Ireland
Secession is a strange, sibilant, lisping sort of a word. Not easy to say after a few schooners. But you can expect to hear more of it in the months ahead. Belgium, Spain, the United Kingdom – perhaps even Australia – are all, to varying degrees, embroiled in the process of national divorce.
Secession is the act of exiting or withdrawing from a political union – in this case a State. When a region seeks to secede from a wider union it does more than simply threaten the geographic integrity of a nation; it undermines the legitimacy of the existing constitutional structures; and as a result it casts doubt on the State’s authority.
Australia is not immune from the secessionist virus, as this headline in The West Australian shows: WA’s a big economy on its own. The article went on to note that an independent WA would be the world’s third richest country in terms of GDP per capita; it would soon over take Portugal and Ireland.
Continue reading "Hey WA - don’t be seduced by successful secessions" »
It’s heartening to see Australian politicians taking a stand around Catholic clergy abuse, but the calls to action this week by Senator Nick Xenophon and Victorian MP Anne Barker don’t quite go far enough.
We now need a Federal Government led, transparent national inquiry and mandatory reporting of all crimes revealed within the Church environment.
The Cloyne report, an independent state report released in Ireland into Catholic clergy abuse last week is the fourth inquiry in six years. All of the reports have been damning, chronicling the repeated failure of the Church to protect children, bring the guilty to justice and make the welfare of victims paramount.
Continue reading "Child abuse in churches is not yet history" »
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Anne Stocks says:
So what does God say about Child abuse again…. does He care for the sufferings of His little ones who’s innocence has been stolen from them, whose souls and minds are polluted by the promptings of the perverted and carnal nature of man ( women ) who are being controlled… Read more »
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Lawrie says:
Statistics say one in three girls are sexually molested . In boys its one in six . In Catholic run Institutions namely Orphanages etc. its one in two who are affected as victims or where witnessed by other children .You can’t argue against , that the Catholic Church has had… Read more »
Smoking inside will be banned in enclosed public spaces in China as of May 1 this year.
So that leaves at least 300 million people just five weeks to break the habit of a lifetime.
Given that China is the world’s largest producer of cigarettes and that one in three smokers worldwide are Chinese, this is a social undertaking of epic proportions.
Continue reading "Why China’s May 1 smoking ban won’t work" »
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PerscuraCarry says:
http://votsoft.net/templates/routip/images/logo.jpg ????????? ???????: ??????? ? – ????????? / I Am Number Four (2011) DVDRip » ??????? ??????? ???????a / Perkins’ 14 (2009) DVDRip » ??????? ????????? (2011) DVDRip » ??????? uTorrent 2.2.1 Build 25113 » ??????? Mozilla Firefox 3.6.16 Final + 3.5.18 Final » ??????? SlimDrivers 2.0.4103 Build 496 +… Read more »
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True Believer says:
@ZSRenn Now that is the pot calling the kettle black my friend. Do some research and learn. Read more »
Smoking was banned in all outdoor areas in the Republic of Ireland on this day in 2004.
It’s Tuesday at The Punch. What’s on your mind? Share it here.
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http://2promomodels.com/agents/kareneminj/activity says:
I keep listening to the news update talk about receiving free online grant applications so I have been looking around for the best site to get one. Could you advise me please, where could i find some? Read more »
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Oranges says:
@ Adam Diver - I’ll do it. a) benefits of smoking b) benefits for passive smokers For those of you who believe there is NOTHING good about nicotine: In 2008 this paper was produced in America and concludes that nicotine and hence active smoking and passive smoking leads to less… Read more »
This is the best thing we’ve seen in a while. Extreme language warning, not even close to safe for work. Enjoy.
Let’s sack the economists and put this bloke in charge.
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cpatex says:
FVd1XN gkylasuhibjd, lmswakprzvdh, [link=http://zhxpjymopqyy.com/]zhxpjymopqyy[/link], http://zylyuhdxnhyo.com/ Read more »
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Ollie says:
He says it all, and there is no need for a taxpayer funded “study”. Read more »
Eamon de Valera the Irish politician and a leader in the country’s struggle for independence was born in New York on this day in 1882.
And it’s Thursday, so what’s on your mind? Share it here.
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The Badger says:
Amy I never said I wasn’t a man. sorry Read more »
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Amy says:
What makes me think you’re a man? Thanks to my childhood, when i hear “Badger” I immediately think of Wind in the Willows…. Sorry. Read more »
Meet Jackie Healy Rae. If Irish politics has a Bob Katter, it’s him. Like the member for Kennedy, he’s a rural independent and disaffected former member of an established party, who trades on his commitment to fighting for the peculiar concerns of his local constituents.
The parallels between Katter now and Healy Rae when he was first elected are as striking as their respective signature hats. The 1997 Irish general election produced a hung parliament in which the conservative coalition fell just short of a majority. Healy Rae was one of three independents who agreed to put old enmities aside and support the government in parliament. In return he extracted concessions for his constituents.
On the surface it’s all standard horse-trading, but there’s a murkier side that would be unwelcome in the Australian context. It has never been precisely clear what Healy Rae was promised in return for his support. And since 2007 Healy Rae has been propping up his old party again, under a deal which he openly says is none of the public’s business, thank you very much.
Continue reading "Heard the one about the Irish MP who promised stability?" »
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Dan says:
How would it save us? It won’t stop a hung parliament from occuring. Read more »
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hfur says:
Why would you presume that. Will you change the vote you cast last Saturday in a month’s time. I won’t. Why wouldn’t we expect to get the same result? Read more »
Welcome to Monday @ The Punch
Today in 2004 The Republic of Ireland became the first country in the world to ban smoking in workplaces.
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stephen says:
Do you two smoke before or after ? Read more »
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Mr Pastry says:
T.Chong. Apologies for not including your good self as a commenter of note, I enjoy your work even when I don’t agree. Mrs Pastry is shocked you think her name is a joke. Read more »
Ever tried to apologise to someone and been rebufffed?
Pope Benedict experienced just that on the weekend when he made an apology to Irish people who were sexually abused by Catholic priests.
His apology came in the wake of last November’s government report, The Murphy Report, which found the Irish clergy “obsessively” concealed child abuse by priests in Dublin from 1975 - 2004 and operated under a policy of ” don’t ask, don’t tell.”
Continue reading "Pope’s apology won’t be enough for change" »
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www.thepunch.com.au says:
Pope apology wont be enough for change.. Very nice Read more »
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hmmm says:
My good, someone on this blog has been studying critical thinking! Read more »
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