Forester, wildlife and environmental enthusiast, gardener, musician and singer-songwriter.
Wicklow, Ireland
Joined August 2020
- Tweets2K
- Following2.4K
- Followers862
- Likes5.8K
New song currently being mixed by the wonderful @PSuitestudios. It’ll be fun to hear the finished product!
Graham Coe retweeted
Allowing British bases to be used in an illegal war of aggression is a catastrophic and historic mistake.
Britain has been dragged into another war because our Prime Minister would rather appease Donald Trump than stand up for international law.
War is not a game. This shameful decision makes Britain complicit in the devastating consequences ahead - and jeopardises the safety of us all.
Graham Coe retweeted
Trump said we had to attack Iran because we can‘t allow it “to have a nuclear weapon.” Really?
This is the same president who, in June, said: “Iran’s nuclear facilities have been obliterated.”
Vietnam. Iraq. Iran. Another lie. Another war.
Graham Coe retweeted
Hugh Grant: "It's been very, very depressing watching Big Tech kidnap their lives, and to see children really finding it very, very difficult to get properly interested in anything that isn't a screen."
Graham Coe retweeted
🙅♂️ We need to age limit social media.
MEPs vote today in #Strasbourg to support real age verification.
We want a 13-age limit enforced with the upcoming EU Digital Wallet.
We want a 16-age limit for access with parental consent.
Ireland must implement the Digital Wallet in 2026.
❗️ Parents cannot wait any longer.
ec.europa.eu/digital-buildin…
#EUDIWallet
Graham Coe retweeted
𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐣𝐮𝐝𝐠𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐃𝐫 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐚 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐤’𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬
The High Court has reserved judgment in a landmark case challenging the constitutionality of Ireland’s presidential election nomination process.
Dr Cora Stack, an academic who sought to run as an independent candidate, brought the case claiming that political parties had unlawfully used the party whip to prevent councillors and Oireachtas members from nominating independent candidates, thereby undermining the democratic and constitutional integrity of the election process.
After a full day of legal argument today, Mr Justice Mark Heslin declared in his closing remarks that while “the party whip can be used in many situations, it cannot be used in a presidential election selection process” as doing so would breach the Constitution.
The judge said he will deliver his formal judgment on October 23 at 10.30am.
Dr Stack’s case, which has attracted attention across the political spectrum, challenges the balance between party discipline and the constitutional right of citizens to seek nomination for the highest office in the State. The outcome of the case could have significant implications for future presidential elections and the role of political parties in determining who appears on the ballot.
Graham Coe retweeted
WHY I’M SPOILING MY VOTE ON OCTOBER 24TH
I am not going to be forced by @fiannafailparty , and @FineGael to vote for one or the other of two candidates whom I deem to be unfit for the office of Uachtarán na hÉireann. My alternatives are (1) not to vote, (2) to vote for Jim Gavin or (3) to spoil my vote.
(1) I am rejecting this option, firstly because by not voting I am leaving the interpretation of that non vote to be spun by the very politicians and media personalities whose behaviour has created this situation. Secondly because from November 1982 to now I have never missed a vote in Local, European, General or Presidential elections.
(2) I would not vote for Jim Gavin or any Fianna Fáil candidate whether they have withdrawn or not. I was deeply involved in Fianna Fáil, having served on its National Executive and in many other senior roles. I left that party because it has become corrupt and because it stands for nothing, particularly under the leadership of @michealmartintd.
(3) Under Irish electoral law, despite @RTENews and the Electoral Commission trying to create doubt, spoiled votes must be counted and announced by the Returning Officer in each election. Furthermore as ballot boxes are opened and tallied members of the press can observe voting trends, particularly if they are significant. I intend to WRITE IN MARIA STEEN on my ballot. I hope that very many others write in whoever or whatever they please. If enough people do so it will be impossible for the establishment media and politicians to ignore.
Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have undermined the validity of this election already. By their conniving behaviour they have denied the people a meaningful choice and the people need to send a clear message that this is unacceptable. It’s well past time to send FFG a message they cannot ignore.
#spoilthevote
#spoilyourvote
#SpoilTheVote25
#SpoilTheVote2025
#spoilyourvote2025
Graham Coe retweeted
I’m still spoiling my vote, I’m still voting #MariaSteen No.1.
I care not which one of the remaining two “win”,
I think we all lose with what is on the ballot paper, I’m sending the establishment that message with a spoilt vote
Graham Coe retweeted
Spoiling Your Vote is a legitimate democratic act when the system itself becomes farcical.
In 2017, four million French voters deliberately spoiled their ballots rather than back either Macron or Le Pen....almost 10%.
Given the blocked nominations, whipped councillors and TDs, and now Jim Gavin’s withdrawal, spoiling your vote in this Irish Presidential election is a clear way to say the process itself is broken.
The Govt parties have curated this mess. They made their bed, time to lie in it.
Graham Coe retweeted
I'm so upset for the great #independent candidates that were blocked by councils and inside Leinster House.
I had no doubt Steen would have won but young voices like
@GPSheridan1 @Nick_Delehanty deserved to be heard too.
Today is not a great moment for Irish Politics. #Aras2025 – at Faro, Portugal
Graham Coe retweeted
Independent Ireland to bring forward bill seeking referendum on presidential nomination reform.
Independent Ireland has today confirmed it has commenced the process of bringing a bill before the Dáil to call for a referendum on reforming the presidential nomination system.
The party said recent events around this year’s presidential election have highlighted “an affront to democracy that can no longer be ignored.”
“The current system is convoluted and places far too much power in the hands of too few people,” Party Leader Michael Collins said. “While we recognise that not everybody who thinks they can be president should automatically appear on the ballot, the barriers are now set so high that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael can effectively issue diktats, stifle democracy, and deny the people their right to decide. We also need to return power to our democratically elected councillors in this process”
Independent Ireland will propose two key reforms:
Oireachtas and MEP nominations: The current requirement of 20 Oireachtas members will be updated to reflect Ireland’s EU membership. Nominations will instead require the support of 20 members drawn from the combined pool of 160 TDs, 60 Senators, and 14 MEPs — a total of 234 elected representatives. This ensures that 20 votes would equate to 8.5 per cent of the total, broadening representation and reflecting Ireland’s role in Europe.
Council nominations: In line with the same principle of proportionality (8.5 per cent), presidential hopefuls would be able to secure a nomination with the backing of 80 individual councillors from across the country. This would replace the outdated system that requires an entire council to act collectively, giving councillors the freedom to make their own democratic choice.
The party confirmed that drafting work has already begun and the bill will be brought before the Dáil as soon as the legislative process allows.
“This is about trust in our democracy,” Michael Collins TD added. “The people of Ireland deserve the right to choose from a genuinely open field of candidates, not one curated and controlled by the establishment. That is why we are seeking this referendum.”
@MichaelFitzTD @MichaelC_IND_TD @RichardODonoghu @ciaranmullooly @LindadeCourcy
#mariasteen #PresidentialNominations
Graham Coe retweeted
The presidential vote only comes every 7 years. This process has shown the govt’s grip on candidate options and selection routes.
We need reform so that it’s the people, not politicians, who pick the President
Free vote is critical to democracy
