The first thought that enters any mans head when they hear that someone is gay is the image of a skinny guy with designer gear and the infamous 'fag hags' hanging out of him and yes, this is an acceptable image as it is quite common place but for those of us who do not fit the stereotype where do we fit in?
Rewind twenty years ago, I was on holidays in France with two of my best friends camping, both typical lads and two of my best friends amongst others. The weather was roasting as we sat in the tent that evening as the sun had been blazing all day. After about two bottles of cheap wine (steak and onions were cooked in said wine..some for me, some for the pan you get the picture), a conversation moved towards being gay etc. Inadverdently I came out with it (being half cut was always something I did and but not so much now!) and told my friends I was bisexual, a phrase that gay men use as a bridging so as not to offend their masculine peers but just enough to soften the blow so they can come out as gay later on.
Cut back now about eleven or twleve years later. Those lads are still my best friends and now I am in a loving relationship with a man who I cannot speak more highly of, whom I love to bits and who treats me as an opposite equal. My parents have been fantastic about it all as have my family and my friends. My mother enquires as to the future of her 'son in law' messing and my father being a taxi driver, proudly tells people about me without a shadow of a doubt. The idea that their son is gay was a shock to them in the first place but its something that they got used to , I make it out to be like riding a bike, watching the football or drinking a beer with my aul lad or chatting to my mother. Its just an every day thing. My brother is brilliant about it (I think he thinks it might help him pick up women ;) )
National Coming Out Day marks for most people a day to celebrate being themselves and its handled wonderfully. Its an opportunity for those who may be struggling to come out and tell their loved ones yes I do like the same gender or I may want to change gender but I am the same person. This is in stark contrast to the whole flip side of the coin which I wanna mention.
Referring back to my earlier point in regards to the images of gay men. There is the usual 'twink' with their hair neartly combed, in skinny jeans and camper than a row of tents, some of whom would make Liberace look like Arnie in Predator. Men of a particular generation have this image emblazoned on their mind as a stereotype of these men. On the flip side are those that try to hard to be butch and something in my earlier years I did myself to distance myself from the stereotypes but then I reached a point where I discovered that this was in reality utter bollix, its nothing to do with how I act, its about being me. My range of interest goes from the extremely camp (Eurovision Song Contest, dance and pop music) to the very butch (football, heavy beer drinker, politics) with an array of various other interests in between that oft would be classed as camp or butch but all of these to me are just interests .
At the end of the day just do what makes you happy. Personally speaking (as we had argued before on here and was plastered all over blogs in Australia for some reason) things like Pride (which I loathe with a passion) and faux butchery (which I also loathe) impinge on a persons being, they dont give people a chance to be themselves. Dont listen to any of that crap, be yourself and just be what you are, a decent honest bloke or bird, one who will stand up for themselves and others and is most importantly happy in themselves.
To my readers and friends and family, Happy Coming Out Day.... :)
Friday, 11 October 2013
Friday, 16 August 2013
The Man who saved the world...
