equality

Conventional wisdom: What everybody knows

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Tuesday, John Murray held a phone-in to find a listener with the lowest bass singing voice in Ireland. As a throwaway remark, voice coach Paul Moussoulides said research showed listeners of both sexes preferred male voices on the radio. What research? WomenOnAir founder Margaret E Ward spent some time looking for this frequently cited research.… Continue reading Conventional wisdom: What everybody knows

Just Say No

‘All citizens shall, as human persons, be held equal before the law’, our constitution grandly proclaims. Those words are clear cut. Among other things, I take them to mean that everyone should be pay their taxes, with no distinction in how citizens are treated. Which leads me to the conclusion, judges should pay their taxes.… Continue reading Just Say No

Fixing the Bunreacht

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

Heresy

Am I the only one thinking it? That can’t be the case. Then it must be that I’m the only one willing to say it out loud. This year, the government estimates it will collect around six billion euro in corporation tax, give or take a million. Next year, even with credit crunches and recessions… Continue reading Heresy

Eileen Flynn died last week. Eileen Flynn came to public notice during the early eighties. Eileen was a teacher in a convent school. She lived with Richie Roche, a separated man. Divorce was illegal, Eileen and Richie couldn’t married. Shortly after Eileen had a child, she was fired by the nuns running the school where… Continue reading Equality