Latest

The Gist: Eviction Politicians

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

"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

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

From posters to tanks, Tories and tax to the price of a name. This is the Gist.

The Gist: Ersatz Thoughts

Chatbots and AI text generators spent the week being put to shame by artisanal, human-made, unoriginal creations.

The Gist: 2022, Tragedy and Farce

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

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

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

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?

Why have so many political results ended up as nearly 50:50 splits in recent years?

The Gist: The Twits

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?

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

An audio version of the An Tóryocht Gist.

The Gist: An Tóryocht

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

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

The key to some understanding of the Metaverse project is Mark Zuckerberg’s haircut. This is The Gist.

The Gist: Face/Off

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

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

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

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

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?

Inflation squeezes the living, but delivers windfall benefits to certain companies. This is the Gist.

The Gist: Lords of Misrule

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

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

The Tories were revolting and Irish planning legislation was bolting. This is the Gist.

The Gist: National Surveillance, the Rush Job

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

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

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

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

The NMH debate revealed the most valued behaviour in a political system devoted to protecting groupthink.

The Gist: The Maternity Hospital, in brief

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Gist: 2021, only moreso?

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Budget is coming, 12.5% tax is ending and the opinion poll numbers are thudding. This is the Gist.

The Gist: Hot Stuff

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

The Government tries to restart politics as usual, unveiling its Housing plan. This is the Gist.

The Gist: A Change In The Weather

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

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

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

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?

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

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

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

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

Ireland suffers its most momentous cyber attack, until the next one. This is The Gist.

The Gist: A Cold House for Voters

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Look, all the days are the same anyway and I like the name. This is the Gist.

The Gist: Musings for Airports

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

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

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

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?

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

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

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

The Gist: 2020? Burn it down

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Gist: On we go

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)

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

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

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.

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

What if it’s not just a communication problem?

The Gist: Midlands lockdown, Dublin ghostown

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

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?

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

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?

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

The Fianna Fáil leader had enough.

The Party That Forgot How To Win

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

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

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

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

The Gist: The Nearest Neighbour

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

The Gist: Schools Out Forever?

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

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

The Gist: A Lost Summer

The national escape tunnel has been planned, but can FF escape their darkness?

The Gist: Bleaching and Creeping

This is hard. And it turns out, that includes for the people in charge too.

The Gist: Leaders Questions, few answers

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?

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

Michael has purchased his stint as Taoiseach from Fine Gael and it only cost Fianna Fáil everything

The Gist: How we live now

Extensions to the restrictions prompt thoughts on what comes next

The Gist: Purgatorial consistency

Things are still the same, but differently.

The Gist: Checking on the Neighbours

Ireland passes its emergency laws. But what's happening elsewhere?

The Gist: FG goes Socialist

Another big day for Ireland's most radical left party, Fine Gael

The Gist: The Story That Ate The World

Although the virus is now the context for everything happening, there are some actual events emerging.

The Gist: Nothing for the weekend

Sit still, while everyone moves around you.

The Gist: WTaF

Shocked into silence by the whole world changing, back now to squeeze it down for you.

The Gist: Everything happens

"Nothing happens, and nothing happens, and then everything happens."- Faye Weldon

The Gist: Quick Bits

There’s only one story everyone’s talking about, but it’s not the only thing happening.

The Gist: Government snaps into focus

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

Trinity graduates have a boutique selection of candidates for their three Seanad seats. Let's have a look.

The Gist: Mega NUI Seanad Rundown

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

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

Royals in Ireland! Whatever can it mean?

The Gist: Ill behaviour, Leo left on read

Virus response kicks up a gear, SF not in a rush to return FG text

The Gist: Labour Leadership, Martin's past

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

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

Corona goes viral, markets feel ill and infant nomenclature

The Gist: Love in a warming climate

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

A rare treat as the nameless voice of Ireland's leading political commentators helms a special Gist

The Gist: Events, dear boy

The political bubble pops as events start to press in on a political system still in post-election seclusion.