Vasili Arkhipov is not a name that people are familiar with. Arkhipov was a naval officer in the Russian submarine fleet and had a fairly illustrious career and in one particular incident which he became famous for.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasili_Alexandrovich_Arkhipov
On October 27, 1962, during the Cuban Missile Crisis, a group of eleven United States Navy destroyers and the aircraft carrier USS Randolph located the diesel-powered nuclear-armed Soviet Foxtrot-class submarine B-59 near Cuba. Despite being in international waters the Americans started dropping practice depth charges, explosives intended to force the submarine to come to the surface for identification. There had been no contact from Moscow for a number of days and, although the submarine's crew had earlier been picking up U.S. civilian radio broadcasts, once B-59 began attempting to hide from its U.S. Navy pursuers, it was too deep to monitor any radio traffic, so those on board did not know whether war had broken out.[5] The captain of the submarine, Valentin Grigorievitch Savitsky, believing that a war might already have started, wanted to launch a nuclear torpedo.[6]
Three officers on board the submarine – Savitsky, the political officer Ivan Semonovich Maslennikov, and the second-in-command Arkhipov – were authorized to launch the torpedo if agreeing unanimously in favor of doing so. An argument broke out among the three, in which only Arkhipov was against the launch.[7] Although Arkhipov was only second-in-command of submarine B-59, he was actually commander of the flotilla of submarines including B-4, B-36, and B-130, and of equal rank to Captain Savitsky. According to author Edward Wilson, the reputation Arkhipov gained from his courageous conduct in the previous year's K-19 incident also helped him prevail in the debate.[3] Arkhipov eventually persuaded Savitsky to surface the submarine and await orders from Moscow. This presumably averted the nuclear warfare which could possibly have ensued had the torpedo been fired.[8] The submarine's batteries had run very low and the air-conditioning had failed, so it was forced to surface amidst its U.S. pursuers and head home.[9] Washington's message that practice depth charges were being used to signal the submarines to surface never reached B-59, and Moscow claims it has no record of receiving it either.
Sitting in a tuna can a mile or two underwater and not having communication with the outside world can make a man go mad. Arkhipov had some power when it came to descisions having backed a previous captain in a mutiny that was happening on board a submarine a few years before that became the fim 'K-19 - The Widowmaker' with Liam Neeson a few years later. That must have been a feat of judgement to know that if the missile had been fired he would have been responsible for possibly triggering World War 3.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasili_Alexandrovich_Arkhipov
On October 27, 1962, during the Cuban Missile Crisis, a group of eleven United States Navy destroyers and the aircraft carrier USS Randolph located the diesel-powered nuclear-armed Soviet Foxtrot-class submarine B-59 near Cuba. Despite being in international waters the Americans started dropping practice depth charges, explosives intended to force the submarine to come to the surface for identification. There had been no contact from Moscow for a number of days and, although the submarine's crew had earlier been picking up U.S. civilian radio broadcasts, once B-59 began attempting to hide from its U.S. Navy pursuers, it was too deep to monitor any radio traffic, so those on board did not know whether war had broken out.[5] The captain of the submarine, Valentin Grigorievitch Savitsky, believing that a war might already have started, wanted to launch a nuclear torpedo.[6]
Three officers on board the submarine – Savitsky, the political officer Ivan Semonovich Maslennikov, and the second-in-command Arkhipov – were authorized to launch the torpedo if agreeing unanimously in favor of doing so. An argument broke out among the three, in which only Arkhipov was against the launch.[7] Although Arkhipov was only second-in-command of submarine B-59, he was actually commander of the flotilla of submarines including B-4, B-36, and B-130, and of equal rank to Captain Savitsky. According to author Edward Wilson, the reputation Arkhipov gained from his courageous conduct in the previous year's K-19 incident also helped him prevail in the debate.[3] Arkhipov eventually persuaded Savitsky to surface the submarine and await orders from Moscow. This presumably averted the nuclear warfare which could possibly have ensued had the torpedo been fired.[8] The submarine's batteries had run very low and the air-conditioning had failed, so it was forced to surface amidst its U.S. pursuers and head home.[9] Washington's message that practice depth charges were being used to signal the submarines to surface never reached B-59, and Moscow claims it has no record of receiving it either.
Removing religious influence from Irish Hospitals - The Current Situation,History and How to remove it
Straight out of the Cork Independent comes the following quote, anecdotal perhaps but it illustrates a point that is big news.
http://corkindependent.com/20130808/...at-S70357.html
The hospital is not mentioned but with the hulabaloo in media reports one does not have to delve deep into the web to place where this might be (although a number of inferrences could be drawn as to what hospital it could be ). Some of Irelands medical and healthcare establishments are in the clutches of a predator, one that is dying a slow and thankfully agonising death, the catholic church. Fr Kevin Doran ,a priest on the board of governors at the Mater hospital has indicated that the Mater will not perform any abortions as to do so may clash with the ethos of the hospital
http://www.broadsheet.ie/2013/08/07/...really-maters/
(Quote via Irish Times)
Illustrating how far their Ethos goes
The three members of the board of Dublin’s Mater Hospital were key to the decision to stop trials of the drug for lung cancer patients.
