While the New Federalist has decried the lack of member states “sharing” infected patients, most people realise that would make the situation worse. Had member states like Germany not restricted the movement of Italians, deaths would have reached far higher levels by now.
The birth date of former Primate of Hungary and one of the most important Churchmen of the 20th century, the Venerable Cardinal József Mindszenty fell last week on March 29. He was a key figure in the resistance of the Hungarian people to Nazism and socialism over more than 50 years and an inspiration to […]
One of the myths being fostered during the virus crisis is that Ireland is pluckily standing on its own two feet, making all of the key decisions regarding protections, and with the economic resources to see us through. The truth is rather different. We are still dependent for some of the protections on items manufactured […]
Mary Mallon was born in Cookstown, county Tyrone in 1869. She emigrated to America in 1884 or 1885 and became a cook in New York. While working in Mamaroneck in 1900 she seems to have infected a number of people with typhoid. The same happened when she left that position and went to work as […]
Certain liberal left politicians are celebrating some of the measures implemented to tackle the Covid crisis as evidence that major steps are being taken towards a centralised state controlled economy. As John McGuirk wrote earlier this week, some left-wing politicians seem happy that the coronavirus has meant the government is effectively rolling out a ‘single-tier’ […]
Prior to the current Covid scare the last great pandemic was the 1918 Great Influenza outbreak. It followed the end of the First World War and was intimately connected to the awful conditions which spread from the killing fields of Europe. It was greatly exacerbated by the poor housing and sanitary conditions of people living in […]
In 1880 – 140 years ago – one of the most significant events in the social history took place on the estate of Lord Erne near Lough Mask in Mayo. It involved a campaign of social and economic ostracism – collective actions which have been known ever since by the name of Erne’s land agent […]
Perhaps it is an age thing but one of the most irritating, vacuous songs considered to be a rock classic must surely be Imagine written by John Lennon with the assistance of the deeply weird Yoko Ono. It will be 50 years old next year. Lennon was a key part of the then contemporary zeitgeist […]
Sinn Féin’s spectacular and unforeseen triumph in the general election has brought new focus on the party and the way in which it is run. That has intensified as post-election polls would seem to point to an even better result in the event of coalition talks failing and a new election being called. All this […]
One of the questions arising from our look at the role of cuckoo funds in the Irish property market is whether it is possible for states to curb their power and influence. Are there any countries which have been able to prevent international funds gaining a major foothold within their domestic housing market and pricing […]
Those of us who live in certain parts of Dublin and other cities and towns will be aware that there is a significant drug economy. Lots of people it would seem use all sorts of substances that can only be bought from the people who are the Dunnes Stores and Tescos of this economic demi-monde. […]
Despite the heated exchanges between Mary Lou McDonald and Micheál Martin in the Dáíl, one of the more likely Sinn Féin TDs to get a ministerial car if they are successful in inveigling their way into power is Chris Andrews, a scion of one of the founding families of Fianna Fáil. Andrews left Fianna Fáil […]