Four newborn babies in Adelaide have died after being denied life-saving heart surgery because it wasn’t available locally and the stage-four lockdown in Victoria meant they couldn’t be transferred to Melbourne for surgery. Covid-19 travel restrictions meant that interstate transfers for the sick babies who needed life-saving cardiac surgery wasn’t possible. The surgery was not […]
By now, readers will be familiar with the single strongest argument against Ireland’s impending level five lockdown: Cases are rising, yes, but hospitalisations, and deaths, remain low, notwithstanding the thirteen fatalities reported yesterday. Is the low number of deaths and hospitalisations, as some argue, a glitch? Or is it part of a wider pattern that’s […]
There’s probably been no more contentious subject in Ireland over the past six months or so than the question of mandatory facemasks. There are bigger questions, sure, on which the population is more evenly divided – lockdown or no lockdown; schools open, or schools closed; the infernal debate about “wet pubs”, and so on. But […]
As the country moves into level 5 restrictions once again, the rules are clear for everybody: Shops and businesses are closing. The Dáil continues to sit in the National Convention Centre, so that they can socially distance. Mass is too dangerous to be said. Going further than five kilometres from your own home is to […]
Every nation cherishes an image of itself. In Australia, we are often told that ours was formed on the beaches of Gallipoli, but it’s older and more complex than that. Long before the Australian union, the people of each of the Australian colonies developed self-images of their own, in great variety. Few directly referred to […]
Independent TD for Laois Offaly Carol Nolan has said that she has written to the Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe asking him to urgently investigate the lack of insurance options for nursing homes who operate with a capacity of less than 40 beds. Deputy Nolan said that unless the matter is dealt with quickly and […]
Rural Independent TDs say that “all sense of proportion and perspective is being lost due to government and NPHET’s contributions to deep uncertainty in already uncertain times.” Speaking ahead of an expected announcement of a Level 4 lockdown later today, the Rural Independent Group strongly criticised the Government’s ongoing contradictory and disorganised media messaging, which […]
An interesting bit of polling courtesy of Ireland Thinks and the Mail on Sunday: 🚨Poll🚨Ireland Thinks/Mail on Sunday Question: Should the country move to Level 5 restrictions? Yes: 51%No: 41%Undecided: 9% (Yes I know that it adds up to 101%, but that is what is reported. 🙃) 17th October 2020 — Ireland Votes | #Vote2024 […]
On Friday, Jack Lambert, who is professor of medicine and infectious diseases at the Mater and UCD School of Medicine, was sharply critical of the actions of the government who are now being guided to a Level 5 lockdown by the National Public Health Advisory Team (NPHET). Prof Lambert was the latest in a growing number […]
Doctors said they wouldn’t survive but BOTH twins born healthy after Belfast Mum beats Covid A Belfast mother has given birth to twins girls after being put into a coma and ventilated for 10 days back in April when she battled COVID-19. Her fiance Bryan Green was previously told by doctors that the babies wouldn’t survive the ordeal. […]
Some necessary background, before we get into the story: Yesterday, an advert appeared in the Irish Times, setting out some facts and figures in relation to Covid 19 in Ireland. The advert did not provide all the facts, nor did it seek to put them in context. As an advert, it was very clearly trying […]
The 2020/ 2021 Budget is not behind us. It’s what we’re facing into, in its impact on our society, our politics – now irrevocably changed – and our world. The world seems very close, pressing in on us, spooked by uncertainties and fear. Economic fears, certainly. But also deeper fears that, somehow, what is happening […]