We all know about a certain bad-guy from German history. Grinning like a madman ( which he was ) when he saw the opportunity to seize emergency powers. To incense , to inflame, to goad......verb. Reichstag parliament....a metaphor for any attack on the State & its institutions. The enabling act....an undemocratic tyrannical bit of legislation. Making a Macbeth in all but name. Makes the hate-speech laws look like a picnic. The irish chant 'peaceful protest' on our streets... Read more ..read more

We all know about a certain bad-guy from German history. Grinning like a madman ( which he was ) when he saw the opportunity to seize emergency powers. To incense , to inflame, to goad......verb. Reichstag parliament....a metaphor for any attack on the State & its institutions. The enabling act....an undemocratic tyrannical bit of legislation. Making a Macbeth in all but name. Makes the hate-speech laws look like a picnic. Do ff/fg plan to go gently into that good night ... Read more ..read more

Interesting summary of Iran's experience during WW2 by Mark Felton. The Iranian Shah Reza Shah Pahlavi (father of "The Shah") by all accounts Reza was a very progressive fellow and had focused on modernising the country. Iran was a neutral country , but the British and Soviets decided to invade it in 1941 so as to sequester a rail line though the country. In doing so though, the Allies looted Iran's grain and sequestered most of the transport in the country thus throwing the country's... Read more ..read more

Man who intervened during Parnell St attack to run for FF A Deliveroo rider who intervened during an attack on Parnell Street last November will contest the upcoming local elections for Fianna Fáil, the party has confirmed. www.rte.ie ..read more

I was just reading about the standing ovation that met Minister Roderic O’Gorman at the Green Party Ard Fheis (or convention as they label it). And it stuck me as very reminiscent of the batshit time spent under President Trump. Now hear me out before ye jump. Trump was a liar, a compulsive liar. The fear is the precedent it sets when government's lie to the People and are not held to account. Yes, an election holds them to account. But is it enough to protect the People and democracy... Read more ..read more

Hugh O’Donnell, commonly known as Red Hugh, was one of the notable figures of Ireland of the 16th century. O’Donnell, in collaboration with his father in law Hugh O’Neill, fought against english rule in the Nine Years War 1594-1603. Whilst O’Neill was the leading figure in this war O’Donnell played an important part in the establishment of the coalition of clans. Rather than being an act of rebellion by one two chieftains this war is notable in that it saw the creation and maintenance of an... Read more ..read more

Despite all the new evidence uncovered in recent years and the findings of experts employed by the victims families, that question the original verdict of Probable Arson rendered after the Tribunal of Enquiry set up to investigate the causes of the Stardust fire in Artane, is there a chance that when Brian Cowan takes office he will agree to a new inquiry? It has been common knowledge, to interested parties, that Bertie Ahern has done everything in his power to halt any such proceedings... Read more ..read more

Child agency new start after years of failure: Kenny | Irish Examiner I have been increasingly concenred about the trend towards towards state intenvetion in family life over the past decade in Ireland. There seems to be an increasing demand for internvetion aledegely in (to use the cliche) "the best interests of the child". The new chief of the agency Gordon Jeyes said...... Its chief executive officer, Gordon Jeyes, said it would be a “ferocious corporate parent” providing... Click to expand... Read more ..read more

I read with interest Neil McCarthy's assertion in a News Letter article that, 'A unionism fragmented into mere political parties would be a very weakened force' (‘It would be tragic for unionism and for NI if the DUP was to split,’ April 4). Of course it is, but surely it would be better to define just what we mean by the term 'unionism'. The founding fathers of unionism like Carson and Craig stood for a unionism of equal citizenship with the rest of the UK. While the... Read more ..read more

Unlawful killing verdicts returned at Stardust inquests Follow developments live as they happen as the jury in the Stardust inquests returns their verdicts. www.rte.ie what now?....Closure or re opening the whole thing up again ..read more