The UK has seen significant levels of industrial action taken by many public sector trades union over the past 18 months. Just three years after the COVID-19 pandemic led to an outpouring of public support for the NHS, major strike action has been taken by nursing staff across the UK to fight for better pay and patient safety. In her keynote address to the IIEA, Director of Nursing of the Royal College of Nursing, Nicola Ranger, discusses the current challenges faced by nursing staff in both the NHS and independent health care settings, and the role of the RCN in influencing political change in the UK.

About the Speaker:

Professor Nicola Ranger joined the RCN in December 2022. She was previously Chief Nurse and Executive Director of Midwifery at King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in London. Before that, she held Chief Nurse posts at both Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust and Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust. She has also held a number of senior nursing roles at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust. Earlier in her career, she worked at America’s George Washington University Hospital in Washington and at Mount Sinai Medical Centre in New York.

Frontline to the Picket Line: Striking Nurses and the NHS Crisis

Ireland finally beat New Zealand in 2016.
With brilliant commentary from New Zealand TV and previous heartbreak from RTE Radio one and idiotic predictions from Second Captains.

Music: 
Wisdom from Brian Jonestown Massacre https://itunes.apple.com/ie/album/tepid-peppermint-wonderland/id1056856909

And Wasting My Young Years by London Grammar
https://itunes.apple.com/ie/album/if-you-wait-deluxe-version/id675018027

"Drops it off to Henshaw!" - Ireland Beat The All-Blacks

Tackling climate change is one of the main challenges of the 21st century. Last November the latest UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report warned that we have just 12 years left for effective action to be taken against rising temperatures.

Over the past decade the European Union has led action for climate targets among Member States. In 2015, under the landmark Paris Climate Agreement, the EU committed to reducing emissions by 40% by 2030, compared to 1990 levels.

While some EU member states have made significant progress in meeting their targets, others including Ireland, are lagging behind in meeting these commitments. Meeting these targets will require ambitious action by Member States to reduce emissions in key economic sectors. The agricultural sector is one of Ireland’s most important industries, yet it accounts for over 30% of greenhouse gas emissions, making it the single largest contributor to Ireland’s total emissions. There is an urgent need to reconcile the need for urgent climate action and the need to protect the agricultural sector’s competitiveness and the livelihoods that depend on it.

Political leaders and policymakers have to find solutions to this challenge now. This is not a challenge faced by Ireland alone. Across Europe, policymakers and politicians are looking for solutions. In France, the Yellow Vest protests were initially sparked by increased carbon taxes. Clearly, a considered but effective approach to climate action is required to ensure a just transition and minimal economic and social disruption.

This event is part of the IIEA’s Future of the EU27 Project, supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Event Chair: Niall Delaney, Presenter, Ocean FM
Audience Q&A Begins at: 36:36

Speakers:

· Marian Harkin, outgoing MEP for the Midlands/North West Constituency;

· Martin Kenny TD, Sinn Féin Spokesperson on Agriculture, Food & the Marine;

· Thomas Cooney, Chairman of the IFA National Environment Committee

· Dr Pippa Hackett, Green Party Spokesperson on Agriculture, Food, Forestry, Heritage & Animal Welfare.

Climate Change and the Future of Agriculture: A Debate on the Future of Europe

Sharing Ideas Shaping Policy. The Institute of International and European Affairs is an independent policy research think-tank based in Dublin.

Frontline to the Picket Line: Striking Nurses and the NHS Crisis

IIEA

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