Who’s going to win the American election? With a week to go, the polling and the data all point in one direction, and yet the lessons of 2016, alongside the enthusiasm for President Trump’s campaign, all point in another. Losing campaigns, of course, always point to polling errors and massive enthusiasm for their side right […]
On Friday, the Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said something that was, given its context, infinitely revealing. Speaking at a press conference, he addressed the use of batons and excessive force by Gardaí against lockdown protestors on Grafton Street on Thursday. He also welcomed the additional enforcement powers given to the Gardai to sanction people who […]
Since Canada’s law on euthanasia and assisted suicide came into effect four years ago, health-care costs have dropped millions of dollars, according to a Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) report. The report on assisted dying calculates that since becoming legal on June 17, 2016, Canada’s health-care costs have dropped C$86.9 million. “The total net reduction in costs […]
The original rationale for COVID lockdowns and strict social distancing was to “flatten the curve” so as not to overwhelm hospitals with too many acutely ill patients. We have accomplished that: though things came close in New York City, demand for ventilators in the US has not exceeded our hospitals’ surge capacity. But in many […]
This week’s New Yorker carried an article by Andrew Marantz whose main thrust was that Facebook is not doing a good job of moderating its content. The result is that all sorts of people and groups that, in the view of many experts the reporter interviewed, should not be able to use the electronic megaphone of Facebook, are allowed […]
Habeas Corpus [ hey-bee-uhs -kawr-puhs ] late Middle English: Latin, literally ‘you shall have the body’ – a writ requiring a person to be brought before a judge or court, especially for investigation of a restraint of the person’s liberty, used as a protection against illegal imprisonment. The official death figures for Ireland this year, so […]
The last debate of the 2020 American Presidential election took place in Nashville last night and it is difficult to see that it might have been a game changer. It was moderated by Kristen Welker who was reasonably moderate for the want of a better word, and the format allowing uninterrupted sequences of responses worked […]
Is professor John A. Lee an expert in infectious diseases? Not quite. He’s a pathologist – he studies causes of death and the effects of diseases and injuries. He’s pretty qualified, but by no means a world leading expert. Still, he was more than qualified enough, apparently, for a guest slot on Prime Time last […]
One of the derailing issues for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential campaign was the diplomatically sensitive correspondence she sent from her personal account while Secretary of State. But there were also other emails brought to light allegedly by Russian hackers. This became an attack point for Democrats against Trump and drew the media’s focus […]
I’ve seen some strange things during elections but this American Presidential contest surely trumps all, pardon the terrible pun. At 1am Irish time, a joint news conference was held by the Director of National intelligence, John Ratcliffe and FBI Director Chris Wray. A few hours later as people here slumbered and Americans on the east coast prepared […]
The author of this piece is His Excellency Ophir Kariv, the Ambassador of Israel to Ireland The establishment of full diplomatic relations between Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain is a watershed moment for the Middle East. It is a historic event that marks a new beginning for the region, and in addition to […]
Fair warning: What you are about to read is not objective journalism. Declan Ganley has been my friend, and my colleague, for thirteen years, give or take. When it comes to this subject, I have a conflict of interest, and it is very important to state that right here in paragraph one, so that you’re […]