Just because something is talked about a lot on the internet doesn't mean that it is actually of any great importance; in fact it is often quite the opposite (the smaller the dog, the louder the bark as they say - “they” being the people on the internet).
There are press conferences most days in Buswells Hotel across from Leinster House - press conferences of the smaller political parties, of various lobby groups and protest movements. The press conferences are often vacuous and forgettable.
I showed up there last Wednesday morning because Margaret Irwin of Justice for the Forgotten had phoned me. I was not expecting much, except to express solidarity again with the victims of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings of 1974.
The appointment of former secretary general of the Department of Justice Seán Aylward to the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture was described by the Justice for Magdalenes group as 'a slap in the face to women who have suffered in Ireland’s Magdalene Laundries'.
Once upon a time a Greek called Aesop told the story of the industrious ant and the profligate grasshopper.
In the clutches of recession, the Ryanair chief executive may now breathe a sigh of relief as binding emission reductions seem further off than ever before. Now, the only thinkable solutions to climate change are those which also provide an immediate, tangible boost to economic growth. But can market logic provide the solution to this ever-escalating crisis? By Andrew Bowman.
Ireland faces the loss of its right to choose its own economic and budgetary policy. By Vincent Browne.
We are on the verge of one of the following – an economic catastrophe – made all the more likely by the Brussels European Council meeting last Thursday and Friday; a constitutional crisis in the EU, which may collapse the union; or a surrender of sovereignty, which will nullify a lot of what remains of Ireland’s independence as a state.
Recently, in the middle of a conversation with some very articulate and well-educated people, the subject of social housing came up. One of the brightest delivered a short thesis on the proclivities of welfare recipients towards gambling, smoking, sitting at home all day watching Sky TV and letting their children run wild on the street. The rant began with the phrase "These people", which should have been warning enough. I've never actually heard a fair-minded comment starting with "These people".
The Irish Feminist Network (IFN) has condemned the measures contained in the Social Welfare Bill 2011 which they say amount to an attack on women and children.
Said IFN co-ordinator Alison Spillane, “While we welcome the Minister’s decision to remove the sections relating to cuts and changes to the Disability Allowance, this Bill still contains a number of extremely regressive measures which will make life even more difficult for thousands of people and serve to decrease domestic demand and stifle the economy further.
The Budget failed to deliver on any of the Government's promises about fairness, job creation, and protecting the vulnerable. By Niall Crowley.
The budget was supposed to be all about protecting the vulnerable, being fair and creating jobs. Enda Kenny said it. Brendan Howlin said it. Michael Noonan said it. None of them delivered on it.
While the relief given to low-income earners by the Government under the Universal Social Charge is welcome, any gains will likely be swallowed up by other measures introduced in this week's Budget. By Michael Taft.