Watching Lord Hutton read the summary of his report last week, I couldn’t help but groan. I make no apology for saying that I was one of many who had hoped that the report into the death of weapons inspector David Kelly would bring about Blair’s downfall. But, as the law lord droned on and on last Wednesday, it became clearer and clearer that the British Prime Minister would live to fight another day. The report exonerated Blair and lambasted the BBC to an extent which no-one had expected. The r...
Schools in Ireland have always been used to enforce religious belief. For far too long teachers and administrators have been concerned to turn out “good Catholics” or “good Protestants” to the detriment of children’s education. Religion is a private matter. If parents wish to teach their children about their faith they are free to do so. Teaching religion at school is not only a waste of time and money, it is also an insidious way to impose the majority religion on those who don’t share it.
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The memory's not what it used to be but here are some of the excuses that Blair/Bush have come up with to explain their inability to find WMD in Iraq: > Saddam destroyed them just before the war (the fiend). > He moved them to Syria (the cheat). > Iraqi generals destroyed the WMD but were too scared to tell Saddam (the cowards). > Iraqi POWs won't tell us where they are (the spoilsports). > Iraq's a big country you know. None of these spins has held any more water than a particularly ...
Let me start by saying that this will not be a puritan rant from some fully-paid up total abstainer, nor an invitation to join the wonderful world of sobriety. I like alcohol. I have done for years. Nothing quite relaxes me like a nice gin and tonic. I’ve found nothing invigorates a conversation more than a few pints. Furthermore, I must confess that on many occasions, as recently as last Friday night, I have been somewhat the worse for drink. In short, I’m no tee-totalitarian . Nevertheless...
Around this time last year the United Nations was very much in vogue. So long ignored and sidelined, the UN was, for a brief period at least, at the centre of global politics as the Security Council debated the pros and cons of war with Iraq. The anti-war lobby argued that UN support for any conflict was essential and, since this was not forthcoming, war was illegitimate. The pro-war camp said it already had UN backing. When it became clear that this was untrue they argued that they had never ne...
If you were to ask someone in the street what democracy means to them, you’d probably get an answer along the lines of rule by the people. The idea that a government must be elected to have legitimacy is strongly ingrained in western culture. In spite of this, voting levels are dropping across the richer parts of the world. Many believe that, no matter who is in power, nothing changes. Those in the middle or top just want to be left alone while people at the bottom have given up hope of ever imp...
Sometimes I want to kick the TV. Last night was one of those times. On a British politics programme last night the great and the good were discussing Sunday’s surprise election of the Socialist Party’s Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero as Spain’s new Prime Minister. The reaction of panellists to this turn of events was largely negative. The historian Timothy Garton-Ash lamented the fact that the Spanish electorate were marching to al-Qaida’s tune. Former Conservative cabinet minister Michael Portil...
Let’s all be humble about this and admit that, at this stage, we don’t know for sure why Madrid was attacked last Thursday. Al-Qaida are yet to enlighten us as to their reasoning. Until they do, we can only speculate. Nevertheless it is possible to draw conclusions about al-Qaida's rationale in general. Al-Qaida has launched attacks against many countries, some Muslim, some Christian, some with pro-war governments, some with anti-war administrations. Their attacks long pre-date the invasio...
When I heard of the bomb attacks in Madrid yesterday morning, there were 30 confirmed deaths. On hearing this news, my immediate reaction was: “ETA”. Thirty killed in one day would be a huge number by the standards of the Basque separatists, a “successful operation” in their own sick minds. When I learned more details of the attacks I realised my immediate assumption may have been mistaken. Thirty, I soon discovered, was not the final death toll but only the preliminary count. The number o...
It’s nearly a year since American tanks began rolling across the Iraq – Kuwait border. The first anniversary of an event is a common juncture to indulge in a little reflection. My intention in writing this blog is both to reflect and to challenge. Specifically, I want to challenge the hawks to defend their war with the benefit of hindsight. Are you proud of your conflict? Do you still think it was right? It’s my belief that the anti-war camp has essentially been vindicated by the course of ...
I was listening to a British radio phone-in about al-Qaida last week. The rhetoric was embarrassingly clichéd. One gung-ho caller likened Bin Laden’s outfit to the Nazis, saying that they wished to destroy civilisation. The only solution, according to this particular hawk, was war to the end. Au contraire, retorted a left-leaning panellist, America with its “concentration camp” in Guantanamo, was the true heir to the Third Reich. Listening to this exchange, I couldn’t help but cringe. Ever...
The phrase “move on” has been very much in vogue in recent weeks. In some instances the term can have a positive connotation, as in to move on after the death of a loved one. In this case it articulates the need to get on with one’s life rather than wallow in the past. However, in the hands of some politicians, the phrase has taken on a negative undertone. When habitual liars like Gerry Adams or Tony Blair urge their opponents to “move on”, you know they’re in trouble. What they’re really sayi...
As we approach the tenth anniversary of the first IRA ceasefire, it’s easy to forget just how much things have changed over the past decade of relative peace. In particular the fortunes of Sinn Fein (SF) have improved dramatically in this period. It is strange to recall that, not so very long ago, the party was extremely isolated and unpopular. Back then, with their stablemates still at “war” (i.e. shooting people in their beds and blowing up high streets), SF was about as popular as George Bu...
Last week I wrote a blog urging American progressives to get behind John Kerry in spite of his right-wing tendencies. Should leftists hold their noses and vote for the unrepentant “new Democrat” from Massachussets in order to beat Dubya, or should they throw in their lot with some valiant no-hoper who better reflects their views? This has been a hotly-debated topic, especially since the great white hope of the anti-war movement started yelling out the states of the union in Iowa last month. ...
I must confess that I’ve always loved elections. I just can’t get enough of democracy in action: rallies, speeches, debates, knocking on doors, arguments, endless, endless arguments. Plonk me down in front of the TV when there’s an election on and I’ll be as happy as a junkie with a big bag of smack. Most of all though, I love Irish single transferable vote (STV) elections. The transfers, the intra-party battles, the tallymen, the recounts – this is political drama at its best. It’s best to be...