They objected because female patients who get could get pregnant would have to take contraceptives under the treatment.
The subcommittee of the board – including Fr Kevin Doran – were delegated the task of examining the conditions attached to testing the drug.
Dorans comments come in the wake of the death of Savita Hallenpalavar and others not afforded the treatment. Savita's husband, Praveen was allegedly told that an abortion could not be performed as Ireland was a catholic country. Ireland has a bit of a history though on the topic.
1951 and the Fine Gael lead government collapsed as Dr Noel Browne attempted to pass a bill allowing free maternity care much to the chargrin of John Charles Mc Quaid who subsequently kicked up a storm on the issue. Mc Quaids stance was that firstly the government could not interfere with how a family raised its children and secondly the bill would then lead to the legalisation of contraception and abortion, two positions vehemently opposed by a church who at the time were widely abusing children. Religious influence has since sought to fight against the X Case, euthanasia and stem cell research amongst numerous other topics. The churches position on maternal care is ironic given that some Catholic hospitals supported symphysiotomies until relatively recent years.
The church fought tooth and nail to establish an influence in medical schools over the course of the 20th century (http://www.medicalindependent.ie/142...tough_medicine) seeing a Protestant influence as being contrary to the wishes of the population and being a danger to their position as top dog in society threatening their stranglehold on Ireland.
In the 90's the church also fought tooth and nail against the needle exchange programmes for HIV positive drug addicts.
Gay Doctors Ireland are looking for a repeal of a section of the Employment Equality Act which allowed religious emmployers to discriminate legally (http://www.imt.ie/news/latest-news/2...ck-repeal.html) . it is expected that this will be repealed in the next while.
Information on the ethos of other hospitals is quite scant but the following article from the Indo offers some fair opinionhttp://www.independent.ie/opinion/an...-26250526.html
This might be acceptable if there were an alternative. But there are no secular hospitals in this country. There is no longer even an Anglican much less a multi-denominational ethos in any of our hospitals (except, of course, for the Rotunda). The liberal (Protestant) ethos of the Adelaide Hospital is supposed to have been preserved as part of the ethos of Tallaght Hospital, but many people, not least members of the Protestant churches, fear for its survival.
The selling off by the Sisters of Mercy of St Michael's Private Hospital in Dun Laoghaire and the Mater Private Clinic in Dublin, is indeed proof, as Mr Sheehan pointed out, that the Sisters are not in medicine for the good of their health: they need to make money. So the Catholic ethos is not necessarily one of high-minded and selfless charity.
Moving forward, there is no harm in being blunt, Irish hospitals are there to treat people and act on the basis of what is factual and not what is of a religious opinion. Ireland has nearly severed the chord of the monster of the catholic church, it needs to take a hammer and smash the head in to ensure its brain dead (although judging by church actions this has already been done). Reilly should remove funding from any hospital or establishment that refuses to treat people based on religious ethos or religious opinion, religious ideals are a personal opinion, not something to be inflicted on the sick and dying. Legislation should be robust to charge those that do not comply with the law and jail time for those who refuse to treat on the basis of religious superstition....
http://corkindependent.com/20130808/...at-S70357.html
Admitted under her gynaecologist in a very well regarded religious-ethos hospital, she was in a serious condition and needed an emergency termination. A member of medical staff pulled the husband aside and advised him, in an undertone, to seek a transfer to another hospital in another part of the country, immediately, because he could not guarantee that she’d be given the lifesaving treatment she needed in this hospital, because of its religious ethos. She was transferred to a hospital three hours away by ambulance, and, after being treated as required, made a full recovery.
http://www.broadsheet.ie/2013/08/07/...really-maters/
(Quote via Irish Times)
“The Mater can’t carry out abortions because it goes against its ethos. I would be very concerned that the Minister [for Health, James Reilly] sees fit to make it impossible for hospitals to have their own ethos.”
