicians](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-eviction-politicians.md) - It takes a special kind of courage to decide to make people homeless, when you could just choose not to do that. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: Letter from America](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-letter-from-america.md) - "In a sort of DUP equivalent of the marshmallow test for toddlers, they proved unable to postpone saying No." This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: Exercising their Prerogative](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-exercising-their-perogative.md) - This week, the Attorney General told everyone how the State really feels about being answerable to its citizens. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: It’s Been a Week](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-its-been-a-week.md) - From posters to tanks, Tories and tax to the price of a name. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: Ersatz Thoughts](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-erstaz-thoughts.md) - Chatbots and AI text generators spent the week being put to shame by artisanal, human-made, unoriginal creations.
- [The Gist: 2022, Tragedy and Farce](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-2022-but-quick.md) - As the year ends we have a quick look back at some of the main stories of 2022. This is the Gist of the year.
- [The Gist: The Internet IrRegulator](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-the-internet-irregulator.md) - Ireland's new and controvertial proposed regulator for the Internet is due to be launched next year. But the newest Ship of State may already have a hole below the waterline. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: Too Wrong To Fix](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-too-wrong-to-fix.md) - The Irish Government has been telling people its surveillance law didn't need to be submitted to the EU. Then, just before Christmas, they tried anyway. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: Too Urgent To Get Right](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-all-trss.md) - Ireland has been ploughing a lonely furrow, passing laws that probably don't comply with EU law. This is the Gist
- [The Gist: Why so many 50:50 results?](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-why-so-many-50-50-results.md) - Why have so many political results ended up as nearly 50:50 splits in recent years?
- [The Gist: The Twits](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-the-twits.md) - Elon Musk has proved that just one person on Twitter really can make a difference, if he also buys the site.
- [The Gist: How Smart Is Your Meter?](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-how-smart-is-your-meter.md) - People are being told to switch to smart meters to save money. Except, something is up with the whole project. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist Extra: An Tóryocht Audio](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-extra-an-toryacht-audio.md) - An audio version of the An Tóryocht Gist.
- [The Gist: An Tóryocht](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-an-toryocht.md) - Liz Truss has resigned. She'll be replaced by next week. Why is Boris Johnson still in the running to resume his old job? This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: The Sandcastle Files](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-intelligence.md) - The Irish police are opening files on innocent people and their kids, unrelated to any crime, without a legal basis. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: The Meta reVRse](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-the-meta-revrse.md) - The key to some understanding of the Metaverse project is Mark Zuckerberg’s haircut. This is The Gist.
- [The Gist: Face/Off](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-face-off.md) - The UN is worried about the Government's plans to let the cops use facial recognition. They're right to be concerned. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: A Lack Of Truss](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-a-lack-of-truss.md) - The Tory party is crumpling in on itself and its new leader like an imploding eclair. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: Video Q&A](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-video-q-a.md) - Something a bit different today. I've made a video with Taryn DeVere, where she puts the questions sent in by subscribers to me. This is the (video) Gist.
- [The Gist: The Gilded Age](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-the-gilded-age.md) - With the Queen's death, Britain has a chance to move on from its Imperial past. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: The Siege of Troy](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-the-siege-of-troy.md) - Robert Troy’s greatest political legacy will be writing a paragraph that finally managed to crystallise what Fianna Fáil stands for in the mind of voters. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: Who makes money from inflation?](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-who-makes-money-from-inflation.md) - Inflation squeezes the living, but delivers windfall benefits to certain companies. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: Lords of Misrule](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-lords-of-misrule.md) - The Government refuses to take a decision the science says it must make to hit Ireland's emissions targets. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: A long, hot Summer](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-a-long-hot-summer.md) - The political climate and the actual climate aligned this week, leaving everyone hot and the farm lobby bothered. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: A week of reckoning](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-a-week-of-reckoning.md) - The Tories were revolting and Irish planning legislation was bolting. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: National Surveillance, the Rush Job](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-national-surveillance-the-rush-job.md) - The Government is trying to rush through a bad law on their national surveillance regime. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: Roe v Wade, assayed](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-roe-v-wade-assayed.md) - The US Supreme Court continues its efforts to transport America back to the 19th Century. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: A Crisis of Confidence](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-a-crisis-of-confidence.md) - After the Johnson crisis of confidence, vapourware policy announcements, minority-blaming and petty cruelty are all that is left to him. A fitting, if unpleasant, end for the Brexit Tory project.
