Politics watch: Budget 2025, election announcement?

Here, we have a look at the topics likely to dominate political discourse in the week to come.

Budget 2025

Budget 2025 will be announced on Tuesday, so the nation will be keeping a keen eye to see what impact, if any, it will have on them.

A cost-of-living package worth €1.5 billion is said to be in the works for the budget, less than last year’s €2.3 billion.

Lump sum social welfare payments, as well as energy credits, are also expected.

Child benefit and childcare supports are planned, as the Government looks to target child poverty.

There will be tax cuts, with Minister for Finance Jack Chambers pledging the average worker will be €1,000 better off.

The recent ruling that ordered Ireland to collect €13 billion in back taxes from Apple will not impact on the upcoming budget, Minister for Finance Jack Chambers and Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe have said.

Sinn Féin, as part of its alternative budget, has pledged to abolish the universal social charge (USC) for average workers, reduce childcare costs to €10 per day, and abolish the TV licence.

The party said it will “undo the damage” of previous governments, while ramping up public spending.

The document, published on Thursday, set outs the party’s budget plans, with a lot of focus on measures for families in an attempt to reduce everyday costs.

Pearse Doherty, the party’s finance spokesman, said it is a budget package of €12.4 billion, including €7.3 billion of new measures.

For an in-depth look at what to expect in Budget 2025, click here.

General election announcement looming?

Speculation about the date of the next general election has reached fever pitch, and Taoiseach Simon Harris surely can't leave it much longer.

He had been continually insistent that the Government would serve its full term to March 2025, but appears to have softened his stance now.

Sources say Mr Harris' coalition colleagues are eager to go to the polls before Christmas, with opinion polls showing Fine Gael in a strong position while Sinn Féin are struggling.

Mr Harris' personal popularity has also soared in recent polls.

He has ruled out November 15th, which had widely been speculated as the most likely general election date for months.

During the week, the Irish Examiner reported Mr Harris is considering surprising everyone and calling an election even earlier, for October 25th.

An announcement could well come this week after the budget is out of the way, and coalition leaders may want to strike while the iron is hot as controversy has surrounded the Government recently.

We'll get to that next...

€1.4 million security hut

There was widespread outrage after it was revealed that work to build a bike shed on the grounds of Leinster House cost €336,000, while it has since emerged a security hut near Government Buildings cost €1.4 million.

The roof of the hut cost €60,000 alone.

The price of the noteworthy feature, which has been likened to former US president Donald Trump’s hairstyle, was published in new documents from the Office of Public Works (OPW).

Taoiseach's comments linking immigration and homelessness

Taoiseach Simon Harris 'scapegoated' asylum seekers with his comment linking homelessness and migration, according to migrant charity Nasc.

In an interview with The Sunday Times, Mr Harris said: “People understand the fact that homelessness numbers are heavily impacted by the fact we are seeing many people seek protection in our country, seek asylum in our country and many people come from abroad hoping to have a new future in Ireland and immigration, it has many, many pluses, but it has had a challenge there.”

Mr Harris' comments prompted criticism from charities that work with asylum seekers and a number of opposition politicians.

Nasc chief executive Fiona Hurley told BreakingNews.ie: "Having our Taoiseach make statements that scapegoat people who seek protection, instead of acknowledging the extent of successive governments' failures in relation to homelessness is beyond disappointing.

"In light of the rise of far-right violence, the Taoiseach should be showing political leadership and not deflecting blame for successive government failures to deliver on housing commitments."

Ms Hurley added: "Many people are already terrified of being targeted by the violent anti-immigrant perpetrators that we've seen committing arson attacks in our communities all over the country.

"Children in Direct Provision and other emergency accommodation centres already face significant stigma. Hearing their political leaders talk about them as if they're a problem rather than a person can only add to that stigma."

She also expressed concern about "what kind of commentary" the Taoiseach's comments could encourage in the run-up to the next general election.

"It's a deeply concerning indication of what is being deemed acceptable in public discourse, and we are worried about the kind of commentary this will encourage in the run-up to the general election."

Abroad

In the US, the November 5th presidential election is fast approaching.

Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris holds a narrow lead over Republican rival Donald Trump in six US swing states and is tied in a seventh state, according to a Bloomberg poll of likely voters released on Friday.

Her leads in individual states are within the poll's statistical margin of error, underscoring that the November 5th contest could be decided by the narrowest of margins, it said.

The Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll shows Ms Harris leading by 7 percentage points in Nevada, 5 points in Pennsylvania, 3 points in Arizona, Michigan and Wisconsin, and 2 points in North Carolina. The two are tied in Georgia.

In the UK, prime minister Keir Starmer is attempting to recover from controversy over undeclared clothing donations to his wife Victoria.

Mr Starmer was in New York this week along with other world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly.

He met Mr Trump there, and will head to Brussels next week for talks with European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen.

Mr Starmer has admitted a "reset" in UK-EU relations will not be easy.