They objected because female patients who get could get pregnant would have to take contraceptives under the treatment.
The subcommittee of the board – including Fr Kevin Doran – were delegated the task of examining the conditions attached to testing the drug.
1951 and the Fine Gael lead government collapsed as Dr Noel Browne attempted to pass a bill allowing free maternity care much to the chargrin of John Charles Mc Quaid who subsequently kicked up a storm on the issue. Mc Quaids stance was that firstly the government could not interfere with how a family raised its children and secondly the bill would then lead to the legalisation of contraception and abortion, two positions vehemently opposed by a church who at the time were widely abusing children. Religious influence has since sought to fight against the X Case, euthanasia and stem cell research amongst numerous other topics. The churches position on maternal care is ironic given that some Catholic hospitals supported symphysiotomies until relatively recent years.
The church fought tooth and nail to establish an influence in medical schools over the course of the 20th century (http://www.medicalindependent.ie/142...tough_medicine) seeing a Protestant influence as being contrary to the wishes of the population and being a danger to their position as top dog in society threatening their stranglehold on Ireland.
The Catholic Church’s increasing influence on the administration of hospital care lasted well into the 20th Century and during the 1930s, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin Edward Byrne, demonstrated the extent of the Church’s power.
When he discovered that there were plans to merge Harcourt Street Hospital, which was under Protestant management, with St Ultan’s, a multi-denominational hospital for infants under one year, established by GP and political activist Kathleen Lynn in 1919, he “saw red”, according to Dr Margaret O’hOgartaigh, author of Kathleen Lynn: Irishwoman, Patriot, Doctor.
“He was convinced that they were up to something because they were not, for the most part, Catholic and he wanted a Catholic hospital,” she told MI.
The Archbishop informed John Charles McQuaid, who, at that time, was President of Blackrock College but would go on to become his successor, and together they led a campaign to sabotage the merger, paving the way for the establishment of a Catholic-run children’s hospital in Crumlin.
“They said that you couldn’t trust Dr Lynn, and that they [doctors in St Ultan’s] were in communication with doctors in Germany. They accused them of sterilisation, that kind of nonsense,” according to Dr O’hOgartaigh.
“And they also had powerful friends in the government, including people like Sean T O’Ceallaigh, who was Minister for Local Government and Public Health. In the 1930s and early 1940s it was one department and he was basically an ecclesiastical minister. He wanted Catholics in the top jobs and it was about getting your own people in to crucial places. So they got at people and it worked.”
When he discovered that there were plans to merge Harcourt Street Hospital, which was under Protestant management, with St Ultan’s, a multi-denominational hospital for infants under one year, established by GP and political activist Kathleen Lynn in 1919, he “saw red”, according to Dr Margaret O’hOgartaigh, author of Kathleen Lynn: Irishwoman, Patriot, Doctor.
“He was convinced that they were up to something because they were not, for the most part, Catholic and he wanted a Catholic hospital,” she told MI.
The Archbishop informed John Charles McQuaid, who, at that time, was President of Blackrock College but would go on to become his successor, and together they led a campaign to sabotage the merger, paving the way for the establishment of a Catholic-run children’s hospital in Crumlin.
“They said that you couldn’t trust Dr Lynn, and that they [doctors in St Ultan’s] were in communication with doctors in Germany. They accused them of sterilisation, that kind of nonsense,” according to Dr O’hOgartaigh.
“And they also had powerful friends in the government, including people like Sean T O’Ceallaigh, who was Minister for Local Government and Public Health. In the 1930s and early 1940s it was one department and he was basically an ecclesiastical minister. He wanted Catholics in the top jobs and it was about getting your own people in to crucial places. So they got at people and it worked.”
Gay Doctors Ireland are looking for a repeal of a section of the Employment Equality Act which allowed religious emmployers to discriminate legally (http://www.imt.ie/news/latest-news/2...ck-repeal.html) . it is expected that this will be repealed in the next while.