- [The Gist: Sickened](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-sickened.md) - Britain’s Govt made a show of themselves again. In the US, infants were murdered while police loitered aimlessly nearby. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: Exit, Voice and Loyalty](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-exit-voice-and-loyalty.md) - The NMH debate revealed the most valued behaviour in a political system devoted to protecting groupthink.
- [The Gist: The Maternity Hospital, in brief](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-the-maternity-hospital-in-brief.md) - After a week of assertion and counter-assertions we're settling on a generally agreed set of facts about the new National Maternity Hospital plan.
- [The Gist: The Maternity Hospital’s Difficult Birth](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-maternity-hospital-difficult-birth.md) - A spooked Cabinet refused to approve the Maternity Hospital deal after a mobilisation campaign saw TDs' phones and emails hopping. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: Meet the New Gist!](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-meet-the-new-gist.md) - Things have changed for the Gist this week. Seeing as it only exists because you like to read it, I thought this might be a good moment to do my first ever post on writing a newsletter. This is the Gist’s gist!
- [The Gist: Healthcare, Not All There](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-not-all-there.md) - The Government is trying to move forward with their plan to gift the National Maternity Hospital to the nuns' chosen vehicle. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: The In-Between times](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-the-in-between-times.md) - Sometimes it's impossible to know when we're in a between time. And then, sometimes, its pretty obvious. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: Stories remaking our world](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-stories-remaking-our-world.md) - It has been a difficult month, filled with horror and outrage. So we're taking a step back to try to see the stories that are driving our lives. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: Labour Pains](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-labour-pains.md) - The Labour Party is set to choose its third leader since a cataclysmic judgement by voters on its time in office. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: The Dry Ice of War](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-the-dry-ice-of-war.md) - Lacking expertise in military tactics after Alexander the Great, we try to think obliquely about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This is, hesitantly, the Gist.
- [The Gist: War Talkers](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-war-talkers.md) - Events around the border between Ukraine and Russia meant that War Talk loomed large in international discussion. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: Gas times](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-gas-times.md) - After an eventful week in public affairs, in Ireland and abroad, hangovers seem like the connecting theme. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: A light extinguished](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-a-light-extinguished.md) - Schoolteacher and musician, Ashling Murphy went for a run and was murdered. Nothing else that happened this week matters. The shock of the news coming out gave way to the paroxysm of anguish, of anger, of horror and of loss. Vigils were spontaneously held around the country, and abroad. Ms Murphy’s…
- [The Gist: 2021, only moreso?](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-2021-only-moreso.md) - 2021 has passed but almost every story and issue we faced has continued into 2022. Let's take a peep over the horizon to see what might finally resolve itself in the next 12 months. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: 2021, A look back](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-2021-a-look-back.md) - The year when we all, public and politicians alike, seemed to be trapped in a loop, repeating and rehashing the same experiences over and over again. This was the Gist.
- [The Gist: Ireland under Investigation](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-ireland-under-investigation.md) - The European Commission has been asking questions about Ireland blocking Mother and Baby Homes survivors' access to their medical records. A Gist Exclusive.
- [The Gist: A Round Up](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-a-round-up.md) - There's a lot happening, so let's try to get to it all in a flash. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: Facebook goes Meta](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-facebook-goes-meta.md) - Facebook’s changed its name and wants everyone to look over there at a VR future. But both actions are attempts to escape its past and present. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: Political Entropy](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-political-entropy.md) - Entropy increases and political problems tend to compound. Tired parties can sometimes reach a point where they simply can't do anything new. It's a bad formula in a crisis. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: Made of Money](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-made-of-money.md) - The Budget is coming, 12.5% tax is ending and the opinion poll numbers are thudding. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: Hot Stuff](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-hot-stuff.md) - The public has been served old news stories, warmed up in the political microwave, and I give you some spice at the end. This is The Gist.