The Gist: Lovesongs and Negotiations

Party ins and outs are unclear, but what about the policies?

The Weekend Gist: News from Elsewhere

A quiet weekend for Irish political news prompts a quick look at other things happening.

The Gist: A bonfire of vanities

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

The Gist: Party political shorts

One week on, a very very brief overview on where the parties stand

The Gist: The Next Election

While the Dáil flails about trying to put itself together, what about the Seanad?

The Gist: Mutually Assured Destruction

From no-news to all-news in one day.

Count Gist

Howlin quits, FG/FF fits

Count Gist: The sound of silence

It's three days since the vote and everything has gone very quiet. In coffee shops all around Leinster House people are huddled in clumps, speaking in hushed tones, eyes darting at the door in case an enemy or journalist comes in. But, for the rest of us, everything has gone

Count Gist: And in the End, the transfers you give....

It's Day 2 of the Count and we are into the realm of hilarity as the losing parties- who have never both lost the same election- struggle to come to terms with what's happened. The numbers have settled down and we know what the Dáil looks like. The trick now

Count Gist: Oh, Sweet Mystery of Life, At last I've found thee!

It's Day 1 of the count. The boxes are open. True things were said yesterday, and today we got to literally enumerate them. I love a count, me. There are thousands of stories across the country in a count. But here isn't the place for all those. Instead, here's the

Count Gist: Poll postions, Adopt a constituency

It's day 0 of the count. The country went out and voted on a Saturday, for the first time since 1918. And, like 1918, Sinn Féin seem to have had a pretty good outing. So now we have to COUNT THE VOTES! And so, contrary to any common sense, I

Campaign Gist: How were things with you?

Day 25 and last and I thought I'd ask people what their experience of the campaign was. I asked what did you think at the start, did anything happen to change your mind during it, what you’d hope for after the count and why? Here are some of the

Campaign Gist: A forest of talk

Day 24 of the Campaign. Journalists and candidates alike are ashen-faced on the TV. Newsletter writers are mourning all the lost sleep of a daily email commitment. But somewhere else, under the rock and soil, the political landscape is rearranging. A forest of talk The time is running out. The

Campaign Gist: FG Party, SF breath-holding, FF?

Day 23 of the Campaign and nobody knows anything. So, let's take a tour through the strangeness together. Fine Gael Party (like it's 1932) The Taoiseach decided to give his media interview in front of a 1932 Cumann na nGaedheal poster which (apparently) hangs in Fine Gael HQ. Here it

Campaign Gist: Head to Head (to Head) Debate, CrossOver Event

Day 22 of the Campaign and we're having a mysterious old time about it. Nobody knows what's going to happen and everyone is holding their breath. Head to Head (to Head) It's a debate, FOR LEADERS! Prime Time was the venue for the latest election set piece, Nau! Jetz mit

Campaign Gist: MRBAye-Aye-Aye!, Tragedy in Tipp, FG's living Post-Mortum

Day 21 of the Campaign and all is changed utterly. MRBAye-Carumba! The third poll in a row, showing Sinn Féin rising, comes from the Irish Times MRBI house. This is the poll it used to be said of, that if MRBI tell you you're dead, phone the undertaker. And tonight

Campaign Gist: FG splinters, SF

Day 20 of the Campaign. The last week looms, with suddenly a lot of novelty on the horizon. FG Splinters Richard Bruton and Catherine Noone. Paschal Donohoe on his soapbox. Soft focus videos of Simon Coveney. Suddenly, as the poll results came home and the reality of approaching opposition sank

Campaign Gist: FG says No, Voters do too

Day 19 of the Campaign and, lookit, its not looking great for Fine Gael. It's sort of looking the opposite. FG say No So, you know, the internet has been around for a while now. But, for reasons not currently to hand, Fine Gael appear not to have noticed before

Campaign Gist: Brexfast Rolls, Iffy Poll

respondentsDay 18 of the Campaign trail and there was only one thing to be done all day. We just had to look at Brexit happening. Janey mac. Brexfast Roll Long before the sun rose over Dublin, a bus was wending its way through the cold dark streets towards Dublin Port.

