Green favours rebel rap over 'Horse'

The chairman of the Green Party, Dan Boyle, will always be remembered for 'tweeting Willie O'Dea out of office', but he has joined O'Dea in giving the controversial Rubberbandits duo the thumbs up. Boyle, a serial tweeter, posted the following tweet last week: "Horse Outside? Sure why not. I like it or should that be likes that. But Grandmaster Cash has been doing this better in Cork." Grandmaster Cash is Cork's answer to the Rubberbandits and has even supported the Limerick group at a number of gigs in the past. So don't be surprised if you see O'Dea and Boyle at any future gigs involving the Limerick and Cork rap acts.

Shinners' de Brún was Havana a minor protest

'Barstool republicans' often compare Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams to the bearded Cuban revolutionary Che Guevara, and Sinn Féin MEP Bairbre de Brún recently did her bit to bolster solidarity between Sinn Féin and its Cuban comrades. The European parliament annually confers a human rights award, called the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, on a person who suffers abuse because of his or her beliefs. This year's award was made to Cuban Guillermo Farinas for his peaceful opposition to the Cuban government's stance on freedom and human rights. During the awards ceremony, de Brun and other members of the European United Left/Nordic Green Left Group in the European Parliament staged a walkout.

Joe Costello takes one day off from his labours

For the last seven-and-a-half years, Labour TD for Dublin Central Joe Costello has staged a weekly protest outside the Mater hospital to highlight the "appalling conditions" in the hospital's overcrowded A&E wards. Costello religiously stands outside the hospital from 1pm to 2pm every Saturday. But The Insider understands that Costello took Christmas Day off and nobody can begrudge the TD one Saturday off.

It is unclear if Costello will continue his protest, if and when the Labour Party goes into government in the spring.

Ever since the Green Party announced that it was going to pull out of government, bookmakers have been issuing lists of general election odds. You will not make any money on betting that Enda Kenny will be the next taoiseach, but The Insider has spotted a great Christmas bet. Ladbrokes is offering odds of 33/1 on Labour's Pat Rabbitte becoming the next Minister for Finance. Fine Gael's Michael Noonan and Labour's Joan Burton are joint 9/4 favourites but Rabbitte, at 33/1, is certainly worth a flutter.