Constitutional questions are unlikely to be uppermost in our minds now, when we feel concerned both about those most vulnerable to Covid-19 and about those most severely affected by past and present measures responding to it. In terms of the collateral damage caused by those measures, we think of things like physical and mental health, […]
Among the roadside billboards canvassing votes for political parties and their candidates in New Zealand’s triennial election on October 17 is one announcing starkly: “LETHAL DOSE with NO assessment for coercion required.” Below that it asks: “Is the End of Life Choice Act safe?” It’s the kind of silly question you have to ask when […]
A democracy’s fortitude and constitutional structures can only be judged by their performance through times of strain – times such as when there is no government in place or where a pandemic rages. We are in such a time now, and the rot within the democratic processes and the institutions of this country are plain […]
In the eyes of many around the world the COVID experience of Australia and New Zealand has been a relatively benign one. But as I mentioned last week (here and here) New Zealand is going to have to deal with some significant demographic headwinds in the years ahead due to the pandemic. Now, it seems as if […]
Many parents these days find that their family routines have been totally disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. In many cases children are “in school” from their homes, and sports and other activities outside the home have been curtailed or canceled altogether. This means more family time together at home, which can be a mixed blessing! […]
It has been revealed that programmes seeking to ‘normalise’ abortion have been held for staff at 5 major maternity hospitals in Ireland. The programmes are being organised in conjunction with the World Health Organisation. Here are a few things that the World Health Organisation believe about abortion and the provision of abortion services. There is […]
On December 1, 2018, the Canadian police arrested Huawei VP & CFO, Sabrina Meng Wanzhou, who was transiting at Vancouver Airport, at the request of the U.S. government for mutual legal assistance. Meng Wanzhou was charged with suspicion of violating U.S. export controls and selling sensitive technology to Iran with false accounting information by the […]
There’s a lot you can legitimately criticise Simon Harris for – and trust me, I do. But even a broken clock is right twice a day, and it was only a matter of time before even a politician like him surprised us all with a salient point. As reported in the Irish Times this morning: […]
The American Institute for Economic Research (AIER) hosted a four day conference at Great Barrington, Massachusetts between October 1 and 4 which concluded with the launch of a statement regarding what the proper response to the Covid crisis ought to be. The Great Barrington Declaration (GBD) was co-authored by Professor Sunetra Gupta, an epidemiologist at […]
There’s been some sustained criticism of the Archbishops in recent days for their seeming passivity on the question of whether people should be allowed to go to mass during the lockdown, including from Gript columnists like Professor Ray Kinsella, writing here. And don’t the critics have a point? What’s the point in having Archbishops in […]
Another day, another one of these: A Dublin GP says he has decided to close his practice after being threatened with suspension by the Medical Council over his anti-lockdown and anti-mask views on Covid-19. Dr Marcus de Brun said he decided to end his HSE contract and to step back from public speaking “under duress”, […]
As the New Zealand euthanasia referendum approaches, voters could be helped by looking at the experience in other countries before making up their minds on this complex topic. At the end of July, Czechia became the latest country to reject the legalisation of euthanasia following similar rejections in Portugal and Finland. The opposition to the […]