Second impeachment will strengthen Trump

NULL

The House of Representatives put forward an article of impeachment against Donald Trump and 10 Republicans crossed the floor to impeach the president. A bare majority sufficed. The constitution of the United States provides that the Senate conducts a trial “on oath or affirmation” and a two-thirds majority is required to convict him. Achieving such […]

Church, State and society all owe redress over homes

NULL

A somewhat fractious debate has emerged on whether responsibility, legal or moral, for the awful neglect and ill-treatment of Ireland’s unmarried mothers and their children lies with the State, the churches, or with society at large. It is a combination of all three. A duty of acknowledgment of responsibility and of redress lies with all […]

Ireland appears to have a last-minute approach to mass vaccination

NULL

It is relatively straightforward to make a statutory instrument under the Health Act 1947 imposing, in varying degrees, local, regional or national lockdowns.  By the stroke of a ministerial pen, an economic sector can be closed down, severely restricted, or permitted to trade as normal.    The term “NPHET” means National Public Health Emergency Team.  It […]

New housing process will allow ugly and dysfunctional development

NULL

The Government has fixed a target for the building of 25,000 homes for 2021. On top of an output of 18,000 for 2020, a year of pandemic crisis, this new target is good news – and it will be even better if it is reached or exceeded. Massive progress on homebuilding is a political imperative. […]

Is democracy in the US still sound and resilient?

NULL

For nearly five years now I have been writing about Donald Trump, as candidate and as President. From the very beginning of his bid for the presidency, I was filled with fear and foreboding. There was something about him that seemed to threaten the very foundations of democracy in America and wherever it exists across […]

Canada trade deal shows Government’s breathtaking arrogance

NULL

The delay negotiated between Eamon Ryan and his fellow coalition leaders for Dáil consideration of the Canada-Europe Trade Agreement (CETA) raises a number of issues.  It raises questions about internal communication within the Green Party TDs. It raises questions about the utterly cavalier approach of the present government to Oireachtas scrutiny.  It raises questions as […]