The government is not even pretending to care about women’s safety any more. When Simon Harris had an abortion referendum to sell, voters were told repeatedly that the safety of women in pregnancy was a top priority. We were reminded that after the tragic death of Savita Halappanavar from sepsis, Leo Varadkar had set up the National Maternity […]
The Green Party have released their election manifesto this week, you can read a copy of it HERE. It’s a brave document, in parts good, in parts a reminder of why the Green Party have the reputation they do. As you read it you find yourself repeatedly agreeing with the normal parts of the manifesto […]
Climate scientists generally believe that man-made impacts on global climate can only be practically detected in climate records since around 1950, as our CO2 emissions were comparatively very small before then. Figure 1 below shows this very clearly with over 86% of total estimated CO2 emissions since around 1950. Whenever the media report on climate […]
Because of our proportional election system, Ireland is nearly always governed by a coalition between at least two political parties. The last majority, one party Government was elected in 1977, when Jack Lynch promised everything short of Nirvana to win the election, and then fell from power shortly thereafter when it became apparent that he […]
Fine Gael’s election campaign seems to have been derailed in part by the understandable anger felt by voters at the mess the government has made of the pensions issue. The issue has arisen because private sector workers retire at 65 but since 2014 they have not been entitled to access the State pension until 66 […]
Gerry Adams’ announcement that he is retiring from politics brings to an end one of the most significant public lives of the past century. He is without doubt a major historical figure whose influence on events in Ireland was hugely significant. I cannot claim to have known him well. I did know him but I […]
“The true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members” Dear politicians, candidates and political parties, As I sit down to write this, the general election here in Ireland is only 3 weeks away. My reasons for writing this open letter to all of you is two-fold: 1) […]
Several stories in recent weeks have brought a new focus on what equality activists call ‘covert racism’. The opposite of overt racism. Meghan Markle was certainly subjected to overt, racial slurs on social media but according to some of her defenders it was the covert racism from mainline media and broadcasting that made life impossible […]
Ryan admits that not only did he fly to December’s climate summit in Madrid, but he remains at the steering wheel of his 2.5 litre van, loves his meat and dairy diet, and has no plans to change.
This Wednesday night, Pat Kenny will moderate a debate between two men who agree with each other on almost everything. Leo Varadkar and Micheál Martin have, for all intents and purposes, been in Government together for the past four years. Nothing that Mr. Varadkar’s Government has done has been done without Mr. Martin’s approval. Anything […]
Abortion supporters have long insisted that preborn babies can’t feel pain – but scientists, including a ‘pro-choice’ pain expert, now say new evidence shows some babies could suffer pain as they are aborted. The medical researchers say that while it had been argued previously that pain could not be experienced before 24 weeks, “it is now […]
The election is upon us, and this year’s election will be fought on the three H’s. Housing, Homelessness and Health. The latter is the one which affects each and every one of us, and one which has dominated the headlines for all the wrong reasons into the New Year. Fine Gael came into power ten […]