There’s a constitutional amendment scheduled for October, to change our minds about the Lisbon treaty. This is an ideal opportunity for Dermot Ahern. He feels he must make blasphemy a crime, otherwise the people will go through the ‘costly and unwarranted diversion‘ of a referendum. But now he has an ideal chance to tack on… Continue reading Fixing the Bunreacht
Tag: Bunreacht na hÉireann
Learning How The System Works
I had an interesting conversation with some (mostly Fianna Fáil, some Labour) local activists at the Kildare County Council election count yesterday. We started with the BNP results in the UK, and I mentioned that it seemed to be due to Labour voters staying at home. Apparently the BNP vote is actually down, but Labour… Continue reading Learning How The System Works
Last Past the Post
At a recent Meet the Bloggers event, John Gormley spoke about a plan to reduce the influence of clientelism in Irish politics. The Greens want a hybrid combining the single transferable vote with a list system, so that 150 or so TDs are directly elected, with the balance of seats going on a party basis… Continue reading Last Past the Post
Taking At Face Value
I emailed Joe Duffy today. Well, I emailed the show. Joe is off sick, Damien Reilly has been keeping the seat warm. Mick Nugent was on, representing something called Atheists Ireland. (by the way, who elected Mick to speak on behalf of all the atheists in Ireland?) Anyway, Mick was speaking about blasphemous libel, so… Continue reading Taking At Face Value
In The Name Of The Father
Dermot Ahern is going to make cussing a crime. The minister proposes to insert a new section into the Defamation Bill, creating an criminal offence if anyone ‘publishes or utters blasphemous matter’, leading to a large fine. ‘Blasphemy is anything ‘grossly abusive or insulting in relation to matters held sacred by any religion, thereby causing… Continue reading In The Name Of The Father
Holy Law
A group of Dáil backbenchers have quietly declared war on God. The joint committee on the Constitution yesterday published a report on freedom of expression and blasphemy. Bunreacht na hÉireann allows the Oireachtas to punish the publishers of ‘blasphemous, seditious or indecent matters’. However, a Defamation bill making its way into law abolishes the offence… Continue reading Holy Law
O Tempora O Mores
Times change. On Sunday, the Pope announced that the next Eucharistic Congress, planned for 2012, would take place in Ireland. The last time the congress came to Dublin, in 1932, the event was a showcase for the newly independent Catholic state. A reputed one in four of the population travelled to the capital on pilgrimage… Continue reading O Tempora O Mores