- [The Gist: The Roof Over Our Head](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-the-roof-over-our-head.md) - The Government tries to restart politics as usual, unveiling its Housing plan. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: A Change In The Weather](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-a-change-in-the-weather.md) - The Taliban returned to Kabul and the state of the Climate discourse belatedly begins to heat up. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: Fifty 1 Hour Party People](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-fifty-1-hour-party-people.md) - There was turbulence over the appointment of Katherine Zappone to a UN job. But it was the story of a hotel reception for 50 people including the FG leader which blew the house down. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: Grabbing a Quick Byte / The Once and Future PDs](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-grabbing-a-quick-byte-the.md) - The sun shone as the government struggled to meet their promise to let customers go indoors for dinner and a drink. And we look at Dessie O'Malley's underconsidered legacy. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: Reading the Bay Leaves](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-reading-the-bay-leaves.md) - The first election since the pandemic, the first test of the parties since GE20. Dublin Bay South's by-election was a psycho-drama played out in leafy villages. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: Whose National Maternity Hospital?](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-whose-national-maternity.md) - The reassurance statements given by the Government for years over the plans to pay for the building of a National Maternity Hospital, and then gift it to the nuns are wearing thin. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: Survivors refuse to stay on Mute](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-survivors-refuse-to-stay.md) - The Mother & Baby Homes Commission of Inquiry returned to the public's attention as one of the Commissioners decided to speak about it for the first time at an invitation-only Oxford University zoom
- [The Gist: How Did I Get Here](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-how-did-i-get-here-bbd.md) - This week, we’ve been looking back and forward, like a shellshocked Pushmi-pullu. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: How Did I Get Here](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-how-did-i-get-here.md) - This week, we’ve been looking back and forward, like a shellshocked Pushmi-pullu. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: Attack of the Cyber-Men](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-attack-of-the-cyber-men.md) - Ireland suffers its most momentous cyber attack, until the next one. This is The Gist.
- [The Gist: A Cold House for Voters](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-a-cold-house-for-voters.md) - Unpopular Housing policy consumed the last government and saw the last Housing Minister leave politics entirely. Will we do it again?
- [The Gist: FF hits rock bottom](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-ff-hits-rock-bottom.md) - The Soldiers of Destiny's Survival Klaxon sounded as they hit 11% support, but in the same week they might have stumbled on a new way forward. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: Autistic children and other enemies of the State](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-autistic-children-and-other.md) - Prime Time Investigates broke a whistleblower's story on Friday night. The Dept of Health has been assembling secret dossiers on autistic children to use against them in court. This is the Gist
- [The Gist: FF, the Coalition's Biggest Small Party](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-ff-the-coalitions-small.md) - Irish coalitions have one defining factor- the smaller party gets hammered. The Greens feared it, but chose to enter Government anyway. But what happens when a party just... seems small?
- [The Gist: Far-left Riots And Other Tall Tales](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-far-left-riots-and-other.md) - It's time to face up to our responsibility as an email and actually do an Irish news roundup. This is the Gist
- [The Gist: Demanding Attention](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-demanding-attention.md) - Australia is bringing in a law to mandate a transfer of income from Google and Facebook's new advertising duopoly back to the old Murdoch etc companies that used to hoard that gold. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: Public Service Broadcasting, the red herring edition](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-public-service-broadcasting.md) - RTÉ is running a survey, Australia is shaking down Google and Facebook on behalf of Rupert Murdoch and the Government is having a consultation. But first, this is the Gist.
- [The Gist: Picking Up The Pieces](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-picking-up-the-pieces.md) - The last few months have seen a lot of news. This week saw some of those old ghosts of stories past come around for a second pass. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: Feedback Friday](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-feedback-friday.md) - Look, all the days are the same anyway and I like the name. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: Musings for Airports](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-musings-for-airports.md) - The Government doesn't want to bring in strict quarantine for international travellers. But it can't quite explain why. This is this the Gist.
