The Tonight Show

🗣️ “This is only going to distort the market.” People driving older petrol and diesel cars could receive up to €8,500 towards a new electric vehicle under a proposed scrappage scheme. But critics say the focus should be on building out charging infrastructure.

Guidelines sent to police in the UK outlined how ethnic minorities "have had a terrible time with police" so they needed to "balance things up in their favour". Critics believe those guidelines have led police to engage in a "woke fashion". #TonightVMTV - Mark Paul

The solution to encouraging EV uptake is to focus on the charging infrastructure - says Geraldine Herbert

"The Government got caught out and it was called out" - says Sinn Fein's David Cullinane on SNAs. But Fianna Fail TD Paul McAuliffe says he voted for a budget last year to increase the number of SNAs. #TonightVMTV

"I welcome the fact that we now have a plan," @davidcullinane. #TonightVMTV

Special needs services under the spotlight as a workforce development plan for Special Needs Assistants is set to go before Cabinet. Will it help tackle delays in assessments for children with additional needs? Niamh Griffin, Health Correspondent explains. #TonightVMTV

On #TonightVMTV at 10pm 🚨 The Government missed its own targets on Assessments of Need. Will a new SNA workforce plan improve services for children? 🚨 Will a new EV scrappage scheme boost uptake? 🚨 And is Nigel Farage exploiting the Henry Nowak case for political gain?

Concerns over knife crime in Dublin have grown after two separate attacks this weekend, raising questions about safety in the capital and wider social pressures. Criminologist Trina O’Connor says some young people may see carrying a blade as a “safe option”. [1/2]

On #TonightVMTV at 10pm with Shane Coleman: Two attacks in Dublin over the weekend reignite fears over knife crime. Pressure grows for an investigation into claims Limerick's largest employer is exporting 80% of its product to Russia to fuel their war on Ukraine.

🗣️ “We all know the parts of Ireland where those one-off houses have defaced the landscape,” says John Lee of the Irish Daily Mail. He was reacting to plans to make it easier to build one-off rural homes. #TonightVMTV 📺 Watch the full discussion on our YouTube Channel.

🗣️ “Kevin Bakhurst made statements last week that I think challenge for some of the most extraordinary statements ever made by a public servant,” says John Lee, Executive Editor, Irish Daily Mail. #TonightVMTV

🗣️ “I think the public will be really frustrated, to put it mildly, if after all the sagas with RTÉ, there was still excessive spending,” says James Geoghegan TD, Fine Gael. #TonightVMTV

🗣️ “I think they [the Government] have calculated there's a path ahead that allows them to miss these [environmental] targets. They don't particularly care about them,” says John Lee, Executive Editor, Irish Daily Mail. #TonightVMTV

🗣️ “Our European partners have been calling us laggards for a long time,” 🗣️ “They’re giving people incentives to put solar panels on their roof… we’re giving absolute pittance,” @michaelcindtd.bsky.social | #TonightVMTV

🗣️ “We have targets that are based on science, not on political whim,” says Sadhbh O'Neill, Climate Journalist. #TonightVMTV

🗣️ “You’re regarded as a right-wing party. Do you reject that?” asks Shane Coleman. 🗣️ “We have to reject that, because that’s not what the party is about,” says @michaelcindtd.bsky.social. #TonightVMTV

🗣️ “Your candidate famously said ‘the inn is full’.  The Labour candidate herself is an immigrant… it’s hardly surprising her supporters didn’t give the nod to your candidate,” says Shane Coleman.  #TonightVMTV

🗣️ “We all know the parts of Ireland where those one-off houses have defaced the landscape,” says John Lee, Executive Editor, Irish Daily Mail. #TonightVMTV

🗣️ “People want to come into communities and not be held up by some silly guideline,” says @michaelcindtd.bsky.social  #TonightVMTV

🗣️ “I think you're painting a picture that somehow Ireland is going to return to bungalows on every blade of grass,” - James Geoghegan TD, Fine Gael. 🗣️ “I'm only reading the statement from the Tánaiste,” - Shane Coleman. #TonightVMTV

🗣️ “There hasn't been a unified approach when it comes to people trying to build homes in the communities where they're from,” says James Geoghegan TD, Fine Gael. 🗣️ “A free-for-all. Build wherever you want,” says Shane Coleman. #TonightVMTV

On #TonightVMTV at 10pm with Shane Coleman: 🚨 By-Election Fallout: Why did the right not benefit from transfers?  🚨 EPA warns of “famine of ambition” as Ireland set to miss 2030 climate targets. 🚨 RTÉ spent €230k on chauffeurs since 2021 - has the culture changed at all?

