The Agenda

We were joined on The Agenda this morning by Deputy News Editor at The Irish Times and writer of the Unthinkable philosophy column, Joe Humphries, who wrote a piece this week titled:  “We need an adult debate on free speech but some people will be offended”In his piece, Joe wrote: “Cancel culture is on the wane – so Google data tells us. Reports of people being “cancelled” shot up in the period 2019-2021, search traffic shows, but the term is now starting to feel dated. It appears the “language police” are in retreat, and that has created an opportunity for fresh discussion on the proper limits of free speech”.Joe discussed all of this with us.

The sad plight of more than 10 homeless people a month who die, often alone and in a public place, is revealed in a new report.The tragic toll of 124 homeless deaths in 2022, highlighted in a Health Research Board report, shows while the number of fatalities in people of no fixed abode is down from 133 in 2021, they have risen by 31pc since 2019.In 2022, men accounted for 81pc of the deaths, with a median age of 47 years. Women had a median age of 40.5 years. Some 71 people were alone when they died, and 36 people died in a public place. Sixteen people had been sleeping rough in the period leading up to their death.Dermot Murphy from Depaul says that homelessness is a severe health risk that demands more than just emergency beds, and Dermot joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this.

A new poll has revealed that eight in 10 people want Government to ban advertisements of junk food by social media influencers.The survey by the Irish Heart Foundation, carried out by Ipsos B&A, asked a nationally representative sample of 1,000 adults by phone for their input.A total of 79pc of respondents backed the measure to prevent children being exposed to messaging endorsing foods high in sugar, fat and salt.This includes targeting influencers on apps such as Instagram, TikTok and Facebook, which the Irish Heart Foundation says exposes children to diet-related diseases.We were joined on The Agenda by Senior Policy Manager at The Irish Heart Foundation, Mark Murphy, who told us about why The Irish Heart Foundation wants the Government to introduce a total ban of digital marketing of unhealthy foods to protect the health of children.

Micheál Martin’s leadership of Fianna Fáil is facing renewed threats, with a group of TDs approaching senior ministers to discuss a change at the top.Backbenchers have said it is past time for “waiting around” for a challenger to make their move, and that they will seek to build support for a change.There had been a hardening of the position of the “middle-ground” TDs who are neither loyal supporters nor staunch critics of Mr Martin following the handling of fuel protests.While it is understood the disgruntled backbenchers are not close to having the numbers for a successful no-confidence motion, they are trying to build support.Ireland Editor of the Irish Independent at Mediahuis Ireland, Fionnan Sheahan, joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this.

Fuel prices, protests, and growing pressure on businesses — it’s been a turbulent week across Ireland, with road blockades and demonstrations highlighting just how strongly people are feeling about the rising cost of fuel, driven in part by ongoing tensions in the Middle East.But beyond the disruption on our roads, there are wider knock-on effects beginning to take hold — particularly in industries that rely heavily on transport, machinery, and materials.The construction sector is one of those feeling the strain. From the cost of moving supplies to powering equipment on site, volatility in fuel prices is now creating real uncertainty for projects and companies, both locally and nationally.So what does this mean in practical terms? Are building projects at risk of delay? And could this add further pressure to an already stretched housing supply?We were joined on The Agenda this morning by a representative from the Construction Industry Federation, Meabh Smith (who is also a Meath resident), and Meabh has been speaking directly with companies across the region to get a sense of how serious the situation has become.

Nurses are now travelling in groups to and from work to try and avoid racially motivated abuse, the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation has said.The claim by the INMO comes after new figures show that hospital staff have been subjected to racial abuse or prejudice on almost 200 occasions in the past five years.Figures released to The Journal Investigates by the HSE show that the number of incidents of discrimination, prejudice or racial abuse aimed at staff has risen each year, peaking with 59 reports last yearMost of the 183 incidents recorded since the start of 2021 are classified as ‘negligible’, with 19 deemed minor in nature, although the HSE said that “any incident that impacts any member of staff is unacceptable.”Investigative Journalist at The Journal Investigates, Noel Baker, joined us on The Agenda this morning to tell us more about this.

A Fine Gael backbencher has defended the government's action on fuel protests.Protests will take place today outside the Dail by hauliers and farmers.The coalition has come in for criticism for how it handled both fuel prices and protests.This morning on The Agenda we spoke to Fine Gael TD Barry Ward, who told us that the government "did what they could".We also spoke to Sinn Fein TD for Louth, Ruairi O Murchu, who beleives the Government handled the whole thing terribly.We also discussed the motion of no confidence being tabled by Sinn Fein today due to the Gorvernments handling of the fuel protests.

Aontú leader and Meath-West TD Peadar Tóibín has said that the government's handling of the crisis has been 'a fiasco'.He says they're going to come under fierce pressure in this week's motion of no confidence.Deputy Toibin joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this.