Overwatch Report

Uplift

January–April

[Foreign Affairs] A petition was started asking ministers to legislate so that Isreali warplanes cannot fly through Irish airspace.

Public Officials Lobbied

{'name': 'Simon Harris', 'role': 'An Taoiseach (Department of the Taoiseach)'} {'name': 'Micheál Martin', 'role': 'Tánaiste and Minister (Department of Foreign Affairs)'} {'name': 'Eamon Ryan', 'role': 'TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)'}

Uplift

January–April

[Housing] Uplift members were asked to email their TDs telling them to take action and stop asylum seeker men being evicted back onto the streets after the cold snap is over.

Public Officials Lobbied

{'name': 'Email All TDs', 'role': '582 emails were sent.'}

Uplift

January–April

[Housing] Uplift members were asked to email their TDs and Councillors asking them to prioritise turning empty houses into homes.

Public Officials Lobbied

{'name': 'Email All TDs', 'role': '260 emails were sent.'} {'name': 'Email All Councillors', 'role': '276 emails were sent.'}

Uplift

January–April

[Communications] Uplift members and the Uplift staff team sent emails requesting a meeting with Minister Patrick O'Donovan to talk about the report on the People's Inquiry on Big Tech Harms after having shared a copy of the report with him.

Public Officials Lobbied

{'name': "Patrick O'Donovan", 'role': 'Minister of State (Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media)'}

Uplift

January–April

[Justice and Equality] Uplift members sent emails to their Sinn Fèin TDs asking them to ensure that Sinn Féin is a party that is welcoming, inclusive and who listens to the experiences and expertise of transgender people.

Public Officials Lobbied

{'name': 'John Brady', 'role': 'TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)'} {'name': 'Aengus Ó Snodaigh', 'role': 'TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)'} {'name': 'Máire Devine', 'role': 'TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)'} {'name': 'Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire', 'role': 'TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)'} {'name': 'Mary Lou McDonald', 'role': 'TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)'} {'name': 'Denise Mitchell', 'role': 'TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)'} + 34 more

Uplift

January–April

[Defence] Uplift members were asked to email all senators asking them to vote to pass the Air Navigation and Transport (Arms Embargo) Bill 2024 which would stop weapons being sent from Ireland to Israel.

Public Officials Lobbied

{'name': 'Email All Senators', 'role': '1175 emails were sent to senators.'}

Uplift

January–April

[Foreign Affairs] Members of Uplift were askedto call all party head offices and leave a message for all TDs and party representatives demanding that no changes are made to Ireland's Triple Lock and our existing policy of neutrality

Public Officials Lobbied

{'name': 'Phone call All TDs', 'role': '382 people made phone calls.'}

Uplift

January–April

[Foreign Affairs] Emais were sent to all TDs, Senators and MEPs to inform them about the ability for the UN General Assembly to authorise UN peacekeeping missions.

Public Officials Lobbied

{'name': 'Email All TDs', 'role': 'An email was sent to all TDs to inform them about the ability of the UN General Assembly to authorise UN peacekeeping missions.'} {'name': 'Email All Senators', 'role': 'An email was sent to all Senators to inform them about the ability of the UN General Assembly to authorise UN peacekeeping missions.'} {'name': 'Email All MEPs', 'role': 'An email was sent to all MEPs to inform them about the ability of the UN General Assembly to authorise UN peacekeeping missions.'}

Uplift

January–April

[Foreign Affairs] Phonecall and texts with Senator Frances Black to discuss the latest government response to the Occupied Territories Bill

Public Officials Lobbied

{'name': 'Frances Black', 'role': 'Senator (Seanad)'}

Uplift

January–April

[Foreign Affairs] Emailed TD Catherine Connolly to ask them to raise a PQ to the Minister for Foreign Affairs about the ability for the UN General Assembly to authorise UN peacekeeping missions.

Public Officials Lobbied

{'name': 'Catherine Connolly', 'role': 'TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)'} {'name': 'Simon Harris', 'role': 'Minister (Department of Foreign Affairs)'}

Uplift

January–April

[Defence] Emailed all TDs, Senators and MEPs to inform them about recent polling conducted that shows the majority of people in Ireland support Ireland's current policy on neutrality

Public Officials Lobbied

{'name': 'Email All TDs', 'role': 'Emails were sent to all TDs to inform them about recent polling conducted that shows the majority of people in Ireland support our current policy on neutrality'} {'name': 'Email All Senators', 'role': 'Emails were sent to all Senators to inform them about recent polling conducted that shows the majority of people in Ireland support our current policy on neutrality'} {'name': 'Email All MEPs', 'role': 'Emails were sent to all MEPs to inform them about recent polling conducted that shows the majority of people in Ireland support our current policy on neutrality'}

Uplift

January–April

[Trade] Uplift members were asked to call TD James Lawless demanding he acts to stop Kildare based company, Powell Electronics, from shipping components for fighter jets to Elbit Systems in Israel

Public Officials Lobbied

{'name': 'James Lawless', 'role': 'TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)'}

Uplift

January–April

[Trade] Uplift members were asked to email their TDs, and to share social media posts, demanding the government progress the Occupied Territories Bill.

