There’s more than a hint of “arguing with your fiancé over the cost of an engagement ring” about nationalists downplaying the costs of a United Ireland, writes JOHN MCGUIRK: Leo Varadkar is right - money doesn't matter, and we should be prepared to pay.

https://gript.ie/varadkar-was-right-to-say-cost-is-irrelevant-to-a-united-ireland/

TD Michael McNamara says the government is “taking the p*iss out of the Irish taxpayer” after spending "€1 million per month" on accommodation for the pets of Ukrainians
https://gript.ie/td-blasts-e1m-per-month-accommodation-bill-for-ukrainian-cats-and-dogs/

"Anyone who doesn't follow the rules has to leave,” says German government as country experiences ‘highest crime rate since 2016’ where “above-average number of foreigners become criminals”

https://gript.ie/germany-to-speed-up-deportations-among-rise-in-crime-rates/

MATT TREACY looks into EU data and finds the number of Ukrainians seeking refuge seems to be increasing - and that the ratio per population for Ireland is twice as high at 19.63 per 1000 as the EU average. 

https://gript.ie/numbers-of-ukrainians-appears-to-be-increasing-despite-ministers-figures-on-people-returning-home/

"I can do it from the church": Fr Des Doyle, the priest who is chaplain of Dublin Airport, has insisted he will continue the annual tradition of blessing the planes, after it emerged that Dublin Airport Authority had axed the 75-year-tradition.

https://gript.ie/chaplain-says-he-will-continue-christmas-blessing-of-planes-despite-daa-decision/

The climate will surely thank TikTok for identifying Mary Robinson as the woman likely to capture young hearts and minds on its behalf, writes Jason Osborne

https://t.co/szaZzAx0pB

The government may postpone the upcoming patent referendum which was originally set for June 7th, the same day as the European and local elections.

https://gript.ie/patent-referendum-originally-planned-for-june-may-be-postponed/

The European Parliament on Thursday voted to make abortion a fundamental right, just weeks after French MPs voted to enshrine the right to abortion in the country's constitution.

12 out of 13 Irish MEPs voted for the non-binding proposal.

https://gript.ie/irish-meps-join-eu-lawmakers-in-voting-to-enshrine-abortion-as-a-fundamental-right/

Chair of the EU Parliament’s Budgetary Control committee Monika Hohlmeier, who is also a member of the EPP group to which Fine Gael is aligned, has accused the EU’s Green Party group of hypocrisy by failing to combat instances of historical and ongoing harassment of its own membership within the parliament.

https://gript.ie/european-parliament-greens-accused-of-hiding-harassment-cases-in-their-own-ranks/

As the Cass Report warns puberty blockers must not be given to u-18s, a LOOKBACK at the Gript investigation which caused the ICGP to remove advise, which repeatedly referenced TENI, and said that said puberty blockers were “reversible interventions”. https://gript.ie/irish-college-of-gps-removes-newly-published-transgender-guidelines-from-website/

John and Sarah discuss Simon Harris's cowardly reshuffle, the desired return of Kate O'Connell to frontline politics, the Cass Review, and the state of abortion politics, stateside.
PODCAST: https://gript.ie/podcasts/satan-lives/

MATT TREACY: A review of the voting records showed Chris McManus, the Sinn Féin MEP, abstained on specific proposals in the EU Migration Pact - but voted against the composite measure.

https://gript.ie/more-evidence-of-sinn-fein-desperation-in-vote-on-migration-pact/

The Government has been slammed for scheduling a Motion for next Tuesday without debate to refer to Committee the proposal to opt into measures of the EU Asylum and Migration Pact.

https://gript.ie/government-propose-dail-motion-without-debate-on-eu-asylum-and-migration-pact/

A Green Party Councillor has denied she wanted to see a newly-replaced statue of Jesus in Hardwicke Street flats removed after controversy arose online regarding queries she raised on funding the statue in Dublin City Council.

https://gript.ie/watch-green-cllr-slammed-after-querying-funding-for-statue-of-jesus-in-hardwicke-street-flats/

The personal data of thousands of taxi app users' across Ireland and the UK was found to be in a non-password-protected database.

https://t.co/CbOAdnyz8v

The number of Ukrainian pupils attending Irish schools continues to rise, reaching 18,268.

https://gript.ie/18268-ukrainian-pupils-now-attending-irish-schools/

A man has been arrested in Santry, Co. Dublin, as Gardaí seized tens of thousands of euros worth of cannabis jellies and herb while searching a property.

https://gript.ie/man-arrested-as-gardai-seize-e38k-worth-of-cannabis-jellies/

This week’s cases include a man who sexually assaulted a teen girl on a RyanAir flight, a man who sexually assaulted a baby, and a man who threatened to kill his girlfriend before falsely imprisoning her.

https://gript.ie/the-week-in-crime-man-who-filmed-himself-sexually-assaulting-baby-jailed/

If you saw the Irish Refugee Council’s explanation around how asylum seekers are fingerprinted you’d be forgiven for thinking they’re being vetted for criminal history with the EURODAC database: They’re not.

https://gript.ie/the-irish-refugee-councils-confusing-line-on-asylum-seeker-vetting/