Information on the ethos of other hospitals is quite scant but the following article from the Indo offers some fair opinionhttp://www.independent.ie/opinion/an...-26250526.html
Moving forward, there is no harm in being blunt, Irish hospitals are there to treat people and act on the basis of what is factual and not what is of a religious opinion. Ireland has nearly severed the chord of the monster of the catholic church, it needs to take a hammer and smash the head in to ensure its brain dead (although judging by church actions this has already been done). Reilly should remove funding from any hospital or establishment that refuses to treat people based on religious ethos or religious opinion, religious ideals are a personal opinion, not something to be inflicted on the sick and dying. Legislation should be robust to charge those that do not comply with the law and jail time for those who refuse to treat on the basis of religious superstition....
John Lennon and the IRA...
Lennons links with the IRA were confirmed by Gerry O Hare, press officer with the 'Belfast Brigade' (Provos). O Hare was sent by the IRA high command to New York to engage in a speaking tour and through contacts managed to meet up with Lennon. Lennon bear in mind was very sympathetic to the cause having had Irish parents and seen the aftermath of the Bloody Sunday murders . O Hare got the impression that Lennon though was confused by the cause not fully understanding what the conflict was about or why there was murders taking place. Lennons symapthy were epoused most clearly in his music having released songs such as 'Sunday Bloody Sunday' and 'Luck of the Irish'. David Shayler the former MI5 agent alleges that the MI5 kept files on Lennon as did the FBI because of his symapthies with the IRA. Sources inside the Workers Revolution Party allege that perhaps Lennon gave money to the IRA,a move which is revealed to be true could be said to be unsurprising.
Lennon was by nature a pacifist but perhaps the words from the last blog below give a fair idea of what he was thinking...
But, I think that this story really says something for our times. Pacifism is a wonderful philosophy but a simplistic one, and in practice, sometimes things necessarily get far messier than that. As Lennon's thoughts demonstrate, sometimes sticking up for the underdog involves sticking your neck out.
Read more: http://m.digitaljournal.com/article/...#ixzz2bxMe1Tqy
http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2006/d...land.musicnews
http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2000/f...d.martinbright
http://www.independent.ie/world-news...-26125005.html
http://m.digitaljournal.com/article/...ir=0&noredir=1
Elitism in Irish sport...
Snobbery still prevails in some areas of Irish sport and cliques still exist , kinda like a gentlemans club or a 'No Homer Club' if you watch the Simpsons. Rugby has always been the home of the elite within the upper strata of Dublin society. Posh schools and D4 heads have always held rugby as their preserve . At weekends Fiachra and Sorcha hope on the 'Dort' to attend the 'Leinster' games and afterwards have their few pints of 'Heino'. GAA clubs have become a haven of cliqueness with those in country using it as an opportunity to network but also a little fifedome. Some tales from the net
http://www.hoganstand.com/forum/Mess...?TopicID=36381
http://www.wexfordsupporters.com/boa...=1eebaa59bc563..
http://www.gaelport.com/nuacht?NewsItemID=6367
While the cliques are not as bad as I have made out, it still is an issue. Football on the other hand is representative of all classes and especially the working class. Friday night League of Ireland football attracts all sort of people from all sorts of demographics. Children of all nationalities can be seen and the same applies to clubs like Celtic etc.
http://www.hoganstand.com/forum/Mess...?TopicID=36381
http://www.wexfordsupporters.com/boa...=1eebaa59bc563..
http://www.gaelport.com/nuacht?NewsItemID=6367
While the cliques are not as bad as I have made out, it still is an issue. Football on the other hand is representative of all classes and especially the working class. Friday night League of Ireland football attracts all sort of people from all sorts of demographics. Children of all nationalities can be seen and the same applies to clubs like Celtic etc.
