Wednesday, May 16th 2012
Mark Simpson | Gay people don’t need marriage
Mark Simpson has a great article on why gay ‘marriage’ is not needed. All that is required are ‘nationally recognised same-sex civil unions with the same legal status as marriage – called civil partnerships –’ which are available to all.
“In my experience few lesbians or gays feel they [...]
Index on Censorship ” Ireland: religion doesn’t need protection
While religious beliefs are, we should admit, probably more dearly held than any other set of ideas, this cannot in itself be a reason to place them beyond criticism.
What is disheartening for anyone who believes in free expression (and one need not be an atheist or even [...]
Ben Goldacre | Swine flu and hype – a media illness
Goldacre says that the science that is being reported in the media as part of the Swine Fever epidemic is not wrong - it could be as bad as they say, we just don’t know - its just that we no longer trust the media, [...]
After Fine Gael announced its recent FairCare proposals for health service reform I contacted ILR contributor Dr. Gerry Burke, consultant obstetrician & gynaecologist in Limerick’s Regional and Maternity Hospitals and a vociferous campaigner against co-location to see what he thought of the proposals. I first asked him if the proposals would help improve patient outcomes [...]
An Irish lesson for the Middle East? | open Democracy News Analysis
Tom Griffin:
“Does the Irish peace process have lessons for the Middle East? Many of the key players in the Good Friday Agreement seem to think so. Tony Blair has cited the precedent as cause for optimism in his role as Quartet Envoy, while Gerry [...]
Do you remember why the Government introduced the emergency April budget? Rising unemployment? Collapse in economic growth? Mass depression over the weather? Let’s refresh our memories:
‘Without this supplementary Budget the general government deficit would have been 12¾% of GDP reflecting the large gap needed to fund the difference between spending and revenue. In the prevailing [...]
Crime of blasphemous libel proposed for Defamation Bill
The John Waterisation of Irish legislation is complete:
“Where a person is convicted of an offence under this section, the court may issue a warrant authorising the Garda Síochána to enter, if necessary using reasonable force, a premises where the member of the force has reasonable grounds for believing [...]
Uri Avnery | A Little Red Light
Uri Avnery has a little red light flashing in his head which warns that the prominence of Avigdor Lieberman, the current Deputy Prime Minister of Israel and a far right ideologue could be an indication that Israel could become a far-right state - one day. It hasn't happened yet, [...]
David Harvey | The Urban Roots of the Fiscal Crisis
Webcast of a David Harvey lecture which tries to answer the questions:
"How many fiscal disruptions over the last thirty years have been urban/property led? Why does this particular one takes the form it does? In what ways does this fits into a Marxist theory of urbanization [...]
Is no wonder the swine flu is spreading. His mask have holes in!!!
Hola everybody. I espect you have both been reading about the appalling pandemonic which is taking place in Mexico where they have crossed a pig with a virus and produced swine flu. If we are not careful now, it will cross over [...]
