Texts and emails, Thursday 11 February 2010

Topic: TD's expenses

Panellists: Joe Behan (Independent TD) Paul O'Brien (Irish Examiner) and Ann Irwin (Co-ordinator, Workers' Co-op). Noirin Hegarty (Editor, Sunday Tribune) and Marie Moran (UCD) will join the panel to review the newspapers.

Texts and emails, Wednesday 10 February 2010

Topic: Enda Kenny's leadership of Fine Gael

Panellists: Alan Dukes (former leader of Fine Gael), Kathleen O'Neill (community activist), Prof. David Farrell (UCD)

i'm fed up hearing about enda kenny and george lee. How about talking about the loss of  750 jobs in the bank and 55 in musgraves

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Equal access to quality education key to social mobility

A report published today shows how social mobility in Ireland is well below the OECD average and largely dependent on the educational attainment of one's parents.

Today, the OECD published its 'Intergenerational Social Mobility: a family affair?' report, which said: "Well educated parents tend to have well educated children for whom it is easier to obtain well paid jobs. But the odds are stacked against children who do not benefit from this virtuous cycle." 

George Lee exemplifies the symbiosis of media and politics

George Lee's impulsive exit from politics highlights a certain malaise common in the Irish public sphere; namely, the cosiness between the political and media elites writes Joseph Galvin

Prominent political journalists are well known to mingle in the Dail bar with the politicians they are supposed to be critiquing, often counting these same people as personal friends. Indeed, a cursory glance at the Irish media exposes plainly many associations between media and politics.

Texts and emails, Thursday 4 February 2010

Topic: Cancer care in Ireland

Panellists: Kathleen O'Meara (former Labour senator, now head of advocacy for Irish Cancer Society), Ken O'Beirne (oncologist, St. James' Hospital), Austin O'Carroll MD and Roddy Carter (cancer patient)

Re cancer care: What kind of system allows a GP 2 state in a referral letter 2 an arthricare centre that patient "now cancer free" when oncologist gave 6 months 2 live on discharge from hospital. "arthritiis" was secondaries. Records not shared between medical centres. 

Marion

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Text and emails, Tuesday 26 January 2010

Topic: Mental health in Ireland

Panellists: Minister of State with responsibility for mental health John Moloney, psychiatrist Siobhán Barry, Irish Times chief correspondent Carl O'Brien

What amazes me is the fact people believe the government promises or lies whichever way you look at it. When are people going to wake up and hold the gov accountable?

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Texts and emails, Monday 25 January 2010

Topic: Corporate ethics

Panellists: Newspaper editor turned barrister Ted Harding, Sunday Times Business Editor Brian Carey, and Thomas Molloy of the Irish Independent

How many Lawyers are ethical? I wonder..

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Can all shareholders get to gether and sue the banks and accountants for mismanagement of their money? 

John Kiernan

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Texts and emails, Thursday 21 January 2010

Topic: Obama's first year in office

Panellists: Richard Aldous (historian, UCD), Marion McKeon (journalist), Harry Browne (journalism lecturer, DIT), Sarah Boehm (teacher)

Why must the republicans always be described in derogatory terms such as "ridiculous" even though he won?

James, Tipperary

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