Wednesday, 14 August 2013
Youth Defence and the Far Right
Was going to prepare a long thread on this but thankfully some other sources do it for me. Enter into the fray two notable names from the far right scene - Justin Barrett and Michael Quinn, both Irish nationalists and both leaning to the far right. Look Left contains a copy of the Magill article which exposed Justin Barrett
http://www.lookleftonline.org/2012/12/sinster-shadows/
Barrett would go on to claim that his poor language skills meant that he was unaware of what was being said. Barrett had attended a meeting of 'Nationaldemokratische Partei Deutschlands', a party that has deep roots in fascism. Poor Barrett inadvertently Im sure ended up at a meeting of Forza Nuova another far right Italian party. His language skills must have needed a lot of brushing up !
In the article a noted historian
NPD youth member is quoted as saying
Michael Quinn needs no further introduction having been covered extensively in the pages of PW and a great thread here by SgD which goes into a lot of detail on Quinn and his splits from other far right parties he had started
http://www.politicalworld.org/showth...otherhood-quot
How far is Quinns and Barrets involvement in YD?
In 2000, the Irish Indo reports that six members of YD had convictions overturned for obstructing gardai and breaching the peace under the Public Order Act. The convictions were over turned successfully but again the two names crop up...
http://www.independent.ie/irish-news...-26113478.html
Maurice Colgan, Justin Barrett, Christopher Palin, Ciara Ni Aodain, Esme Caulfield and Michael Quinn had appealed against convictions and sentences ranging from fines to orders to carry out community work.
http://www.wsm.ie/c/pro-life-mass-mu...ascist-belfast
Michael Quinn has attended marches in recent years
Financial support for YD has been a bit of a mystery for years and for those of us with an interest in it, it may be far easier to ascertain as to who killed JFK rather than find any info on their financing. Some info has been covered here: http://geoffsshorts.blogspot.ie/2012...oney-shot.html . One name that stands out from the crowd is that of Scott Schittl , now president of Life House Ireland who are described as :
American, tax-exempt organization... [whose] purpose is to help make sure Ireland remains pro-life and abortion-free – and make it easier for Americans to support Ireland's pro-life success story."
Schittl wrote an article on abortion for none other than - the Ancient Order of Hibernia.
http://www.nyaoh.com/2012/06/06/irish-for-life/
AOH would make not very strange bedfellows when you look at their history. Schittl was successful in getting a donation:
Ancident Order of Hibernians are of course against letting "dem gays" march in the Paddys Day parade
http://www.mamanpoulet.com/another-identity-altogether/
.....
http://www.lookleftonline.org/2012/12/sinster-shadows/
Near the front of the hall, Justin Barrett, the diminutive Longford-based representative of the Youth Defence organisation, took his seat among the 30 or so “honoured guests”. Included in their number, according to the official NPD newspaper, were some of the leading lights of the extreme far- right in Europe ‹ neo-fascist icon Florentine Rost van Tonningen from the Netherlands, Udo Voigt, leader of the NPD, and Derek Holland of the International Third Position, listed as the second delegate representing Ireland.
In the article a noted historian
According to historian Brian Hanley, Youth Defence can be placed in the context of right-wing movements on the fringes of Irish nationalism that have been evident for generations.
“There is a militant Catholic activist tradition stretching back to the 1920s,” he says. “Groups such as An Rioghacht (Catholic Action) and Maria Duce, which was particularly active in the 1950s, combined a fundamentalist approach to Catholic social teaching with often-violent street activity. In the 1930s they were particularly influenced by Salazar’s Portugal and fascist Italy. Later, Franco’s Spain was a source of inspiration.”
“There is a militant Catholic activist tradition stretching back to the 1920s,” he says. “Groups such as An Rioghacht (Catholic Action) and Maria Duce, which was particularly active in the 1950s, combined a fundamentalist approach to Catholic social teaching with often-violent street activity. In the 1930s they were particularly influenced by Salazar’s Portugal and fascist Italy. Later, Franco’s Spain was a source of inspiration.”
