Minister Fitzgerald’s attempt to push Sexual Offences Bill through the Seanad in one afternoon is shameful
On Wednesday the 15th of February at the old League of Nations building in Geneva, the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) will be addressed by an Irish Government delegation which it is planned, at the time of writing, will be headed by Tanaiste Frances Fitzgerald, Minister for Justice and […]
Trump’s jump into the US political pool causing potential tsunamis in Europe
It is a funny old world – politics. A few weeks ago, Francois Fillon appeared to be on course to win the French presidency. But an Exocet has hit his campaign in the form of a scandal about his placing of his wife on the public payroll as a political advisor when in fact she […]
The importance of calling out Trump for what he is
Am I alone in detecting a whiff of raw evil in the Trump administration’s utterances this week? I spoke in the Seanad on Thursday about the evil plans of this man, the POTUS, to reintroduce torture, including waterboarding, for detainees suspected of having information useful to the US in its war on terrorism. Lest we […]
Ireland cannot play an observer role in Brexit matters
Last week, Theresa May has set out her government’s wish-list for its Brexit deal with the EU. Her Lancaster House speech was aspirational rather than specific. The bottom line is that she envisages a post-Brexit relationship in which the UK is no longer part of the EU or of the EU’s single market but is […]
Trump is damaged goods and no ally of Irish interests
Let me show a little of my politics on my sleeve. The night that Barack Obama was elected eight years ago, I watched American media through the night. When it became obvious that Obama was a sure thing in the early hours, I was watching alone when, to my utter surprise I started crying – […]
“Freedom of expression” is one thing; “freedom of anonymous publication” is another thing entirely
There is a current obsession in the Irish media with securing instant online reaction from readers and audiences. I am by no means convinced that online comment by readers of online newspapers adds anything at all to the quality of the journalism or to the enjoyment of the reader. Nor does it add revenue. But […]