🗣️ “I don’t think you can separate sport from humanity.” The #TonightVMTV panel discussed growing calls to boycott the Ireland vs Israel football fixtures after protesters outside Leinster House stepped up their campaign to have the matches cancelled. 📺 ▶️ https://youtu.be/B8edjUR5WM0

🗣️ “What really galls me is how UEFA and FIFA very quickly expelled Russia and Belarus. What’s the difference?” 🗣️ "I think we should keep politics out of football," The #TonightVMTV panel discuss calls for the boycott of the Ireland vs Israel football fixtures.

🗣️ “'First we’ll check if any US companies are involved in the war crimes so we can let them off the hook.' Is that what we’re saying here?" 🗣️ “The reality is, this bill needs to be passed. There are no consequences to what Israel are doing” #TonightVMTV

🗣️ “I think it's a cheap cop out by government. They've delayed this for years and years” 🗣️ “I don’t think we should pretend this is an issue with the US or all the companies will run out of Ireland” #TonightVMTV

🗣️ “I really think this whole USA thing is spin. I think it’s misinformation and scaremongering,” 🗣️ “Last year, we saw a coordinated campaign to scare Ireland out of acting,” #TonightVMTV

🗣️ “But still, we're trading with those [Israeli] settlements and, we're actually helping to sustain them,” says Senator Frances Black #TonightVMTV

🗣️ “I don’t know how in the name of god you can say housing is going well,” says Claire Kerrane TD, Sinn Féin #TonightVMTV

🗣️ The question between now and the next general election is - can the left come together?” asks Claire Kerrane TD, Sinn Féin #TonightVMTV

🗣️ "Back to the central problem - are Sinn Féin a left-wing party?" - @mickcliff.bsky.social #TonightVMTV

🗣️ “There does seem to be a little bit less transfer attractiveness for Sinn Féin from other left-wing parties,” says @hmcevansoneya.bsky.social. #TonightVMTV

🗣️ “Obviously, more disappointing for Sinn Féin and Fianna Fáil,” 🗣️ “This is potentially a sign of what is to come in the future,” @hmcevansoneya.bsky.social discusses the recent by-election performances of Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin. #TonightVMTV

On #TonightVMTV at 10pm with Shane Coleman: 🚨 Fallout deepens for Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin after by-election results. 🚨 Pressure on Government over “hollowed out” Occupied Territories Bill and renewed calls for Ireland vs Israel match boycott.

🗣️ “I don’t believe [RTÉ] is going in a new direction” Following RTÉ senior management’s appearance before the Oireachtas media committee, the #TonightVMTV panel discussed the broadcaster’s direction and whether Government still has confidence in its director general. 📺 https://youtu.be/qpGfvuYEfeA

Fine Gael TD Micheál Carrigy has claimed that Daft.ie rental figures are less authoritative than RTB data, as rent prices continue to soar. #TonightVMTV

"It's the ordinary staff who aren't paid well" that keep RTE going - "not the celebrities", says Shane Ross. #TonightVMTV

"They're not fully confident that something like this could come up again" Claire Scott, Political Correspondent, Sunday Times Ireland on RTE pay revelations. #TonightVMTV

"There's an absolute instinct in nearly all the top brass in RTE not to reveal information - and that's been going on for 50 years," says Shane Ross, author and former minister. #TonightVMTV

"Patience is running out" says Eoin Ó Broin TD when asked about latest RTE payment revelations. #TonightVMTV

"I would have questions of him staying in his role," says Fine Gael TD Micheál Carrigy when asked if he has confidence in RTÉ Director General Kevin Bakhurst. #TonightVMTV

On #TonightVMTV at 10pm with Fionnán Sheahan: RTÉ management faces “creative accounting” claims, with its top earners list branded “a waste of space” at the Oireachtas Media Committee. Plus, fury over soaring rents and calls for immediate release of Irish flotilla activists.

