Steen's presidential bid doomed by timing and strategy rather than 'oppressive' system
James Cox
Here, we have a look at the issues likely to dominate political discourse in the week to come.
Steen's campaign doomed by timing
Maria Steen has had more headlines and column inches than the other three candidates combined as we head into a short and intense presidential election run-in.
Ms Steen certainly would have provided a different view to the three options of Jim Gavin (Fianna Fáil), Heather Humphreys (Fine Gael) and Independent Catherine Connolly.
We essentially have a left wing candidate in Ms Connolly and two centrist candidates in Mr Gavin and Ms Humphreys.
Despite Ms Steen's claims to be a centrist, her views err towards the right of the political spectrum.
A member of the Iona Institute, a socially conservative Catholic organisation, Ms Steen campaigned on the 'no' side in both the abortion and same-sex marriage referendums.
While the yes side one comprehensively in both, she had more success in the recent family and care referendums.
She campaigned for a no vote in both referenda and the electorate voted overwhelmingly in this direction.
Senator Michael McDowell was in the same side in this one, and she has had a fallout with him in the aftermath of her presidential campaign.
Ms Steen got 18 Oirechtas nominations of the required 20, and afterwards criticised the "oppressive" system.
“Rarely has the political consensus seemed more oppressive or detached from the wishes and desires of the public.”
The simple fact is every candidate knows the rules, and while it may be difficult, the system has always been the same.
Writing in the Sunday Independent today, Ms Steen denied that timing was a factor, and said she was waiting to see if Mr McDowell would run before making her decision.
"In response to those who have criticised what has been described as my late entry into the race, I have spoken about my concerns for my family and the impact that both a campaign and a possible election might have.
"But there was also another issue that influenced my decision: the question of who else might run.
"One of the potential candidates in question was Senator Michael McDowell."
She added: "The reality is, there was more than enough time for anyone who wanted to nominate me to do so.
"Despite requests to meet and talk with certain Oireachtas members, my calls, emails and texts went unanswered.
"While I would never presume on anyone’s vote, and no one had an obligation to nominate me, I did appreciate the candour of those who met with me and told me — one way or the other — whether they intended to nominate me or not."
Despite this, timing and strategy proved to be the undoing of her campaign. Securing 18 nominations after entering the race relatively late suggests Ms Steen could have rallied the required support with more time.
In the Sunday Independent piece, she said the route of securing four local authorities proved too difficult, but starting the campaign earlier may have helped with securing the backing of more local councillors.
In an interview with The Irish Times on Saturday, Ms Steen addressed the online controversy over her Hermes handbag.
The bags range in price from around €10,000 to €30,000.
Ms Steen said "the handbag was deliberate".
She added: "I wanted to expose the hypocrisy of the left who don’t love the poor; they just hate the rich."
Ms Steen said it was hypocritical for feminists to say they want more women in public life and then “criticise a woman who happens to have the wrong values for carrying the expensive handbag”.
“Nobody would ever question a man about the price of his car or of his suit – or if he’s wearing an expensive watch – but a woman carries an expensive handbag, and that’s all the news."
First presidential debate
Moving back to the declared candidates, the first presidential debate will take place at 10pm on Virgin Media One on Monday.
Some have argued the choice for the election is underhwelming, but the debate might surprise people with so much on the line for all three.
Many people do not yet know where Jim Gavin stands on issues, and his lack of political experience compared to his rivals means there is a lot riding on the debate for him.
Heather Humphreys may well face more questions on an alleged animal cruelty case that was dropped following correspondence from her office sent to the Department of Agriculture.
Meanwhile, Mr Gavin and Ms Humphreys may target Catherine Connolly over controversial statements she has made about Hamas and German rearmament having "parallels with the 1930s".
'Commissioner McGrath must tackle social media recommender systems,' TD says
The Government "needs to lean on" EU Commissioner Michael McGrath to use his influence to dismantle social media recommender systems which "spread hate and misinformation", according to a TD.
Mr McGrath is EU Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law and Consumer Protection.
He will be responsible for the forthcoming European Democracy Shield. The legislation is aimed at "safeguarding electoral integrity, strengthening the rule of law, protecting media freedom, supporting civil society, and upholding the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights".
Many advocacy groups have said it is an opportunity to remove social media recommender systems.
Social media recommender systems are algorithms that use user data to suggest relevant content and people, aiming to "increase engagement and personalize user experiences".
However, it is well documented that they give priority to misinformation, hateful and violent content, creating echo chambers.
In an interview with BreakingNews.ie, Limerick TD Conor Sheehan said: "The forthcoming Democracy Shield legislation is designed to tackle the spread of online misinformation and essentially protect European democracy.
"The Government needs to lean on Commissioner McGrath in relation to this. You can really see the European Union can exercise its power in relation to these things when you look at the work that Margrethe Vestager did when she was commissioner. Social media companies need to be forced to disable the recommender system."
Mr Sheehan has highlighted the rise in far-right violence targeting immigrant and minority communities, and he said incidents like the Dublin riots and violent protests around Leinster House will only worsen if action is not taken to address the "toxic" recommender systems.
Trump Dáil address?
Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said he would have "no issue" with US president Donald Trump addressing the Dáil when he visits Ireland.
Speaking in New York, where he was visiting for the UN General Assembly, Mr Martin said "personally" he would have no issue with Mr Trump addressing the Dáil.
The Ryder Cup, which is currenty taking place in Bethpage Black golf course in New York, is due to be held in Adare Manor in Co Limerick in 2027, and Mr Trump may well decide to attend.
His interest in golf is well known and he was at the first day of this year's Ryder Cup.
Mr Trump may also be in Ireland next year as the 2026 Irish Open will take place in his Doonbeg resort in 2026.
Mr Martin said an address to the Oireachtas "would depend", adding “there would probably be different views”.
Abroad
Former president Nicolas Sarkozy's prison sentence has deepened divisions in France over judges' handling of political wrongdoing, months before far-right chief Marine Le Pen attempts to overturn an embezzlement conviction and run for top office.
In the UK, prime minister Keir Starmer has warned voters to be wary of Nigel Farage as support for his Reform UK party surges in polls.
In the US, president Donald Trump said he will send troops to Portland, Oregon, to handle “domestic terrorists” as he expands his controversial deployments to more American cities.