Sascha Rossmuller, leader of the NPD’s youth wing, told the same newspaper that he considered Youth Defence “an important part of our international network.”
http://www.politicalworld.org/showth...otherhood-quot
How far is Quinns and Barrets involvement in YD?
In 2000, the Irish Indo reports that six members of YD had convictions overturned for obstructing gardai and breaching the peace under the Public Order Act. The convictions were over turned successfully but again the two names crop up...
http://www.independent.ie/irish-news...-26113478.html
Michael Quinn has attended marches in recent years
There was also controversy over Quinn's presence on last years anti-choice march in Dublin - in short there is no excuse for claiming not to know who and what he is. Quinn is certainly a nut, but after the Breivik massacre in which 76 people were killed, many of them teenagers, nuts cannot be simply dismissed as harmless. The fact that Quinn was not only tolerated but protected by stewards exposes the lie that is the entire 'Pro-Life' label. Those on the pro-choice counter rally were chanting "Pro Life, that's a lie, they don't care of women die" as the march passed. The continued toleration and protection of Quinn reveal that the fundamental truth of that slogan is much deeper than many of those chanting it probably realized. (Watch a copy of Quinn's post massacre youtube video)
http://www.nyaoh.com/2012/06/06/irish-for-life/
AOH would make not very strange bedfellows when you look at their history. Schittl was successful in getting a donation:
So far, we have visited many AOH Divisions and Boards – where the men have shown great interest and support as demonstrated in the attached photo from Summit County St. Brendan’s Division 3. Following our presentation, the brothers of St. Brendan’s unanimously approved a $500 donation plus committed all their 50/50 proceeds from their St. Patrick’s day celebrations. We would like to visit as many more as possible, and are eager to travel to visit you.
http://www.mamanpoulet.com/another-identity-altogether/
.....
Prosecute Creditors for victims of suicide...
Research has shown that in both Ireland and Greece at present have a spike in suicide because of the current financial climate. Households where the financial burden is immense are under pressure and in particular where some breadwinners are male, this is attributable to the high rate of men amongst the victims of suicide. In terms of suicides per head of population, Greece has a population that is higher than that of Ireland yet the rate of suicide is a lot less (then again reporting of suicide may be low in Greece).
Finfacts points out as follows
Ireland when the demographics are taken into account, has a particular huge issue in and around Limerick. The national average is in and around approx 11 per 100,000 but in Limerick this is about 26 per 100,000, very much above what is par for the norm nationally and a trend that should worry us if it were to continue.
Which brings me roundedly to my point. India has a law where creditors who chase people for money or apply pressure and the victim commits suicide can be criminally held responsible for suicide of the victim. Its vicarious liablility in a way. Such similar laws exist currently in UK and to a certain degree here with employers have responsibility with employees. In India the BBC reports
Would such a law work here? Pay day loan companies, banks and other sharks would without any shread of doubt lobby against such actions. There is an onus to prove that the companies would have pushed victims over the edge but that may be possible. Would such a law work here do people think?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-23140888
http://www.irishtimes.com/news/socia...ture-1.1413894
http://www.finfacts.ie/irishfinancen..._1022697.shtml
Finfacts points out as follows
In the period 2007-09, the countries facing the most severe financial reversals of fortune, such as Greece and Ireland, had greater rises in suicides (17% to 391 and 13% to 527, respectively) than did the other countries, and in Latvia suicides increased by more than 17% between 2007 and 2008.
Which brings me roundedly to my point. India has a law where creditors who chase people for money or apply pressure and the victim commits suicide can be criminally held responsible for suicide of the victim. Its vicarious liablility in a way. Such similar laws exist currently in UK and to a certain degree here with employers have responsibility with employees. In India the BBC reports
In May, Sudipta Sen, a businessman who allegedly defrauded thousands of depositors in the eastern state of West Bengal, was charged with abetting the suicide of a "depressed" investor
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-23140888
http://www.irishtimes.com/news/socia...ture-1.1413894
http://www.finfacts.ie/irishfinancen..._1022697.shtml
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