Wednesday 29 May 2013

Irish Politicians Immunity from Arrest - Should it be scrapped? ...

Article 15.13 of Bunreacht na h-Eireann


"The members of each House of the Oireachtas shall, except in case of treason as defined in this Constitution, felony or breach of the peace, be privileged from arrest in going to and returning from, and while within the precincts of, either House, and shall not, in respect of any utterance in either House, be amenable to any court or any authority other than the House itself."
 
   
Does this really have a place when you look at Shattergate? The clause really has no standing and is from the De Valera era, a time really vastly different from now. The article favours those at the top of the food chain. So should it scrapped ?

Reaching out to Islam

Attacks in London against Muslims have increased ten fold over the last few days since the attack in Woolwich. A government hotline set up saw a spike in calls with something in the range of 140 calls logged in twenty four hours, a reflection in the shift in attitudes to Muslims in the UK, which was once something of a safe haven for them. The BNP and most notably the EDL have capitalised on the hysteria surrounding the attack and are using the attack as a stick to beat the Muslim community, using racially, xenophobic and islamaphoic language to drive a wedge between the communities in the UK. The Muslim community though is reaching out and has kept its nerve and has ended up in places like Yorkshire in inviting members of the EDL to tea and condemning the attacks as being not part of Islam at all. How do we reach out to Muslims to flow the stemming tide of Islamaphobia that is going to create massive rifts in British society? The Muslim community has reached out but I have not seen much from other communities to create anything that could be termed solidarity bar a few messages on twitter and facebook and other social media arenas.

When does one mans terrorist become another mans freedom fighter?...

The attack on the British soldier in London tonight brought to mind, when is there a line drawn between terrorist and freedom fighter? British and American forces have already invaded illegally Iraq and Afghanistan with a view to subduing the local population and carving territories up between themselves and for big business. Could the attack on the soldier tonight be seen as an expression of fight back against imperialism and invading forces? Michael Collins was viewed by the British as a terrorist but to us he is a hero
http://inserbia.info/news/2013/05/uk...ne-operations/

Michael Collins is both a patriot and a villain; how he is seen depends upon one's personal perspective. For an objective observer, however, one must certainly suspect that Collins would be viewed more as a patriot. After all, his use of violence was not unmatched by the British soldiers; if anything, he was outdone by their cruelty. The argument that the British possessed the right to enact authority upon the residents of Ireland crumbles in the face of the reality that the people there spoke a different language, possessed a different culture, clung to different myths and legends, and, most importantly, did not want them the British there.
   
Where is the line drawn on terrorism and freedom fighters?

How do the IRA fit into the set up?

Riots in Stockholm

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-22650267

An OECD report has shown that Sweden has one of the highest rates of economic inequality in the world. The motivating factor for a lot of these riots in Sweden has been put down to some people as being a high rate of unemployment with the highest rate being seen amongst those of second or third generation immigrant families. It echoes the riots of the London riots of recent times, is there a lot of similarities? ....

Does the Bible Permit Abortion?..

 
Hosea 9:11-16



Ephraim’s glory will fly away like a bird—
no birth, no pregnancy, no conception.
12 Even if they rear children,
I will bereave them of every one.
Woe to them
when I turn away from them!
13 I have seen Ephraim, like Tyre,
planted in a pleasant place.
But Ephraim will bring out
their children to the slayer.”
14
Give them, Lord—
what will you give them?
Give them wombs that miscarry
and breasts that are dry
.



    Numbers 5:11-21

11 Then the Lord said to Moses, 12 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘If a man’s wife goes astray and is unfaithful to him 13 so that another man has sexual relations with her, and this is hidden from her husband and her impurity is undetected (since there is no witness against her and she has not been caught in the act), 14 and if feelings of jealousy come over her husband and he suspects his wife and she is impure—or if he is jealous and suspects her even though she is not impure— 15 then he is to take his wife to the priest. He must also take an offering of a tenth of an ephah[a] of barley flour on her behalf. He must not pour olive oil on it or put incense on it, because it is a grain offering for jealousy, a reminder-offering to draw attention to wrongdoing.

16 “‘The priest shall bring her and have her stand before the Lord. 17 Then he shall take some holy water in a clay jar and put some dust from the tabernacle floor into the water. 18 After the priest has had the woman stand before the Lord, he shall loosen her hair and place in her hands the reminder-offering, the grain offering for jealousy, while he himself holds the bitter water that brings a curse. 19 Then the priest shall put the woman under oath and say to her, “If no other man has had sexual relations with you and you have not gone astray and become impure while married to your husband, may this bitter water that brings a curse not harm you. 20 But if you have gone astray while married to your husband and you have made yourself impure by having sexual relations with a man other than your husband”— 21 here the priest is to put the woman under this curse—“may the Lord cause you to become a curse among your people when he makes your womb miscarry and your abdomen swell
 
 
Numbers 31:17-18

Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him.

