🦜 The Briefing
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A newsletter on technology and politics through an Irish lens, written by Liz Carolan
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By-elections spending: new data from parties
https://www.thebriefing.ie/parties-are-spending-big-now-we-know-how-big-in-real-time/
Published: May 13, 2026 05:39
What happens when you design a law around Meta's architecture, and then apply it to leafletting Connemara?
Reform's campaign for the British local elections: guest post
https://www.thebriefing.ie/reforms-campaign-for-the-british-local-elections-guest-post/
Published: May 7, 2026 08:43
Friend of the newsletter Sam Jeffers from WhoTargetsMe has, for his sins, been monitoring the online campaign ahead of today's local elections in Britain. Reform has taken a fundamentally different approach to this election, working hard to make itself the…
Desperately seeking Unicorns: a report from inside the Brussels bubble
https://www.thebriefing.ie/desperately-seeking-unicorns-a-report-from-inside-the-brussels-bubble/
Published: May 1, 2026 11:29
Companies reach Unicorn size due to sheer ruthlessness; of their business practices and of the US idea of capitalism.
Missed appointments missed the point; how Gov lost the narrative war in the Fuel Protest
https://www.thebriefing.ie/missed-appointments-missed-the-point-how-gov-lost-the-narrative-war-in-the-fuel-protest/
Published: April 13, 2026 14:14
Sharing some incomplete thoughts on the narrative battle around the fuel protests, which feel like they are realigning Irish politics as we speak.
Who is funding the fuel protest's online campaign?
https://www.thebriefing.ie/who-is-funding-the-fuel-protests-online-campaign/
Published: April 9, 2026 13:44
Political mobilisation does not scale "spontaneously", and, once that fire is lit, there is no controlling what it burns.
2025 Wrap Up: Moments of the Year
https://www.thebriefing.ie/2025-wrap-up-moments-of-the-year/
Published: December 17, 2025 19:52
I will be on Virgin Media later this evening for the Tonight Show’s end of year review, and I thought I would share some of my speaking notes with you here. We’ve been asked to prep our “of the year”s; moment, story,
Highest percentage and highest number of votes in the history of the Irish Presidency
https://www.thebriefing.ie/highest-percentage-and-highest-number-of-votes-in-the-history-of-the-irish-presidency/
Published: October 25, 2025 18:31
The results are in; Catherine Connolly won the Irish Presidential election of 2025, gathering 914,143 - or 63% - of the vote. There is a lot of talk of spoiled ballots (including from me) - but - this win is historically comprehensive. Catherine Connolly…
#Aras25 Campaign Roundup
https://www.thebriefing.ie/aras25-campaign-roundup/
Published: October 24, 2025 09:39
Over the last few months I have tried to dig out and get on the record some of the hidden and more ephemeral aspects of this election. Here is a recap of what we covered.
Meta allows deepfake "election cancelled" content to spread in #Aras25
https://www.thebriefing.ie/meta-allows-deepfake-election-cancelled-content-to-spread-in-aras25/
Published: October 22, 2025 11:48
This video is worrying; it shows a combination of both intent and skill in building out very deceptive content, in a way that resonates with Irish audiences.
Comedy wins in #Aras25 content battle
https://www.thebriefing.ie/comedy-wins-in-aras25-content-battle/
Published: October 21, 2025 10:51
Aoife Dunne's "Sorry now" video is one of the most subtle yet devastating pieces of political content I have ever seen.