@lokapila.bsky.social Put in a request to the Department of Housing under FOI, asking for analysis/modelling of the likely impacts – on affordability and supply – of the government's big, recent rental law changes.
The response? No such records exist.
MIGA
A Palestinian flag
Tbf, the person running the stall is selling both Palestinian and MAGA merch so there’s no real ideology at play here aside from capitalism…
Three Irish flags on a stall.
An tricolour with “make Ireland great again” on it. Yours for only €5
Reverse angle of the stall. Tbf the merchant also has Palestinian flags for sale, so this isn’t ideological, unless you count capitalism as an ideology.
People claim that the abundance of flags at far right protests in Dublin is proof these protests are orchestrated and organised.
Or, and hear me out, what if someone has a stall on O’Connell Street and is selling Irish flags?
(Yuge Cut My Own Throat Dibbler energy from this canny entrepreneur)
They really are capturing the “buy these ten issues of titles you don’t follow if you want the whole story” vibe that helped wean me off superhero comics when I was a kid.
The abuse that Senator Eileen Flynn has faced in recent days is both disgusting and disturbing, serving as another example of social media companies neglecting their duties to reduce harm and hateful content - @malcolmnoonan.bsky.social
False claims of a stabbing at Connolly Station on Saturday night were shared to millions of people by a US commentator who had travelled to Ireland to cover the fuel price protests.
jrnl.ie/7019035
Modular homes in back gardens.
Where is the study of the impact on the water, sewage and electrical systems?
Why can't the State build modular homes?
#spéirgorm
The leaders of the United States, Israel and Russia are seeking to impose a new "predatory" world order while most countries are too cowardly to stop them, rights group Amnesty International said
I have made it in time for my lecture and the boost of adrenaline was just what the doctor ordered
So far this week I have
1. Sent the wrong draft (still with comments visible) to an editor.
2. Turned up to the wrong *campus* for a lecture I am giving this morning.
It’s only Tuesday. I’m taking the rest of week off…
Magyar Péter (Ne féljetek) * ... @magyarpeterMP Until 31 May, the Orbán puppets may voluntarily step down from their positions. This applies to the President of Hungary, the President of the Curia, the President of the National Office for the Judiciary, the President of the Constitutional Court, and the Prosecutor General. On 12 April, the Hungarian people voted for a complete political transformation. If these officials do not step down voluntarily by 31 May, then - on the basis of the mandate received from millions of Hungarians — we will remove them from office.
Hungary’s Péter Magyar issues an ultimatum.
…terms like “outside influence” aren’t helpful because they don’t acknowledge the complexity of the information dynamic at play here.
It really depends on how you define “outside influence”…
Have the protest organisers consumed lots of dubious online content? Yes. Has it been promoted algorithmically? Yes.
But the organisers are grown adults with agency. Tommy Robinson etc weren’t in the Facebook or WhatsApp groups…
Starmer appointed Mandelson despite his failure to past vetting. Mandelson then proceeded, to once again, abuse high office for his and (this time) his friend’s (a child sex trafficker) financial benefit
And yet Kitty think this is a “non story”
So you think taking £75k from a sex trafficker and lying about it when asked is ok?
And FYI Mandelson has been questioned by the police regarding accusations he leaked market sensitive information to Epstein and covertly lobbying for Epstein whole on office. It’s been in the papers.
Online abuse of politicians is a profitable business Senator Eileen Flynn's comments on far-right use of the tricolour have made her a lightning rod for online abuse - because viral hatred is highly profitable
In the space of a few weeks in 2025, Simon Harris required armed gardaí at his family home due to multiple bomb threats, while former taoiseach Leo Varadkar was subjected to a homophobic tirade by a self-styled citizen journalist who filmed the confrontation for social media. A man is due before the courts in July in connection with an alleged assault on Mary Lou McDonald and two canvassers the day before the presidential election last year. The incident was filmed and went viral online. So, last week when a video of Senator Eileen Flynn speaking about racism and nationalist propaganda went viral, a predictable and inevitable online pile on began, with posts attacking Flynn's "patriotism" or perceived
Much of the abuse directed at Ms Flynn came from Irish accounts run by people who benefit from algorithmically amplification (so called blue tick accounts), and content monetisation. Monetisation is now a commonplace feature on social media platforms like X/Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok, that allows the company to "share" revenue. The more attention (likes, shares, comments etc) a post gets, the more revenue a user earns. Influencers also often have accounts on three or four platforms and post dozens of times a day, and can also benefit from tips, and paid subscribers so it is difficult to gauge how much they earn, but a single viral post on X can generate over €300 for an influencer, so this can become a quite lucrative activity for not a lot of work. Power
The abuse directed at Ms Flynn did not only come from Irish accounts; international social media influencers whose attention was already on Ireland since the fuel protests latched onto it too. Defiant Ls, an account run by a Macedonian influencer who promotes Maga content shared the video, as did the account LibsofTikTok, with the caption, 'Irish Senator Eileen Flynn says that she is "terrified" to see her nation's flag and thinks it's "disgraceful" to fly it', received more than 250,000 views and over 1,300 comments, mostly abusive. LibsOfTikTok has nearly five million fans and the account is run by Chaya Raichik, a right wing influencer who has previously targeted schools, hospitals and libraries across the United States. Victims of her attention have gone to be inundated with threats of violence.
I have a piece in the Examiner today on how content monetisation is fuelling a new wave of online harassment
Irish influencers with monetised accounts are mimicking the behaviour of people like Chaya Raichik, the owner of LibsOfTikTok, who has turned online abuse & harassment into a business model.
NEW: I found two "news" websites active on X and other platforms—Al-Fassel and Pishtaz News—that are in fact U.S. government-operated anti-Iranian military propaganda mills. Both appear tied to U.S. Central Command.
theintercept.com/2026/04/20/p...
Monetisation and algorithmic amplification has turned peddling disinformation, hate speech, and harassment into a for-profit industry.
It will only get worse if it's left unchecked.
- Aidan O'Brien @aidanobrien.bsky.social
With the help of the Sandy Hook families, The Onion has reached a long-awaited deal to take over InfoWars.
We've enlisted the help of @timheidecker.bsky.social, who will be InfoWars' Creative Director.
Please stand by for more.
"Elon Musk has been summoned to Paris on Monday, where investigators are looking into allegations of misconduct related to the social media platform X, including the spread of child sexual abuse material and deepfake content... It remains unclear whether Musk and Yaccarino will travel to Paris."
New, from me: Take the Palantir manifesto seriously, if not literally.
It reveals that our tech philosopher kings want public money, but without public accountability. This creates a dilemma for governments unaligned with its techno-fascist vision. 🧵
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/palantir-w...
Can't see my Blueshirt granddad being mates with them.
Really? I have family in Donegal who follow the Baháʼí faith, but assumed they were blow ins!
I have GONE WILD on the 1926 Irish census and have made some fun discoveries:
Trinidadian medical students, a Baháʼí couple in Donegal, the Irish widow of an emigré Cossack, and Egyptian sailors in Cork city - among many others.
Ireland is a blank canvas for the international right wing and there is real risk that the ‘quiet middle’ and the left will be outshouted by a loud and aggressive RW minority, and not just in online spaces. it feels like we're in a moment where an assertive left voice is needed in the public sphere
Yes there’s nothing whatsoever untoward about Mandelson accepting large sums of cash from a sex trafficker, not to mention sharing confidential government information and lobbying on Epstein’s behalf
I had no idea Belfast even had “two” airports. And still maintain the other one is so far from the city it’s in breach of the trade description act