Campaign Gist: Bridge, Tunnel, Billions and Billions

Day 16 of the campaign and we have 11 days left before polling day. Yes, only a little past half way. I know. Bridge There was a new bridge opened in Wexford. The Taoiseach cut the ribbon, accompanied by various all-party local worthies and mayors. The bridge, named after JFK's

Campaign Gist: Departmental ventriloquism, FG novelties, SF hysteria

Day 17 of the Campaign and the Gist will be zigging while everyone is zagging at the Cooper/ Yeats debate tonight. Instead, here are some bits and pieces you may have missed. Departmental ventriloquism Minister Katherine Zappone came out strong, with plans to force childcare workers to give a day

Campaign Gist: NoOne home, Labour tome, Galway Thunderdome

Day 15 of the Campaign and it was all from dawn to dusk. NoOne home Back again [https://tinyletter.com/Tupped/letters/campaign-gist-debatable-value-relatable-saoirse-and-the-seething-cauldron-of-dublin-bay-north-1] in Dublin Bay North, where FG candidate Catherine Noone spontaneously combusted, leaving the rest of the country trying to put their jaws back on. Probably best to

Campaign Gist: Take Us To Your Leaders

Day 13 of the Campaign and we finally got a debate with all the party leaders on the telly and, you know, it wasn't terrible. Na, na, na, na, nah-na, Leader! The Irish political system is shaped by our voting system. And today's debate did something that the previous two-hander

Campaign Gist: Dismal science, SF quarantine

Day 12 of the Campaign and everything seems to be in a state of uncertainty. Dismal Science As previously remarked, party manifestos are bunk. However, responses to questions about those manifestos can be helpful in assessing how parties go about dealing with the non-bunk bits of life. So, for example,

Campaign Gist: A short hiatus

Day 12 of the Campaign and your author has taken himself to a Burns Dinner. As a result, today’s gist shall be shorter than usual- a mark in. It’s favour, I hope you will agree. Exile, though not always cunning Party leaders marched briefly in Drogheda against drug

Campaign Gist: Manifest-o Destiny

Day 11 of the Campaign Trail and the early excitement has faded to be replaced by the hard slog of actually constantly talking to the general public. Manifestly useless Christmas Day comes, long planned for and anticipated. Eyes snap open early, mattresses are jumped up and down on, and there's

Campaign Gist: Jesus H. Christ, so much trivia

Day 10 of the Campaign and there are signs that cabin fever is setting in the central campaigns and the press pack alike. Are you all on Drugs? Yesterday's debate was such a non-event that the only thing that could be found to latch onto was the (repeated) admission that

Campaign Gist: Debatable Value, Relatable Saoirse and the seething cauldron of Dublin Bay North

Day 9 of the Campaign and we had a few significant occurrences. Also, an opportunity to cheer on Saoirse McHugh, Green Party candidate in Mayo. Debatable Value There was a strange genre mash up on TV3, where a Sky Sports format (Pre and post-game analysis programmes) bracketed a strange fashion

Campaign Gist: Wolves, real and metaphorical

Day 8 of the Campaign and nothing much of note happened. Taoiseach wears brown, leaves town Completely unrelated to the MRBI polls showing FG support crumbling in Munster, the Taoiseach took his FG roadshow to Mallow in Co. Cork, to be seen meeting “country people” and perhaps, to learn of

Campaign Gist: The Falcon Cannot Hear The Falconer

Day 7's Campaign Gist and we suddenly wake, blinking, into a new world. Turning and Turning in the Widening Gyre The Doldrums are behind us, the next polls are out and the metallic tastes of panic and power are co-existing in almost everyone's mouth. The efforts at command and control,