Public Officials Lobbied

{'name': 'Email All TDs', 'role': '145 emails were sent to TDs asking them to encourage the government to progress the Occupied Territories Bill.'} {'name': 'Social Media All TDs', 'role': '645 Uplift members shared a social media post asking their TDs to encourage the government to progress the Occupied Territories Bill.'}

Uplift

May–August

[Trade] Uplift members emailed members of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade and asked them to perform full pre-legislative scrutiny of the changes to the Arbitration Act that would allow the Government to ratify the CETA trade deal. Uplift members also emailed members of the cabinet asking them asking them not to give cabinet approval to amend the Arbitration Act.

Public Officials Lobbied

{'name': 'Micheál Martin', 'role': 'Taoiseach (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)'} {'name': 'Simon Harris', 'role': 'Tánaiste and Minister (Department of Foreign Affairs)'} {'name': 'Paschal Donohoe', 'role': 'Minister (Department of Finance)'} {'name': 'Jack Chambers', 'role': 'Minister of State (Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform)'} {'name': 'Helen McEntee', 'role': 'Minister (Department of Education)'} {'name': "Darragh O'Brien", 'role': 'Minister (Department of Transport)'} + 22 more

Uplift

May–August

[Justice and Equality] Uplift members emailed their TDs to ask them to allow a ban on fox hunting to be introduced.

Public Officials Lobbied

{'name': 'Email All TDs', 'role': '842 people emailed their TDs.'}

Uplift

May–August

[Health] Uplift members in Limerick, Kerry and Clare emailed their councillors asking them to demand an independent safety review into the Shannon LNG project. Uplift members in Kerry also emailed their TDs asking that an independent safety review into the Shannon LNG project take place..

Public Officials Lobbied

{'name': 'Email All Councillors', 'role': '113 people sent emails to their councillors in Limerick, Kerry and Clare.'} {'name': 'Email All TDs', 'role': '491 people sent emails to their TDs in Kerry.'}

Uplift

May–August

[Communications] Responded to correspondence from Patrick O'Donovan, Minister for Arts & Media in which he declined to meet with Uplift members on the People's Inquiry and urged us to talk to Coimisiún na Meán. I said the issue was pressing for government and extended beyond Coimisiún na Meán's scope into issues such as AI and GDPR and asked him to reconsider and meet with us.

Public Officials Lobbied

{'name': "Patrick O'Donovan", 'role': 'Minister (Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science)'}

Uplift

May–August

[Communications] Emailed Sinead Gibney and Alan Kelly asking for a meeting to tell them about Uplift's People's Inquiry on Big Tech Harms and to share a PDF of our People's Inquiry report.

Public Officials Lobbied

{'name': 'Sinéad Gibney', 'role': 'TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)'} {'name': 'Alan Kelly', 'role': 'TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)'}

Uplift

May–August

[Communications] Virtual meeting with Sinead Gibney to brief her on the outcome and subsequent report on Uplift's People's Inquiry into Big Tech Harms,and to talk about ways she could support the campaign from within the Oireachtas.

Public Officials Lobbied

{'name': 'Sinéad Gibney', 'role': 'TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)'}

Uplift

May–August

[Communications] Uplift members and staff members went to Patrick O'Donovan's constituency office in Newcastle West to deliver a copy of the report that came out of Uplift's People's Inquiry on Big Tech Harms. He wasn't there so we put it through his letter box and put posters up on his office window calling on him to implement the recommendations in our report. We also handed out leaflets in the town and put up content on socials. We also delivered a letter to his office.

Public Officials Lobbied

{'name': "Patrick O'Donovan", 'role': 'Minister of State (Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media)'}

Uplift

May–August

[Housing] Uplift members were asked to phone Minister James Browne office to tell him to drop the proposal for habitual residency as a requirement for social housing. The request was also made on Uplift's social media platforms.