18 But all the women children, that have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.
 
   
Few more knocking about though surely those of religious convictions cannot turn on the carte blanche catholcism now and claim that they are against abortion for religious reasons? The bible allowed it (from my reading of it) so to disagree with it are you going against your religious belief? Discuss that little hand grenade amongst yourselves...

If women ruled the world, would there be war?...

I was reminded of an old joke on facebook

If women ruled the world, there would be no wars. Just a bunch of jealous countries not talking to each other
   
Funny as it may seem is there any truth to the issue? In World War 2, both the allies and the axis were ruled all by men. The US, UK, France, Canada et al on one side and the Axis of Germany, Italy etc on the other side. If women had run these countries would the outcome of World War 2 or any other war have been different? Before I get Tatcher and other female leaders thrown at he, a lot of leaders like Tatcher sold out their feminity to take on a male persona did they not as they were in a male dominated hierarchy? Male leadership tends to be aggressive and a display of strength, an alpha male complex dominates a lot of male lead governments. What of female leadership?

In Forbes magazine, an article discussed female leadership in the business world. A survey showed that female leadership may be a better approach as it tends to be more empathic and loyal in its dealings. Often a bond is built with others and there is that lack of aggression that carachterises male leadership (
http://www.forbes.com/sites/doriecla...re-like-women/).

Cooking for Greece

A link to the shop for anyone looking to purchase it


 

http://www.people-in-need.com/welcom...0&sort=nameAsc
Excellent cook book with some great summer recipes :)

Project that members of Politicalworld.org chipped in on, would urge everyone to buy a copy, goes to a homeless shelter in Chania in Greece :)

US Diplomat arrested for spying in Russia....

Is the Cold War not over?

Diplomat arrested for allegedly trying to recruit Russian intelligence officer...

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/world...aims-1.1392967
Russian security services have held a US diplomat they claim is a CIA agent after catching him trying to recruit a Russian agent.

The FSB agency said that Ryan Fogle, a third secretary at the US Embassy in Moscow, was carrying special technical equipment, disguises, written instructions and a large sum of money when he was detained overnight.

Irish Youth Unemployment Rises...


A new paper from the ERSI looks at how hard those under 45 have been hit by the recession.

Those under 45 are spending approx 20% less than they did five years ago.

What is most striking though is the statistics on youth unemployment around the country however...
http://www.irishtimes.com/business/e...inds-1.1392283

When does satire become libellous?

From watching the ongoing debate over various figures in Irish political ciricles issuing threats against others for potentially libellous material, when does satire cross the line and become libellous? Satire is the ridiculing of some sort of ridiculous behaviour by others through the use of humour and has been over the years been seen in the public eye from Punch magazine in the 19th Century to such recent programmes as Scratch Saturday or Bull Island to name but a few. Where is the line drawn though with regards to satire and libel laws? The current laws on libel (or defamation as it has now become) are so open ended that technically a lot of satire could be classed as injuring a persons reputation.

American Department of Justice raids offices of Associated Press

Over the course of the last few days, the Department of Justice in the US has raided the offices of Associated Press looking for phone records from the last two months of incoming and outgoing calls of about twenty lines that the agency used. There is no real reason apparent for the raid but it may be linked to a story in the last few weeks that AP reported on the governent foiling a bomb attack where an IED as to be used on a flight from Yemen. The president of AP has released a statement condemning the raid and has written to the Attorney General in the US to question if such a raid is legitimiate in that it may go above and beyond what legislation allows the government to do but also may infringe on constitutional rights in disseminating and gathering news.
http://www.politico.com/story/2013/0...-ap-91295.html

http://www.politico.com/blogs/media/...ds-163862.html

Wednesday 8 May 2013

Cringeworthy Eurovision...

How is this for a little slice of campness..this embodies Eurovision! Lads name is Cezar and is representing Romania!...

Thursday 2 May 2013

Have a good weekend...

Im off to a wedding, so have a good weekend and chill out! Time to dig out the suit!!

Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill 2013



The New Maternity Bill 2013 makes no reference to what consitutes the mothers life being in danger...all open ambigious bollocks...


http://www.merrionstreet.ie/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Protection-of-Life-During-Pregnancy-Bill-PLP-30.04.13-10.30.pdf



the PDF link above, this is where there is a case of uncertainty and people will shift uncomfortably in their seats




there is a real and substantial risk of loss of the pregnant woman’s life other
than by way of self-destruction,



By way of another definition, this means to be clarified or it will risk the mothers life further. The lack of definition will result in doctors conferring when a mothers life is in danger, time is precious and if doctors differ patients will die. Lack of certainty over this will result in more doctors being worried in case they are brought before ethics committees or even worse before a court of law to answer for a decision they felt at the time they may have made in good faith. The contents in a way may lay out the terms for abortion but in a very ambigious and unclear way and its going to confuse a lot of medical practitioners. Its an Irish solution to an Irish problem...

Fudging on the X Case Legislation - Savitas Law

Im not going to beat around the bush but the evidence from the professionals for why Savita needed a termination and subsequent fudging on the legislation - quick pointers...

