The Irish social welfare system, which is based on a "male breadwinner" model, reinforces the notion of women as adult dependents, rather than as individuals entitled to payments in their own right.

I have to wonder if either William Hederman, the author of the interview with Kelly Dougherty in last week's Village, or Dougherty herself happen to recognise the inconsistencies in Kelly's values and statements. Like a true anti-war activist, she can flip-flop on a dime.

The school has been in temporary accommodation in a football club in Santry for the last nine years. At this stage there are 230 pupils crammed into tiny partitioned rooms. The ventilation is poor which results in the children often becoming ill and illnesses spreading very quickly. It is impossible for two adults to walk past each other in the very narrow corridors without bumping into one another. These passageways constitute a fire hazard and it doesn't bear thinking about what the consequences would be in the event of a fire and what is the possibility of evacuating all children safely.

Coming from a place like Ballyfermot, I and many of my friends have carried a stigma throughout our lives. Bad press, in particular directed at young people, has left a feeling of downheartedness, estrangement and a lack of hope in my area. Dáil na nÓg, for me, has been a chance to break this stigma. I have been given the opportunity to meet and mix with many people from many different walks of life and without Dáil na nÓg, these social boundaries would never have been overcome.

Nursing Homes

The European Constitution is a creditable attempt to provide that passport, for Europe's democracies at least, and shows how other regions of the world could regain control over key areas of decision-making.

Say no to right-wing constitution

Young asylum seekers

This retrospective justification for war on Iraq is closely connected with efforts to prepare world opinion for possible military action against Iran or Syria. Indeed, former UN chief weapons inspector in Iraq, Scott Ritter, says Bush has already signed off on a plan to attack Iran in June.

 Around 30 community activists from North and West Belfast took part in a major demonstration in Berlin on Thursday (10 February) to demonstrate against human rights' abuses in Iran. We were rerouted from Paris after the French government banned the demonstration at the behest of the Iranian regime.