Jul 26
If you haven’t read Carl Sagan’s ‘Contact’, and dislike spoilers, stop reading now. ‘Contact’ is an epic novel about SETI and first contact, and Sagan uses the theme to explore intersections between science and religion. Evidence of alien intelligence causes all sorts of confusion for religions, with some arguing for ignorance to preserve faith, while …
Jul 24
All Ms O’Sullivan knew was the name of the witness. She had no idea what the witness statement contained, and so no idea if what the witness might say in evidence was relevant to her client. So could she please hear the evidence? Just in case something had to be challenged to defend her client’s …
Jul 16
So it turns out, Tom Connolly didn’t have the name of a new Garda mole. His announcement of “unease” in Dundalk Garda station came as a surprise to the Smithwick tribunal. Fair play demands that everyone has the chance to confront an accuser, so the tribunal didn’t purse the question at the time. They later …
Jul 12
Last week, in response to the proposed referendum on pay cuts for judges, the courts.ie website uploaded a PDF with the not-very-inspiring title “Memorandum on the proposed referendum on article 35.5 of the constitution”. I’ve already written what I think about the rows over judges’ salaries here and here, but this post is prompted by …
Jul 08
I’ve never had much time for the UK’s Press Complaints Commission. Like its Irish counterpart, the Press Council of Ireland, there are too many industry faces on the board, and industry voices were far too keen to set it up. Self-regulation doesn’t work anywhere else, so why should the press be any different? About the …
Jul 01
Sometimes, it’s the questions they don’t ask. Retired superintendent Tom Connolly told the Smithwick tribunal today about his time in Dundalk, and the day two RUC officers where killed in an IRA ambush returning from the station where he worked. Days later, press reports suggested a Garda “mole” fed information to the IRA. Tribunal barrister …