Campaing Gist: The Poll and afterwards

Day 6 of the Campaign and there was no way I wasn't going to do one on that poll. The Poll It takes a special sort of genius to launch your election campaign by telling the public that they're juvenile for not supporting your Black and Tans commeroration before canceling

Weekend Campaign Gist: Doldrums and the end of the world

As it’s a weekend, Campaign Gist takes a slightly different format. Doldrums The election campaign seems to be running in some distant, sealed part of the country. This isn’t necessarily from any lack of local effort by candidates. Doubtless, doors are being knocked on, hands shaken at shopping

Campaign Gist: Death, Taxes, SF’s woes

Day 4. Your Campaign Gister has come down with a fever. Some of the below may, therefore, be be the product of an overheated mind. Death It is proving an unfortunate theme of this campaign that each day is accompanied with news of a terrible crime. First a 17 year

Campaign Gist: Brexit Merit Badges, Not-Sorry Racism, Spiral Paper Hats

Day 3 of the campaign, which by some quirk has also always been happening. Brexit Merit Badges Today presented more evidence that, contrary to all that is sane and rational, Fine Gael are genuinely invested in talking about Brexit to win votes. A voter may say to themselves “Why should

Campaign Gist: A Series of Unfortunate Events

Campaign Gist is in an unusually somber mood today. A homeless man was critically injured while industrial machinary was used to remove his tent while he was in it. A photograph of the Minister for Housing's poster hanging above the scene of the incident went viral. The Taoiseach responded by

Campaign Gist: Posters, Posers, Mass Disenfranchisement

It’s the Gist! In an election! So it’s the Campaign Gist! Shorter and more ruthlessly selective than ever. ​ Posters Fizzogs on lampposts mean only one thing- post-revolutionary terror and hangings from the street furniture. Unless it’s an election, in which case we are treated to lovely photos

The Gist: Euro-Drama, Hounded Out, Boris-In-Arsery

Euro-Drama A day and a night and then another day without sleep. Only hotel banquet food and take-out for sustenance. The leaders of the 27 member states of the EU unhappily discovered themselves in a sort of Irish Hotel Wedding Experience as the price for trying to decide who would

Weekend Gist: G20, Pride(s), Shockin' Hot

Back now , for the moment. On we go. G20: Occidental Winners After discovering that putting tariffs on Chinese goods led to China putting tarrifs on US goods, the US president demonstrated his mastery of dealmaking by reversing himself, and declaring himself the winner of the whole thing at the G20

The Gist: Courting reporters, Martian robots

Reportedly Here at The Gist, we like to squeeze things down for you. So, imagine how helpful it is to find that a whole set of unrelated but proximate stories suddenly crammed themselves together. On the day that saw a new set of reporting restrictions to limit reporting/tweeting of

The Weekend Gist: Gibralter Story, then a pictured item

UK just can't Spain complained. If the withdrawal deal applied to Gibraltar, then they would veto it. It took the UK four days to respond- "Grand, whatever, no applying the deal to Gibraltar. We just can't any more." No point fighting to the ends in Westminster for a deal that

The Gist: Art meets Paint, Brexit Update, Black Friday

Trenchant criticism of defaced installation Somebody didn't like the 18 foot sculpture of a WW1 soldier installed at the enterance of St Stephen's Green. They sprayed red paint over its bottom half. Though this isn't the most constructive form of social criticism, it is certainly the most direct- neither destroying

The Gist: Scouting Ireland rot, Charity Regulator regulated

Scouting in the past Unsurprisingly, like lots of Irish organisations put in locus parentis over children, it turns out that volunteering with Scouting Ireland was used as a chance by a bunch of child abusers to attack children. According to the fella hired to do a review, this abuse was

