In Britain, the Royal College of Nursing has issued new guidelines advising nurses not to address women as “ladies” or old people as “pensioners” in order to “avoid causing unwitting offence.” Members are also advised to avoid using the term “alcoholic” and instead say “alcohol misusers”. Gender sensibilities loom large: “mankind” should be replaced with […]
No-one likes to think of a child in pain. It’s why we turn away from it, sometimes even to the point of refusing to acknowledge it. But new evidence shows that many children killed by abortion feel pain, and the scientists who’ve shone a spotlight on this have also forced us to examine something else about […]
West Wing it was not, although one person in the background looked quite like Carol the perpetually smiling and nonspeaking press assistant to Martin Sheen’s President. Donald Trump is clearly not the kind of President that the creators of West Wing would have chosen. The headlines were Trump’s apparent refusal to shake the hand […]
Last night’s leaders debate between the three people vying to be the next Taoiseach has earned high praise from some of the UK journalists visiting our shores to find out how Ireland conducts its politics. For all that Irish people might think that our politicians are sub-standard, at least some of those observing from abroad […]
Going from door to door on the campaign trail in Navan last week, I was repeatedly surprised by how many people are extremely upset and anxious about the lack of services for people with disabilities. I have a son on the autistic spectrum, and I am very aware of the sense of frustration people feel […]
It was perhaps inevitable that Leo would do a Hillary and lash out at the rump of ‘deplorables’ who are muddying the electoral waters for him.
The response of Fianna Fail and Fine Gael to Sinn Fein surging ahead in the polls show that the parties are too out of touch to actually stop Sinn Fein’s rise. According to polling Sinn Fein are now, at worst, tied with Fianna Fail as the most popular party in this country, and at current […]
You might not have noticed, but this was supposed to be the Climate election. It was all decided relatively far in advance of the thing, with most of the narratives pre-scripted. Young voters, emboldened and inspired by Greta Thunberg, Extinction Rebellion, and Saoirse McHugh, were supposed to rise up and push Ireland to the international […]
Many people are aware of what happened to Paudie Gahon who was a Louth teenager raped by a member of one of the elite Belfast Brigade IRA families, the Marleys. Séamus Marley is the son of Larry who organised the H Block escape in 1983. Someone else now claims to have been the mastermind, but […]
As the General Election campaign trundles on, what was shaping up to be a straight shoot-out between Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil to lead the next government has been complicated by a surge for Sinn Féin in the polls. The two largest parties are not the electoral powerhouses they once were. Combined, their vote share […]
Three Belgian doctors charged with unlawful euthanasia in a landmark trial were acquitted in the wee hours of Friday morning. When the 12-member jury delivered the verdict after eight hours of deliberation, the courtroom erupted in applause and cheers. The case made headlines in Belgium and around the world because it was the first time […]
There’s understandably been grave concern in Fine Gael over the last week at the direction of the General Election campaign. Their party is third in the polls. Their star feminist candidate called the Taoiseach autistic. Their best photoshoot involved Simon Coveney eating a sausage roll. Nobody cares about Brexit. Sinn Fein are on the march. […]