During the course of last Thursday’s Dáil session, the word ‘pharmaceutical’ was mentioned just one time. Even that solitary mention was within the context of a speech given by the Minister for Finance, Paschal Donohoe, when he spoke of how the internationally traded sectors of our economy, such as those relating to technology, pharmaceuticals and […]
If you’re lucky enough to be well off, please take a moment and think about the poor, and the unfortunate, among us: Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe tells @PatKennyNT that Ministers won't be taking a pay cut for #COVID19. He says Ministers haven't had the pay increases that other sectors have had in recent years. — […]
If you don’t know, this little chap right here is something called a Pine Weevil. Isn’t he handsome? He’s also the bane of forestry companies in Europe, because, as his name suggests, the Pine Weevil gobbles down trees, particularly young saplings, like yours truly with those cocktail sausages they hand around at weddings at about […]
Cards on the table: I think criticising him for this is nuts: On the front line – Taoiseach @LeoVaradkar at Morgans Place site in Blachardstown where he he help with #Covid19 testing of residents. This sends out a really positive message 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 pic.twitter.com/neqoZ817dZ — Mayor of Galway – Cllr. Eddie Hoare (@EddieHoareFG) April 27, 2020 […]
Before we get into this, here’s the obligatory disclaimer for the “whatabout Trump” people in the comments: Yes, Donald Trump has also been credibly accused of sexual misbehaviour by numerous women. Yes, Donald Trump was caught on tape appearing to brag about what would be a sexual assault. Happy? Who are we kidding. Of course […]
This is a strange time and a strange situation. The sentiment is indisputably true, but only in some respects. In fact, in the most important respect it is false. Rather than living in an abnormal time we are living in a time where normality has been amplified to the point whereby we cannot easily escape […]
In 2017 a Google employee in California, James Damore, was sacked for writing an internal memo in which he criticised the company’s obsession with gender equality above giving jobs to the best. Did Damore’s union declare a strike, and the Democrat left express its outrage? (Google was a major Clinton donor in 2016.) Of course […]
Ireland is literally bursting at the teems with rubbish scattered across the country. In a recent walk in a ploughed field, I picked up in the region of 150 pieces of trash in a ten-minute period, everything from plastic bags, plastic bottles, black plastic, drink cans, sweet papers, and pieces of glass. At an estimate […]
The apparent resurgence of ‘Green Politics’ at local, national and EU level has been the focus of significant commentary in recent times. For many, this is a welcome development that signals the arrival of a renewed global consensus on the various ecological and biodiversity challenges that confront us. This was certainly the reaction of the […]
Anne McCloskey is a retired GP and is also an Aontú councillor on Derry City and Strabane District Council, highlights her concerns about the current situation. I suppose it was the sight of our Bishop Donal Mc Keown, furtively going at dawn to bless the graves of the faithful departed in Derry’s main cemetery on […]
An absolutely astonishing report in the Irish Times this morning. No, scratch that. A report in the Irish Times that really should be astonishing, but of course, isn’t: Senior figures in Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil believe they can progress to negotiations on a coalition government with the Green Party on the basis of the […]
One of the most shocking elements of the global response to Covid-19 has been the involuntary confinement of entire populations to their homes – barring certain exceptional activities such as essential shopping, exercise, and medical attention. Lockdown measures of this sort are usually associated with wartime, and should not be taken lightly, not only because […]