The Gist: Asia News Edition

Sometimes, there is nothing interesting happening nearby in news. Trump is still awful, Brexit is still occurring, FG like rugby. So, today we have a special round up of news from Asia. #MeToo in Bollywood Bollywood star Preity Zinta was asked about the #MeToo movement (an interesting phrase used to

The Gist: Rent Bandits, Rugby win, Brit fit

Landlord law lacuna The head of the Residential Tenancies Board had a clear message to deliver. There were landlords out there just blatently raising rent above the maximum 4% a year in "Rent Pressure Zones" (aka, where the people are). And, by golly, there is absolutely nothing the RTB can

The Gist: "Or Chaos with Ed Milliband"

Reality Bites OK, so this is the Gist. Let's do the Brexit bit. So, basically, Ms. May's Wednesday claim the Cabinet backed her was missing the *until they start to quit. Mr. Raab, the man who had negotiated the Brexit deal quit, reputedly in horror at what he had wrought.

The Gist: Brexit or bust

May-Day! May-Day Brexit has been 18 months of watching someone trying to haggle on prices with the automatic scanning machine at a Tesco checkout. Now, having finally reached the point where the 'store is closing' announcements have got serious, the UK gov has decided to just pay for the thing

The Gist: Lee RIP, Welfare Cheats redux

Comics, cruelty and cameos Stan Lee lived to be 95 years old. Today, he died. 95 years is a long time- long enough for him to be a complicated person to write an obituary for. Fortunately this can be solved by ignoring the first 60 or so years of his

Weekend Gist: Dry Trump, Fly Bike, Wry Bit

US President's enthusiasm for history dampened The person who was elected two years ago to do the job of being President of the US cancelled the plan to attend a memorial in a French cemetery for Americans who were killed in WW1 because it was raining. That's why he cancelled,

The Gist: Electagram, Hospital Scrooge

Repubs Get Outta Town Democrats in the US, having received most of the votes cast, lost in the Senate, but won control of the House of Congress. The meaning of this is whatever you want it to be for the purposes of public discussion. But, just here, between us, it

The Gist: Election Endgame, Brexit Panto, Irish Data circus

Edgy Election Democrats hope to take control of Congress in an US. The local commentary casually acknowledges that the constituancies are gerrymandered, there is widespread vote suppression of minorities and that the voting machines are suseptible to tampering. Basically, it takes an overwhelming Democrat vote turnout to hit even representation.

Weekend Gist: Flabby News bit, Glossy Bit, Slice of Life

News bit The media's love of fellas who'll leave their natural habitat of the golf club bar and tell you what they really think of travellers and women continued this week on TV golf club bar, the Late Late Show. Ignoring the specific spoutings (which is what every normal person

The Gist: Google's man problem, US' man problem, UK's not knowing things problem

Google staff Feeling less Lucky Thousands of people got up from their desks in Google at 11.10am all around the world and walked out to protest the spectacular failures of the company's management to properly deal with the sex harassment. This is a not great look for any company,

The Gist: News dearth, US Pres goes Full Irish, Irish passports in demand

Bank Holiday Hangover Schools are closed this week, and the bits of the country that didn't go back to work yesterday (newspapers and the like) found that their heart wasn't really in it. Similarly, journalists scraped around the sides of walls and even reported on wills in the probate office

Merkel's last lap, US Army Playacting, Loser wants a prize

Europe's Anchors' away The Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, has seen her once unquestioned power ebbing away across a number of lackluster regional elections. The Government parties have not been doing well- which is bad news for the political centre as both the main German parties are currently in government

Weekend Gist: President returned News, Luxury Good Photo, Wry Comment on Everyday Life

Higgins triumphs unnoticed The President of Ireland having been reelected with the largest personal mandate in the country's electoral history, the media have immediately rushed to give more attention and oxygen to the reactionary comments of the shambling mound who came a very distant second. It is possible this may