- [The Gist: Seeing Double](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-seeing-double.md) - The US has achieved a new President, the UK's shelves have started to look bare and the only music left is sea shanties. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: Drop the Dead Donkey](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-drop-the-dead-donkey.md) - Demonstrating an hitherto unknown ability to not stab itself in the eye needlessly, the Government went out onto the airwaves to let the word go out- The Commission Report was dead to them.
- [The Gist: A bad confession on Mother & Baby Homes](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-a-bad-confession-on-mother.md) - Picking up the leitmotif of the year so far, the government want to assure you, it is someone else’s fault. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: Any news?](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-any-news.md) - Nazis storm the US Capitol building, the Leaving cert looks shaky, everyone is annoyed and it is only Wednesday. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: Can't spell Pandemic without Panic](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-cant-spell-pandemic-without.md) - The Government is shook, but not as much as the public, as the Covid numbers explore the upper reaches of infection number charts.
- [The Gist: The Worst Lock-In Ever](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-the-worst-lock-in-ever.md) - The numbers are ballooning, the consequences will be tragic and the government is compounding its political error by refusing to admit it. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: A small thank you](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-a-small-thank-you.md) - You, brave few, paying subscribers may claim a little bespoke prize
- [The Gist: 2020? Burn it down](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-2020-burn-it-down.md) - Christmas approaches and the nation staggers towards it, adult children perplexedly discovering they needed to order their own turkeys weeks ago. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: Storms in a Tweetcup](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-storms-in-a-tweetcup.md) - They're poised to inherit Fianna Fáil's earth and have been enjoying the sunny uplands of the polls since the election. But lately, SF have been having no craic with Twitter.
- [The Gist: Changed, but not utterly](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-changed-but-not-utterly.md) - The only magic humanity has ever made real was creating a system which removed power with little pieces of paper. This is the Gist.
- [Mothers, Babies, Homes and their Data](https://www.thegist.ie/mothers-babies-homes-and-their-data.md) - The Government rammed through a piece of legislation taking possession of the data collected by the Commission of Inquiry into Mother and Baby homes, planning to seal it for 30 years.
- [The Gist: Level 5, mar dhea](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-level-5-mar-dhea.md) - The big news broke as the evening drew in. NEPHET, the health experts were going to recommend a ‘circuit breaker’- a nationwide jump to Level 5 restrictions. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: Not Enough Hours In The Day](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-not-enough-hours-in-the.md) - This week saw US politics succumb to the remorseless power of the gods of narrative, and the first ever example of the Department of Education failing the Leaving Cert because it didn’t show its workings. This is the Gist. Ill behaviour The US President has spent months denying the reality and risk…
- [The Gist: On we go](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-on-we-go.md) - Big things have happened in the last fortnight. Big things are coming in the next two weeks. But now, you're stuck in the middle with the rest of us. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: BOGOF(F)](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-bogoff.md) - It is becoming a settled truism that the Government is struggling to communicate. This week saw that struggle take fresh new turns, for each of the three parties.
- [The Gist: Golf fallout, Back to School](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-golf-fallout-back-to-school.md) - While golfgate continued to swirl around the Government, their biggest project since taking office is poised to start. It's back to school.
- [The Gist: Around the world](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-around-the-world.md) - Mask nazis and Dáil Recall be damned, we're taking a break from Ireland. Come with me and we'll see what's up elsewhere.
- [The Gist: Jaysus.](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-jaysus.md) - They played a round, downed a round and then sat around. The week the Oireachtas Golf Society decided to mark its 50th anniversary by blowing up a Government.
- [The Gist: Losing at Solitare](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-losing-at-solitare.md) - What if it’s not just a communication problem?
