And so, at last, the silliest day in Irish politics has dawned again. Across the country this afternoon, candidates and canvassers will be making a final push for votes. Partisans on the internet will be wearing out their keyboards, furiously tweeting out last minute arguments designed ostensibly to persuade others, but in reality, to keep […]
There are two main aspects to the climate change phenomenon. The first is the political movement variously represented by Greta Thunberg and Extinction Rebellion and factions of the Green and left parties. The second is how governments exploit the fear of a threatened global catastrophe to impose new taxes and other restrictions on their citizens. […]
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 […]