The Gist: Pres/Ref Vote, Data Air Raid, Cable Fable

Nation, just glad its all over, votes Its only been a few short weeks of national embaressment, appeals to the lowest impulses in the world, motivational business word-guff, holy eczema cures and explanations of how money you give away can end up back with you again. But today, the bit

CSI:Tuam, TV Debate, God-Bothering

The Past Is a Foreign Country, With No Extradition Treaty In Tuam, Co. Galway there's a small patch of grass with a wall around it in the middle of a housing estate. Under the grass is a sewage works, which was used as a mass grave for hundreds of babies

The Gist: UK's 800 minutes of Irish Oppression, Royal Excuses, Wallfallen Schools

UK, longing to be a nation once again The UK Prime Minister, who is still Theresa May at time of writing, announced a new plan to deal with the fact that, apparently, nobody in charge of the Brexit project noticed that Ireland was a different country. And that now that

The Gist: UK rails at last 800 minutes of Irish Opression, Royal excuses, Education breaks down walls

UK longs to be a nation once again The UK Prime Minister, who is still Theresa May at time of writing, announced a new plan to deal with the fact that, apparently, nobody in charge of the Brexit project noticed that Ireland was a different country. And that now that

The Gist: Pres election, Boy deportation, Difficult conurbation

Small man towers over opponants Michael D. Higgins, after seven years of doing exactly the job he is applying for to universal acclaim, remains most people's first choice for President. To reassure those people they're right, the other candidates have been existing. The one within the margin of error decided

The Gist: Terrible People Are Doing Terrible Things

Oireachtas Free Speech Zone Irish High Court finds TDs &Senators can't have restrictions on their speech in the Oireachtas by a court. Courting Attention US Supreme Court Judge told "You're hired" in prime time TV spectacular Getting Gisty With IT Very brief email newsletter returns.

The Gist: UK lunacy, VP Debate, Tech's listening ears

UK Lunacy Tory party conferences are rarely pretty. But this year, the UK's Government appears to have taken note of the defeat of the Blackshirts 80 years ago today in the battle of Cable Street and decided it was time to do something about that. Specifically, they decided to dedicate

The Gist: Police and numbers, Tax talk, Debate echos

Hello again! The Dáil is back in session and so are we. Police and Numbers Irish police are considering going on strike for more pay. However, it is illegal to go on strike. So they instead all call in sick at the same time. However, the CSO released figures suggesting

The Gist: Banks Stressed, Trump vs Bereaved, Chuteless

Banks Stressed The two main Irish banks hovered in the bottom of the EU's league table after the continent-wide stress tests that see what would happen in the event of a financial crisis. Basically, this means they were some of the most likely banks to go bust in the event

The Gist: An Appealing Judge, Life Goals, Bon Gabon

As neither of Ireland's news agenda setters (RTE and the Irish Times) can muster any news worth the name, tonight it's an Africa News In Gist Special. Doubtful prosecution A judge who convicted (in his absence) a notable rival to the sitting President in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Woman wins, Man parps, Insurance exchange

Woman wins Hilary Clinton won the Democratic Party nomination to be President. This would be ho-hum if it had been some fella. But it was the first time that anyone from the female half of the population of the earth had got such a nod. And that was a big

The Gist: Glossing over speech, Shrinking ad-bags, Terrible things

Glossing over repeal The Project Arts centre saw their political speech stifled by an instruction by Dublin City Council to paint over Maser’s “Repeal the 8th” mural, on planning permission grounds. No, I don’t know either. An empty sort of victory for those who would literally want to

The Gist: Trump horrorshow, A Suitable Bob, Shots in Munich, Isles of Insurance

Trump horrorshow The Republican convention peaked at 3am Irish time yesterday as plus-sized moral homoculous Donald Trump gave his acceptance speech. Earlier he gave an interview to the NY Times where he made protective NATO action dependent on the receipt of sufficient cash money from the ally states. This being

The Gist: UK Doomwatch, UnWarranted Hotmail, Eircod

UK Doomwatch The new cabinet has been appointed in the UK and, proving that reality may be buckling, it is even more gruesome than the last one. Boris Johnson’s appointment as Foreign Secretary is basically just having a laugh. UnWarranted Hotmail In 2013, a fellow’s Hotmail was sitting

The Gist: We're Rich!, YouTube pressure

We’re Rich! Hey, the CSO say that last year Gross Domestic Product grew by, not 7% but 26.3%. This doesn’t mean that we all get bars of gold in the post as it turns out that much of those ‘Domestic’ monies are really measuring multi-national companies cash.