- [The Gist: Midlands lockdown, Dublin ghostown](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-midlands-lockdown-dublin.md) - Ireland's insatiable sliced-ham habit hits hard and the capital city casts about to recast itself in the post-pub age. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: John Hume's funeral](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-john-humes-funeral.md) - Everything and everyone else seems very insignificant when our view adjusts to take in the passing of a giant. John Hume's funeral was today. This is, well, a Gist.
- [The Gist: Should Ireland's Broadcasting Regulators rule the Internet?](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-should-irelands-broadcasting.md) - In the pandemic turmoil, the plan for the Irish government to become a regulator of Internet content for much of the world has drifted under the radar. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: Making it PUP as they go](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-making-it-pup-as-they-go.md) - Sideshow Bob and his Circus of Rakes continued their governmental manoeuvres in the dark. But even as a forest of rake handles met their allotted noses, truths emerged. This is the Gist.
- [What is this Schrems judgement about?](https://www.thegist.ie/what-is-this-schrems-judgement-about.md) - Its going to define the shape of the internet for years to come, its come out of Ireland (twice) and its super complicated. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: Nothing To Lose](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-nothing-to-lose.md) - The Fianna Fáil leader had enough.
- [The Party That Forgot How To Win](https://www.thegist.ie/the-party-that-forgot-how-to-win.md) - We’re a fortnight into our new government. So how’s it going? Well, in a Government of three parts, strangely, the one which is the least known quantity is Fianna Fáil. This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: We’re doing masks now](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-were-doing-masks-now.md) - Ireland's Covid Tracing App launched, to public enthusiasm. Even privacy advocates gave it a guarded welcome. But is this the right message, right now? This is the Gist.
- [The Gist: Earwax and Spinning Tops](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-earwax-and-spinning-tops.md) - Living online has prompted some to ask questions that they've never faced before. I want to address the least important of those questions. What's with all the Earwax Ads?
- [The Gist: A Burning Injustice](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-a-burning-injustice.md) - OK. Let’s do this. My tone is wrong, the format is wrong and the medium isn’t able to do justice to the profound depth of the story. But silence isn’t good enough. This is the Gist. Police Riots The US policing system, faced with a few days of being criticised, responded over the past few days by e…
- [The Gist: The Nearest Neighbour](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-the-nearest-neighbour.md) - Looking to the East before looking to the West. It has been a hard few years for Ireland’s view of our neighbours, home to families and friends. What happened? This is the Gist. Nation on the verge of a nervous breakdown The UK’s Brexit vote in 2016 seemed to mark a break from the rational, if unat…
- [The Gist: Schools Out Forever?](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-schools-out-forever.md) - As the second-level schools peter out, and the parents of primary school children start to dream of a July without any online assignments to oversee, the Minister for Education has taken to the airwaves. This is the Gist. Leaving Cert, Departed The Minister for Education was very clear. The Leaving…
- [The Gist: A power vacuum](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-a-power-vacuum.md) - What’s going on? Aside from the daily statistical count of infections and deaths, it’s hard to know. With the Dáil attenuated, the Government is answerable to no one. Some Ministers don’t even have constituents to worry about, because they’re not TDs any more. The one thing that is still visible ab…
- [The Gist: A Lost Summer](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-a-lost-summer.md) - The national escape tunnel has been planned, but can FF escape their darkness?
- [The Gist: Bleaching and Creeping](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-bleaching-and-creeping.md) - This is hard. And it turns out, that includes for the people in charge too.
- [The Gist: Leaders Questions, few answers](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-leaders-questions-few-answers.md) - The Dáil was back in session today. Like the rest of the world, its work continues. Just very slowly.
- [The Gist: What's with the Covid Apps?](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-whats-with-the-covid-apps.md) - Across the world, mass population tracking apps are being deployed or developed. I try to get to the Gist.
- [The Gist: A Most Expensive Bargain](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-a-most-expensive-bargain.md) - Michael has purchased his stint as Taoiseach from Fine Gael and it only cost Fianna Fáil everything
- [The Gist: How we live now](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-how-we-live-now.md) - Extensions to the restrictions prompt thoughts on what comes next
- [The Gist: Purgatorial consistency ](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-purgatorial-consistency.md) - Things are still the same, but differently.