Public Officials Lobbied

{'name': 'James Browne', 'role': 'Minister (Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage)'}

Uplift

May–August

[Communications] On Uplift's social media channels, a video was posted asking that Simon Harris to ensure that the Government take steps to disallow the harmful recommender system algorithms used by social media companies.

Public Officials Lobbied

{'name': 'Simon Harris', 'role': 'Tánaiste and Minister (Department of Foreign Affairs)'}

Uplift

May–August

[Defence] Uplift members were asked to send emails and make phone calls to members of the Dáil Defence Committee, asking them to support Irish neutrality. Letters were also sent to all Fianna Faíl TDs asking them to support neutrality.

Public Officials Lobbied

{'name': 'Letter All TDs', 'role': '121 Letters were sent to all Fianna Faíl TDs.'} {'name': 'Brian Stanley', 'role': 'TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)'} {'name': 'Eamon Scanlon', 'role': 'TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)'} {'name': "Ryan O'Meara", 'role': 'TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)'} {'name': 'Tom Brabazon', 'role': 'TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)'} {'name': 'Duncan Smith', 'role': 'TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)'} + 4 more

Uplift

May–August

[Trade] Uplift members were asked to email the Foreign Affairs and Trade Committee about passing the Occupied Territories Bill and asking that all trade in goods and services be banned with the illegally occupied territories.

Public Officials Lobbied

{'name': 'Seán Ó Fearghaíl', 'role': 'TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)'} {'name': 'Noel McCarthy', 'role': 'TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)'} {'name': 'Garret Ahearn', 'role': 'Senator (Seanad)'} {'name': 'Shay Brennan', 'role': 'TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)'} {'name': 'Brian Brennan', 'role': 'TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)'} {'name': "Ken O'Flynn", 'role': 'TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)'} + 8 more

Uplift

May–August

[Foreign Affairs] Uplift members were asked to send emails and make phone calls to Simon Harris and Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan to expedite visa approvals for Palestinian children coming to play GAA in Ireland.

Public Officials Lobbied

{'name': 'Simon Harris', 'role': 'Tánaiste and Minister (Department of Foreign Affairs)'} {'name': "Jim O'Callaghan", 'role': 'Minister (Department of Justice)'}

Afri

May–August

[Justice and Equality] Afri and Comhlámh launched a public campaign ahead of the September Hague Group deadline. We asked civil society organisations to sign a joint open letter, share the campaign with #HagueGroupNow, and encourage staff to act. We asked individuals to sign a petition and use the Uplift tool to email their TDs urging Ireland to join the Hague Group and adopt its measures. No direct contact with DPOs took place in this period.

Public Officials Lobbied

{'name': 'Email All TDs', 'role': 'Yes. Afri and Comhlámh managed a campaign using an Uplift email-sending tool, which enabled members of the public to email their TDs individually, calling on the Government to join the Hague Group and adopt its measures. We also used email newsletters and social media to mobilise the public, though no bulk messages were sent directly by Afri/Comhlámh to Designated Public Officials.'}

Uplift

September–December

[EU Affairs] Lobbying to get Ireland to vote against the EU Chat Control Bill

Public Officials Lobbied

{'name': "Jim O'Callaghan", 'role': 'Minister (Department of Justice)'} {'name': 'Niall Collins', 'role': 'Minister of State (Department of Justice)'} {'name': 'Micheál Martin', 'role': 'Taoiseach (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)'} {'name': 'Lynn Boylan', 'role': 'MEP (European Parliament)'} {'name': 'Aodhán Ó Ríordáin', 'role': 'MEP (European Parliament)'} {'name': 'Niall Collins', 'role': 'Minister of State (Department of Justice)'}

Uplift

September–December

[Trade] Lobbying regarding proposed amendments to the Arbitration Act, in order to be able to ratify the CETA trade deal.

Public Officials Lobbied

{'name': 'Email All TDs', 'role': '955 people sent emails to TDs.'}

Uplift

September–December

[Agriculture] Lobbying to pass the Ban on Fox Hunting Bill, to ban fox hunting with horses and hounds.

Public Officials Lobbied

{'name': 'Email All TDs', 'role': '1889 Uplift members emailed TDs.'}

Uplift

September–December

[Justice and Equality] Lobbying to protect the people on board the Sumud Flotilla, lift the blockade, and open up channels for humanitarian aid in Gaza.

Public Officials Lobbied

{'name': 'Simon Harris', 'role': 'Tánaiste and Minister (Department of Foreign Affairs)'}

Lobbying Tracker

Most Lobbied TDs