The Dead, Cow Correction, Self-Suing Schools, 'Ready, Fire, Aim'

The Dead Movies would have us cheer for the good guys, the downtrodden, when they fight back. But there was a demonstration in Dallas last night over the routine shooting of black american citizens by their police forces. And someone or some people started shooting at the police, killing four

Morning Gist: Cow Dead, FF reanimate, Blair whatever

Cow Dead UK army shot some cows. That’s it. FF reanimate Poll shows rise in support for FF. FG TDs seem to misdiagnosed the problem as not controlling cabinet sufficiently. In fact the problem for FG is insufficient votes at the last election, something they haven't come to terms

Morning Edition: Iraq Hindsight, Pistorius, ePrivate No More

Iraq Hindsight, Oh hey, look at all those words! That will be mostly how the Chilcot report, published today, will be reported on today. Running to 12 volumes, and millions of words it is report on how the UK went to war in Iraq. (Spoiler: Doesn’t end well). The

Weekend News In Gist

Broken Britain, Sky-Hole Broken Britain, After so many years of talking about it, UK newspapers have finally Broken Britain. But, as Boris was knifed by human-guppie hybrid Michael Gove we can't even look forward to the sight of the heir-apparent squandering his unearned chance. Gove, who once denounced the Good

*Morning Edition* UK check-in, Fans with fans, Troublesome Priests

UK Check-In Britain is still stuffed. New ways things have gone wrong since yesterday: Headbanging brexiteers declaring for Tory leadership. Labour MPs demanding their leader go, but with no alternative in mind while leader insists on staying with no plan to heal the split. Countdown to property crash stats becoming

Turkey murders, UK flailing, Bin sneaks

Turkey murders People shot travellers and then blew themselves up in Turkey’s main international airport killing 28 people who just wanted to get somewhere or do their job. This is just one of those rote stories now, because you can’t really stop people from doing this every time

Brit-Fit, Bankflop, Iceland cometh

Brit-Fit The UK keeps up the high standards of the last few days. Boris announced his plan was to just keep things as they are now, but without having to follow any EU rules. Also, rainbow flavoured ice cream, unicorn-based transport network, fat-burning doughnuts. The Labour Party continued to rage

Fixit

Fixit > “If you put a large switch in some cave somewhere, with a sign on it saying 'End-of-the-World Switch. PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH', the paint wouldn't even have time to dry.” -The Thief of Time, Terry Pratchett Well, they only went and did it. England and Wales rose up against

Counting to Two, Free Money, Bins

Counting to Two Britain has voted and they're counting all the bits of paper. If you're reading this in the morning, sure, you'll know better than me what happened. If not, go off to bed. The whole thing was still mad. Free Money There was a great story about a

*Morning Edition* Football, England's Nervous Breakdown, US Sit-In

Football Ireland won against Italy. We get to play again! Irish Fan Status: Still gas. Also, checking on their phones how you apply for a loan from the credit union. England’s Nervous Breakdown The people of the increasingly-misnamed United Kingdom go to the polls to experience a pleasure well

Fascists, Football, Failure

Fascists Turns out a man who's accused of murdering an MP while shouting "Britain First" may turn out to be a subscriber to fascist magazines, to behave like a fascist and assert his name is "“Death to traitors, freedom for Britain”" when asked it in court. These facts suggest there