"You know, I think it was reminiscent of, you know, what we saw with the George Floyd video, you know, just under six years ago." News Correspondent Eimer McAuley on the death of Yves Sakila. 📺▶️ https://youtu.be/lKwEHBHvLNc #TonightVMTV

Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon has criticised the publication of deportation images by the State, arguing no other part of the justice system publicises images of its actions being carried out. #TonightVMTV

"I think it was reminiscent of what we saw with the George Floyd video" - Eimer McAuley on death of Yves Sakila #TonightVMTV

There is a migrant community "hurting and feeling fear" - Gary Gannon TD on death of Yves Sakila. #TonightVMTV

Niall Collins TD on death of Yves Sakila says "most of Ireland will be absolutely appalled by this". #TonightVMTV

On #TonightVMTV at 10pm with Shane Coleman: Vigil held for Yves Sakila following the death of the Congolese man after an alleged shoplifting incident on Dublin’s Henry Street, amid concerns over the force used against him. Plus, fresh pressure on RTÉ over financial disclosures.

🗣️ “When people feel they're losing out, they tend to strike out." The #TonightVMTV panel discusses whether the Bertie Ahern video has brought immigration back to the centre of political discussion. 📺 Watch the full discussion ➡️ https://youtu.be/3W0Lv83eQIY

🗣️ “Do you get a sense from the RSA that there is a zeal there to save those lives?” asks Shane Coleman. 🗣️ “I don't question the zeal, but I question the capacity when they're also counting the pennies in terms of the number of driver theory tests,” says @rodericogorman.bsky.social. #TonightVMTV

🗣️ “Technology won't capture a drunk or a drug driver,” says Michael Murphy TD, Fine Gael – Chair of the Transport Committee. #TonightVMTV

🗣️ “What this might do is legitimise some of the more hardline, far-right views that are being expressed about migration in the inner-city,” says Mary Regan, Political Editor, Irish Independent. #TonightVMTV

🗣️ “When people feel they're losing out, they tend to strike out. And the problem is, they're striking out at who's not the cause of their problem,” says Derek Mooney, Former Fianna Fáil advisor. #TonightVMTV

🗣️ “So it isn't necessarily that people are against immigration... they're saying we just feel there's limited resources and we don't see the resources going to where we are,” says Derek Mooney, Former Fianna Fáil advisor. #TonightVMTV

🗣️ “Is there a huge difference between what Leo Varadkar was saying and what Bertie Ahern said?” - Shane Coleman. 🗣️ “Bertie Ahern is the most experienced of politicians and he should've known better,” - Michael Murphy TD, Fine Gael #TonightVMTV

🗣️ “It does bring up the issue of migration. That is something I think many Government TDs would have hoped had fizzled out,” says says Mary Regan, Political Editor, Irish Independent. #TonightVMTV

🗣️ “These sweeping generalisations… in no way help having a clear conversation on the matter,” says @rodericogorman.bsky.social #TonightVMTV

🗣️ “I think he [Micheál Martin] might be wishing, in the same way Simon Harris wishes occasionally, that former leaders may stay away from cameras,” says Derek Mooney, Former Fianna Fáil advisor. #TonightVMTV

On #TonightVMTV at 10PM with Shane Coleman: 🚨 Taoiseach distances Fianna Fáil from Bertie Ahern’s immigration comments. 🚨 Fewer breath tests, low convictions & rising fatalities – is road safety enforcement failing?

