Category: Politics
Why The Good Friday Agreement Will Fail
“Secular liberals and socialists expected tribal passions would gradually disappear, while improved means of communication and a better scientific understanding of the universe would take its place. But it turned out not to be so.” - Leszek Kolakowski Ireland’s Fukuyama...
What Happened to ‘Innocent Until Proven Guilty’?
The author of this article is a barrister with many years of experience. Back on 5th November 2018, in a rape trial in Cork, the trial's defence counsel in her closing speech to the jury used the following words: “Does...
The Resurrection of Hungary: A Modern Parallel for Ireland
“The new state that we are building is an illiberal state, It does not deny foundational values of liberalism, such as freedom, etc. But it does not make this ideology a central element of state organization, but applies a specific,...
A Case Study in Journalistic Dishonesty
On the 16th of January, thejournal.ie published an article titled ‘FactCheck: Does this tweet show the decline of the 'ethnic Irish' population from 2040 onward?’ This article is worth analysing as a case study for two reasons. The first is...
Without Borders, Civilisation Cannot Exist
Without national borders, advanced civilisation would cease existing. Based on the findings of a 2017 Gallup poll, 14% of the world’s adults would emigrate if the opportunity was available. That is over 700,000,000 people. Almost equal to the entire population...
The Shadow of the Gunman and the Demise of Fianna Fáil
Whether it was Varadkar’s exchanges with Doherty in the Dáil or reading McCullough’s biography on De Valera, I decided to revisit my decision to leave Fianna Fáil some months ago. Having been a member of the party for several years,...
The Rush to Introduce Abortion Shows it Was Always About Politics
As the introduction of widespread abortion looms ever closer, the journey towards becoming this brave new Ireland suddenly appears to be fraught with difficulties. Before the referendum in May, Government politicians and pro-choice activists went to great lengths to accentuate...
Ireland is Wasting Time Tackling Climate Change
There’s been a lot of talk about climate change recently, this time spawned by the COP24 summit. However, despite this resurgence, we’ve heard nothing new. Reduce this, disaster that, “think of the coral reefs!” etc etc. According to this recent...
Does Peadar Tóibín’s New Movement Stand a Chance?
New parties have not fared well in Ireland historically. All of the leading parties were established by 1933, and the impact of newcomers has tended to be slight and short-lasting. Contrast this with France, where the En Marche movement captured...
The Abortion Bill and Conscientious Objection
The abortion Bill presented by Minister Simon Harris is now before the Oireachtas where numerous amendments have been tabled. Some deal specifically with the issue of conscientious objection and want to offer it better protection. The Bill envisages that doctors...