GSOC'd, Irish Fans, Popping Pill Prices

GSOC’d If it’s a Friday afternoon, then it must be a difficult report being released from the Department of Justice. This one was the first inquiry of its sort into whether GSOC did things correctly after a lady died in a road traffic accident and before a Garda

Murder

Murder MP Jo Cox, was small, well liked, pleasant and welcoming to immigrants to the UK. She had two small children. A man with a gun shot her dead today after attacking her in public. He shouted out 'put Britain first' as he killed her. Even reduced to bare facts,

Terrible people, Football, A friend of Ireland

Terrible people "Let's see if we can turn these freshly killed murder victims to our own personal rhetorical advantage." - Terrible people. A day after mass murder of revellers in a gay nightclub in Orlando by a homophobic abusive man with a violent fantasy life that had him investigated by

Mass murder, Mass media,

Mass murder A gay club in Florida during Pride, running a Latino night. A man whose father said he got angry when he saw two men kissing. He had already come to the attention of the FBI as potentially violent but could still buy multiple weapons of mass murder. Dozens

Not tonight

I will not do a News in Gist tonight. Philip Cairns was 13 when he went missing from my neighbourhood. I was 10. By the time I was 13, I used to cycle down a nearby road to go to my local library. The smiling face from his photo was

NAMA, Hillary v Trump, Fog

NAMA The NAMA Annual Report has been released and, good news!, everything is awesome. NAMA is something something 20,000 new houses as well as in some way going to make a giant profit to make us all rich again at the end. All the jam will arrive every other

Juries, UN, Car Insurance

Juries, juries, juries Serious crime cases have juries, who put in the hours needed to come to decisions. Sometimes, lots and lots of hours. They hear fantastic amounts of evidence and wrestle with legal niceties that baffle experienced lawyers. Today, the reportedly longest jury deliberation in the state's history ended

Lightning, Court Reports, Abroad

Lightning Basically, the main thing you need to know from the news to speak to you fellow humans is that a fella was hit by lightning and that he's alive and hopefully going to recover fully. This is everyone's chance to dust off their personal favourite struck by lightning stories,

(Sunday) Crime, Sun, Full Colour Supplements!

Crime With the courts closed and nothing else moving on a sunny Summer Bank Holiday Sunday, we're left with reporting on police activity as the final available form of official news. So, today we have shootings, assault on children and so on as the main breaking news. While gangs attacking

(Weekend) The Greatest, A whimsical column on Brunch, Show of Weakness

The Greatest Muhammad Ali's life story was too big for one life, so it overflowed and poured into everyone else's life story too. He fought for himself and, because he was an irresistibly attractive other, he fought for them too. The sport he played didn't deserve him and its cultural

Court Reports, Trump Trip, Luas back suas

Court Reports It's a very sunny Friday of a Bank Holiday. Which means all our usual news sources are in beergardens- except for the courts! So, we've got guilty verdicts and innocent verdicts. It's all very official and newsy. Guy who worked for Irish Life and Permanent is not guilty.

Health stuff, Sort of big Meaningless Numbers, O'Leary talk, Unscheduled prayers

Health stuff Northern Ireland says gay men can give blood after all. But not marry. We're keeping it contiwise. The Minister for Health, who's a youngfella with a grand head of hair on him, says he wants everyone to agree with a policy that will take 10 years to do,

Birmingham bombs, Gorillas, Clery's,

Birmingham Bombs The Birmingham pub bombings from the 1970s are going to be looked at again, as they are now an official error so the UK State can acknowledge that. Who knows, maybe it will turn out a dead person was to blame. Gorillas (deceased) A faraway zoo shot a

Guards, Some sort of EU Water thing, Babies

Garda Numbers The Minister for Justice says she'll give more stuff to the police in a bit over gangs and maybe even more police, but not for years. She also wishes we'd stop asking her hard questions about them. Europe Water Thing Some sort of thing where the EU Commission