🗣️ “In the aftermath of those fuel protests – there is an increased militancy.” Following the 24-hour strike by National Ambulance Service trade union members, the #TonightVMTV panel discussed whether the fuel protests influenced industrial action. 📺▶️ https://youtu.be/BXpdu4YxK2A

🗣️ "[Starmer's] like a three-legged dog. He can probably hobble along OK, but you wonder will he ever get up to speed again," says London Correspondent, Irish Times #TonightVMTV

🗣️ “You can see this in the utterances from the trade union sector in the aftermath of those fuel protests – there is an increased militancy,” says Jack Horgan-Jones, Political Correspondent, Irish Times. #TonightVMTV

🗣️ “All of this is leading again to some private back-biting against the minister from his ministerial colleagues,” says Jack Horgan-Jones, Political Correspondent, Irish Times. #TonightVMTV

🗣️ “It's a massive political issue because the costs of this begin to accrue to people, in very short order, and then to the political class,” says Jack Horgan-Jones, Political Correspondent, Irish Times. #TonightVMTV

🗣️ “It's the first year that the HSE has operated in devolved regions, and they're already having their knuckles wrapped,” says Niamh Griffin, Health Correspondent, Irish Examiner.

🗣️ “They're not unreasonable people. Bring everybody to the table and let's look at this again,” says George Lawlor TD, Labour. #TonightVMTV

🗣️ “What they're looking for is recognition as professional healthcare workers,” - Martin Daly TD, Fianna Fáil. 🗣️ “The solution coming to Government, as usual, is spending more money,” - Shane Coleman. #TonightVMTV

🗣️ “What the unions are saying is… they should be getting higher pay and much more recognition of their education,” says Niamh Griffin, Health Correspondent, Irish Examiner. #TonightVMTV

🗣️ “In the past it was about the transport of patients and now it's about urgent medical intervention – that has to be rewarded,” says George Lawlor TD, Labour. #TonightVMTV

🗣️ “As a GP, I've witnessed the absolute sea change in the level of qualification and service that's provided,” - Martin Daly TD, Fianna Fáil. 🗣️ “They'll be sitting at home going, that's great – talk is cheap,” - Shane Coleman. #TonightVMTV

On #TonightVMTV at 10PM with Shane Coleman: 🚨 Ambulance Strike: Unions reject HSE claims of risk. Should Government step in or should talks resume? 🚨 Budget Cuts: Is a curbing of public spending now on the way? 🚨 Keir Starmer digs in - but how much longer can he hang on?

Roddy Collins joined the #TonightVMTV panel to discuss his backing of the “Stop the Game” campaign, which is calling for the FAI to boycott upcoming Nations League fixtures against Israel. Figures from sport and beyond have signed an open letter urging a boycott.

🗣️ "It could happen in the next ten years," A new all-island poll suggests growing support for Irish unity if a border poll were held tomorrow, raising the wider question of whether momentum is building towards constitutional change across the island. 📺 ➡️ https://f.mtr.cool/dykitsjnal

🗣️ “I’ve always attempted to give Israel a fair shake… in the last three years it’s become a rogue state,” says Mick Clifford, Special Correspondent, Irish Examiner. #TonightVMTV

“It’s the softies way out in my opinion, ‘Let’s just all keep our head below the parapet and we’ll all be comfortable’” says Roddy Collins. #TonightVMTV

🗣️ “‘We're the only country that will do it’. So what? Somebody has to put the sign in the window,” says Roddy Collins. #TonightVMTV

🗣️"I'm not anti-Israel – I'm anti-wrong." 🗣️ "If something's wrong, we need to speak out and try and right that wrong,” says Roddy Collins.  #TonightVMTV

🗣️ “A quarter of our electricity is going to data centres, who are actually being given sweetheart deals by the Government… when consumers are being fleeced,” says Matt Carthy TD, Sinn Féin. #TonightVMTV

🗣️ “Something clearly isn't working,”  🗣️ “To be honest, we probably have the most expensive electricity in the world,” - Daragh Cassidy, Bonkers.ie. #TonightVMTV

🗣️ “Among a younger generation, there's a Disney-fication of the whole issue in the North,” says Mick Clifford, Special Correspondent, Irish Examiner. 🗣️ “It's disingenuous to say that young people have a lack of understanding,” says Matt Carthy TD, Sinn Féin. #TonightVMTV