- [The Gist: Checking on the Neighbours](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-checking-on-the-neighbours.md) - Ireland passes its emergency laws. But what's happening elsewhere?
- [The Gist: FG goes Socialist](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-fg-goes-socialist.md) - Another big day for Ireland's most radical left party, Fine Gael
- [The Gist: The Story That Ate The World](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-the-story-that-ate-the-world.md) - Although the virus is now the context for everything happening, there are some actual events emerging.
- [The Gist: Nothing for the weekend](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-nothing-for-the-weekend.md) - Sit still, while everyone moves around you.
- [The Gist: WTaF](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-wtaf.md) - Shocked into silence by the whole world changing, back now to squeeze it down for you.
- [The Gist: Everything happens](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-everything-happens.md) - "Nothing happens, and nothing happens, and then everything happens."- Faye Weldon
- [The Gist: Quick Bits](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-quick-bits.md) - There’s only one story everyone’s talking about, but it’s not the only thing happening.
- [The Gist: Government snaps into focus](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-government-snaps-into-focus.md) - Briefed about the expected impacts of the coronavirus over the next few weeks, Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil suddenly drop the playacting.
- [The Gist: Mega TCD Seanad Roundup](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-mega-tcd-seanad-roundup.md) - Trinity graduates have a boutique selection of candidates for their three Seanad seats. Let's have a look.
- [The Gist: Mega NUI Seanad Rundown](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-mega-nui-seanad-rundown.md) - The ballot paper folds out and folds out again. Here's a rundown of who all the candidates might be and who you might want to prefer.
- [The Gist: We reach the Michael D fantasy stage](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-we-reach-the-michael-d-fantasy.md) - FF and FG have to do a deal. They aren't. But they've have a cunning plan for the President...
- [The Gist: Royal Special Edition](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-royal-special-edition.md) - Royals in Ireland! Whatever can it mean?
- [The Gist: Ill behaviour, Leo left on read](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-ill-behaviour-leo-left-on.md) - Virus response kicks up a gear, SF not in a rush to return FG text
- [The Gist: Labour Leadership, Martin's past](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-labour-leadership-martins.md) - There's an election on, where strange people you've never heard about run for votes from a tiny minority. But first, the Labour Party leadership
- [The Gist: Poll positions, and FF’s peril](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-poll-positions-and-ffs-peril.md) - A second poll confirms what anyone with eyes to see knew, and it is very bad news for Fianna Fáil
- [The Gist: Incubation period and Baby Names](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-incubation-period-and-baby.md) - Corona goes viral, markets feel ill and infant nomenclature
- [The Gist: Love in a warming climate](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-love-in-a-warming-climate.md) - Green Party starts to sweat at the approach of decision time, Ireland begins to sweat at the first Coronavirus case in NI, via Dublin
- [The Gist: Conventional Wizards](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-conventional-wizards.md) - A rare treat as the nameless voice of Ireland's leading political commentators helms a special Gist
- [The Gist: Events, dear boy](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-events-dear-boy.md) - The political bubble pops as events start to press in on a political system still in post-election seclusion.
- [The Gist: Lovesongs and Negotiations](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-lovesongs-and-negotiations.md) - Party ins and outs are unclear, but what about the policies?
- [The Weekend Gist: News from Elsewhere](https://www.thegist.ie/the-weekend-gist-news-from-elsewhere.md) - A quiet weekend for Irish political news prompts a quick look at other things happening.
- [The Gist: A bonfire of vanities](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-a-bonfire-of-vanities.md) - Its been two weeks since the election. I was away for the last week. Now I’m back, it’s probably time for a bit of a round up. And, it turns out, some strange things have happened. Three go in, None come out After nearly two weeks of shadow boxing, the time finally arrived for the first votes for T…
- [The Gist: Party political shorts](https://www.thegist.ie/the-gist-party-political-shorts.md) - One week on, a very very brief overview on where the parties stand

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