Ireland's political and cultural magazine
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I am in favour of liberal laws on abortion. I once initiated an abortive master’s thesis about it, coming down in favour of the liberal approach. This magazine has always taken a liberal stance, outlining all the obvious anomalies in the Irish regime. We have devoted cover and editorial space to the issue and given […]
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Rural Ireland faces depopulation and outward migration. This is fed by limitations in access to transport, broadband and many services and supports which also undermine the quality of life for those who want to stay. However, rural Ireland maintains strong local communities. Its economic value and social role in agriculture and associated activities, mean that […]
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The demand for change was evident before the general election. The hope was that the 32nd Dáil would finally deliver the necessary reform. But ultimately what the Programme for Government proposes is more waiting when it comes to repealing the 8th amendment and expanding access to abortion services. The commitment to a Citizens’ Assembly in […]
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In June 2016, a major report substantiated rumours of multiple serious flaws in elderly care services. The norm, it says, is disorganisation and inconsistency. Social workers state that as many as half of their clients processed for long-term institutional care would not have needed it if suitable home supports had been available. Although the number […]
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A Gender Equality Task Force has recommended mandatory gender quotas for the appointment of senior academics in NUI Galway to combat a legacy of discrimination against women. While concern has been expressed about the use of quotas, it is evident that a ‘silent gender quota’ has been in operation in NUIG for some time. Where […]
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It is extraordinary how uninterested we are in the problems caused by bad planning or indeed the possibilities for enhanced quality of life, that is to say happiness, that good planning would bring. It is egregious how decisions that may change the face of our capital city continue to be taken so casually and so […]
In 1849 Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr in his journal ‘Les Guêpes’ coined one of the most famous aphorisms of all time: Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose. Ever since signature of the Treaty of Maastricht on European Union in 1992, the EU has been an embodiment of this modus operandi. Swinging from one extreme […]
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A farmer’s son from Kildare whose late father had monies wrongly deducted from his account by Bank of Ireland officials has claimed that hundreds of farmers may have lost their livelihoods due to the fraudulent management of a government rescue scheme in the mid-1980s. Jim Behan owned a valuable farm of 240 acres at Dollardstown […]