🗣️ “There's a lot of change happening across the Irish Sea. That, and the momentum that's building here, are going to lead to that [Irish unity] happening,” says Ben Collins, Author, The Irish Unity Dividend. #TonightVMTV

🗣️ “The Irish Government really needs to prepare for a border poll,” 🗣️ “The increasing prospect of Nigel Farage being the next prime minister of the UK – he could call a border poll at short notice,” - Ben Collins, Author, The Unity Dividend. #TonightVMTV

🗣️ “Unless this thing [Irish unity] is done properly, unless it's done with a large majority of people in favour of it – there are going to be problems,” says Mick Clifford, Special Correspondent, Irish Examiner. #TonightVMTV

🗣️ “They [Fianna Fáil & Fine Gael] always say we want to see a united Ireland, but they won't take any of the practical steps,” says Matt Carthy TD, Sinn Féin.  #TonightVMT

🗣️ “I think we'll get one shot at a referendum [on a united Ireland], it's important it's the right time,” says Keira Keogh TD, Fine Gael. #TonightVMTV

On #TonightVMTV with Shane Coleman: 🚨 All-island poll shows support for unity, but migration and EU concerns persist. 🚨 Electricity prices nearly 40% above EU average - is the Government doing enough? 🚨 Calls to boycott Israel fixtures grow - will the FAI shift its stance?

With the Strait of Hormuz under pressure and oil supplies at risk, fears are growing of further energy price shocks. The #TonightVMTV panel discussed whether Ireland should reconsider nuclear energy to reduce dependence on fossil fuels. 📺 Watch the full discussion ▶️ https://youtu.be/CmXroOgKkSA

🗣️ “Independent Ireland has been the biggest beneficiary of the loss in support for the Government over the course of the protests,” says Megan O’Brien, Political Reporter, Business Post. #TonightVMTV

🗣️ “The government spent around €100 million giving energy credits to the meters of holiday homes – that's what I call wasting money,” says Jennifer Whitmore TD, Social Democrats Spokesperson for Climate & Energy. #TonightVMTV

🗣️ “There are some people in our society who are being impacted more than others,” says Jennifer Whitmore TD, Social Democrats Spokesperson for Climate & Energy. #TonightVMTV

🗣️ “Even a small group of people can cause massive disruption if they're motivated,” says Pat O’Toole, Political Correspondent, Irish Farmers Journal. #TonightVMTV

🗣️ “They really moved across the boundary to other political territories,” 🗣️ “A lot of people who had frustrations with the government used it [protests] as a vessel,” - Megan O’Brien, Political Reporter, Business Post. #TonightVMTV

🗣️ “For them to be involved in a protest is like toy manufacturers going on strike at Christmas,” 🗣️ “All bets are off when you talk about the end of this period,” - Pat O’Toole, Political Correspondent, Irish Farmers Journal. #TonightVMTV

🗣️ “All the renewables that we have built… it's all being gobbled up by data centres,”  🗣️ “I think we should exhaust renewable possibilities before we go nuclear,” - Pat O’Toole, Political Correspondent, Irish Farmers Journal. #TonightVMTV

🗣️ “I think the idea of nuclear is so far-fetched in Ireland at this point,” says Jennifer Whitmore TD, Social Democrats Spokesperson for Climate & Energy. #TonightVMTV

🗣️ “I think it's important we have a grown-up national debate in relation to nuclear,” says Peter “Chap” Cleere TD, Fianna Fáil Spokesperson on Agriculture & Rural Affairs. #TonightVMTV

On #TonightVMTV at 10PM with Shane Coleman: 🚨 Hormuz blockade continues - are more price shocks coming, and should Ireland consider nuclear to cut fossil fuel reliance? 🚨 Fuel supports ease pressure for now, but with costs rising, is unrest likely later this year?

🗣️ “I think it's definitely going to be an interesting one for Dublin Central in particular. Look, it's always difficult for Government parties,” says Christina Finn, Political Editor, The Journal. #TonightVMTV