Politics watch: Independent votes sign of Coalition tension?
James Cox
Here, we have a look at the topics likely to dominate political discourse in the week to come.
Coalition tension?
The Coalition has struggled from day one due to its association with the Regional Independent Group.
The role of Michael Lowry in government formation talks was hugely controversial, and the subsequent disruption over speaking rights for Independent TDs delayed the nomination of the Taoiseach and formation of Oireachtas committees.
The understanding that Regional Independent TDs will vote for the Government meant it was a price Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Tánaiste Simon Harris were willing to pay.
That means the first instance of these TDs voting against the Government will be a worry to ministers.
Two TDs who are part of the Coalition-supporting Regional Independent Group voted against the Government on Wednesday night on Sinn Féin's Israeli bonds bill.
Barry Heneghan and Gillian Toole voted with the Opposition.
TDs voted 87-75 against a motion brought by Sinn Féin to force the Irish Central Bank to end its role in facilitating the 'Israeli war bonds' in the EU.
Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe has previously said the Sinn Féin motion was unworkable and inconsistent with EU law.
Members of the Opposition held up signs saying "stop funding genocide" as they failed in the Dáil vote.
In a statement, Mr Heneghan said he voted in favour of the Sinn Féin motion “because Ireland shouldn’t facilitate the sale of bonds that help fund the devastation in Gaza”.
“I’m voting for the bill because Ireland shouldn’t facilitate the sale of bonds that help fund the devastation in Gaza,” he added.
“This is about standing up for international law and basic human rights.”
Mr Heneghan said he was “fully committed” to the Programme for Government, adding “as an Independent TD, I reserve the right to act on matters of conscience”.
“The situation is urgent, and Ireland must show leadership,” he said.
Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael tied in poll, Sinn Féin fall
Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are neck and neck in the latest opinion poll.
Sinn Féin has dropped two to 20 per cent, after leading in recent polls.
Fianna Fáil is down two points and Fine Gael is up ond point.
The Coalition partners are both on 21 per cent in the Sunday Independent/Ireland Thinks poll which was published today.
The Social Democrats are up one to 9 per cent.
Independents and others are on 10 per cent, while Independent Ireland, Aontú and Labour are all on 5 per cent. Solidarity People Before Profit is on 3 per cent, while the Green Party is on 1 per cent.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin remains the most popular party leader with an approval rating of 46 per cent, unchanged from the last poll.
Tánaiste and Fine Gael leader Simon Harris is up one to 41 per cent, while Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns' approval is unchanged at 40 per cent.
Labour leader Ivana Bacik's popularity rating has dropped one point to 36 per cent, and Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has also dropped one to 35 per cent.
Ireland's subsea infrastructure and gas pipelines 'very vulnerable'
Ireland's critical subsea infrastructure is extremely vulnerable due to the under-resourcing of the Defence Forces and Irish Navy, a former TD and deputy commander of the Army Ranger Wing has warned.
Ireland's maritime footprint is seven times the country's land area and is home to the majority of transatlantic data communications.
For example, the AEC-1 cable connects New York with Ireland, landing at Killala, Co Mayo. It is 5,534 km long and has been operating since 2016. The system primarily serves telecommunications providers, cloud service providers, content delivery networks, and enterprises that require efficient data transport solutions.
These undersea cables are crucial to various aspects of daily life, including cloud storage and banking systems. Around three-quarters of Ireland's national gas is also imported via undersea pipelines.
Tánaiste and Minister for Defence Simon Harris has said he expects contract negotiations for the supply of advanced sonar technology to conclude within a number of months. However, the first sonar systems are not expected to be operational until July 2027, meaning Ireland is largely dependent on foreign navies to detect threats.
In an interview with em, former TD and soldier Cathal Berry said Ireland's undersea cables and gas pipelines are "very vulnerable".
"All our data centres, all our video footage of our families, our photographs are stored in data centres, not on our phones. We're hugely vulnerable because the umbilical cords between Europe and North America are very vulnerable.
"There are about a dozen data cables coming into Ireland. More importantly, we have two gas pipelines coming in from Scotland, which are even more strategically crucial because Ireland has no natural gas."
Abroad
In the US, billionaire Elon Musk has departed Donald Trump's administration.
Mr Musk is leaving his position spearheading the Department of Government Efficiency, and he will be rededicating himself to running his businesses, including electric carmaker Tesla, rocket company SpaceX and social media platform X.
In the UK, Keir Starmer's Labour government and the Conservative Party are trying to issue warnings about the dangers of Nigel Farage's Reform UK party, as it surges in popularity in opinion polls.