In a letter to the Irish Times, Peter Boylan, one of the countries top obstetricians said

http://www.irishtimes.com/debate/letters/savita-halappanavar-inquest-1.1379305

 I clearly stated that “on the balance of probabilities” Ms Halappanavar would still be alive today had her pregnancy been terminated on either the Monday or the Tuesday. It is indeed impossible for any doctor to predict any clinical outcome with absolute certainty.

Katherine Astbury, Savita's consultants reports the Irish Times...

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/savita-eventually-told-termination-was-only-option-consultant-obstetrician-says-1.1355316

The consultant obstetrician who treated Savita Halappanavar told her she could not have a termination due to the “legal position in Ireland”, but the following day said there was no option but to perform one, she has told the inquest.

On the psychiatrists and the whole pro life shite coming out.I'll just link to the broadsheet, explains it adequately...

http://www.broadsheet.ie/2013/04/26/straw-clutching-latest/



Rent Rising in Ireland - Faster rise in Dublin than rest of country..

http://businessetc.thejournal.ie/this-map-shows-you-why-rent-is-rising-in-dublin-more-than-anywhere-else-892458-May2013/

Rents are rising in Dublin according to a new report published by daft.ie . The rents in Dublin are up approx 5% in comparison to those outside Dublin which rose on average 0.2%. Economist Ronan Lyons has said this may be indicative of the lack of rental properties that are not as available as they once were. Table from thejournal.ie

Dublin: €1,131, up 5.9 per cent
Cork: €799, up 1.8 per cent
Galway: €784, up 2.8 per cent
Limerick: €638, down 0.7 per cent
Waterford: €593, down 3.0 per cent


Its not mentioned in the article but property tax must have had to have impacted on rent increases. The landlord is meant to cover it but they can up rents and say its for something else...

Treatment of Basque Prisoners

http://www.indymedia.ie/article/103585




"She has been sentenced to six years of prison for alleged membership of SEGI – the banned Basque pro-independence left youth organisation. According to the Spanish state, to be a member of SEGI is to be helping ETA, the armed Basque resistance group; however no “terrorist” action was proved against either Nahikari or her seven male co-sentenced, no possession of arms, no plans, maps – nothing like that. The evidence against them consisted of T-shirts, CDs and posters which indicated that they are pro-Basque independence and for socialism, in accordance with which they have been doing open political work for years. But according to the Spanish state, as in the infamous words of a previous harrier of pro-independence Basques, the 'liberal' judge Garzón: “everything is ETA”.




Nihakari was arrested in San Sebastien over alleged offences along with several others. Several people who she was arrested with have alleged that they were sexually assaulted by arresting authorities in which, if proven true, is evident of the contempt the Spanish establishment have for the Basque people. The link above gives a summary of what Nihakari has faced in her trial and that of others whom are fighting for a Basque homeland. Her supporters have fought a long campaign for justice along the way but have been met with maltreatment by the Basque police and the courts. Her husband is already in the South of France and cannot see his wife for fear of being arrested by the police. The use of intimidation, psychological torture and potentially sexual assault are indicative of how worried the Spanish state are of a Basque homeland.

Patriotism and the Flag





Patriotism attached to a flag is misguided, we attach so much to a piece of cloth that winds up dividing us. Whether it be Union Jack, Tricolour or Gay Pride or whatever it is, this symbolism underlines our insecurities in that as a people we need a sense of identity. The flag issue as raised on this thread is an undercurrent of a bigger issue with that of Northern Ireland and its major problem of how people identify with one and other but the flag issue exemplifies it very well. Consider the British Legion who considers the flag sacrosanct and does not want it politicised. The Union Jack is already politicised through it being hoisted via Britian's imperial and colonial conquests throughout the years, Ireland's tricolour through its use in 1916, the gay pride flag to represent all the gay spectrum. Week in week out we wave these pieces of cloth for some sporting event or political reason to show that we have pride in our country and as a badge of identity, somewhere we can all belong and become part of some larger social group. It feels good, how many times do we get a shive down our back when we watch Ireland beat someone in rugby event, the cheer goes up for the anthem and there are various flags around the stadium with "Jacks Bar in Ballygofukwittery on tour" or some cringeworthy phrase. Far from being positive, flags and other such things as anthems and other symbols which appeal to our tribalistic personalities seek to undermine any sort of effort to build one thing we have in common, we are all members of the human race, all one and others brothers and sister and part of society which we formed, created and which we can drive for the better. Culture, Society, Politics, Economics are all driven by tribalsim and their interactions influence norms and values throughout the society we live. Through these values and norms things like flags become a symbol for a victor or an oppressed people, for those on the margins of soceity or left out in the cold or a sign of supremacy. For what end? The world is divided enough without us all resorting to belong to some sort of tribe as our caveman instincts lead us to become some sort of society fractured by our beliefs of superiority where one piece of cloth takes precedence over other group of people. The anarchists have it right to a degree, we should all strive for this masterless borderless world devoid of pseudo sentimental clap trap like flags, anthems, badges and other overtly nationalistic imagery in its tone.