Sometimes I feed the trolls
Blasphemers of the world, unite
John Waters is/is not a professional contrarian who does/does not believe that blasphemy should/should not be removed from the Irish constitution: Here is John arguing/not arguing the point back in 2009: The right to give expression to the religious concept of reality itself depends on the right to freedom of expression. If we move... Continue Reading →
A photo essay from Tuam, and its silent vigil for #TuamBabies: When words are not enough
You may have read that the Pope was in Ireland. He's just left. According to our bizarre national media, all went totally smoothly. This is despite the fact that attendances at the various Pope shindigs were pretty feeble, bringing to mind those that turned out for the inauguration of one President D. Trump over in... Continue Reading →
So I went to the Tuam Babies meeting to have my say, and then I realised I shouldn’t have one
I guess most of you already know the background to this. (For those unfamiliar with this story, be assured of its international significance. Check out, for example, this New York Times feature. Or this BBC Podcast. Or just go read Wikipedia.) I'm from Tuam. This whole issue disturbs me on several levels. And the prospect... Continue Reading →
I want to propose a new “Moral Panic Disorder” diagnosis to deal with all this hysteria about gaming and screen time
It is really getting pretty out of hand. Epidemic proportions, I'd say. Pete Etchells sets out the debate on so-called "Gaming disorder" in this thread on Twitter. It's well worth reading in full and in detail: https://twitter.com/PeteEtchells/status/1009407027813199872 Essentially, the current obsession concerns the proposal to issue ICD guidelines for "video gaming disorder" to be diagnosed... Continue Reading →
Peruvians seem to have a BIG appetite for football
Peru play Denmark today in the big sporty cup. And here is the man who took the Robert de Niro approach to getting his travel plans in order: A man who was identified as Miguel F, a 24-year-old from Lima, didn’t manage to get a ticket before they all sold out and decided to take... Continue Reading →
In two minutes, these (British) Gogglebox viewers produced a more cogent analysis of the Irish referendum result than the entire mainstream Irish media have managed in seven days
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fdW4e-p7XA;&rel=0 https://twitter.com/tvcritics/status/1002672832357203968 Every single talking point is spot on. Not just accurate, but highly relevant too. I know it's edited, but come on -- these folks are just sitting around watching TV! In a foreign country! (Kudos to @tvcritics for posting this video on Twitter.)
Those oh-so-convincing anti-repeal arguments re-capped (Greatest Hits version)
In the Irish abortion referendum, the 'No' side -- those campaigning against the repeal of Ireland's archaic Constitutional abortion ban -- certainly had their work cut out. The way the Constitution was worded meant they had to persuade the Irish electorate to defend all of the following: (a) forcing raped pubescent teens to carry unwanted pregnancies to term;... Continue Reading →
It’s official: Ireland’s abortion ban repealed by popular vote
For: 1,429,981 (66.4%) Against: 723,632 (33.6%) Ireland votes 'YES'. Careful, logical, critical contributions carried the day, outweighing the fake news, grim posters, emotional manipulation, attempts at foreign influence, church persuasion, alt-right hectoring, and brain-dead dogmatic pseudo-morality. We focused on the facts and the evidence. We relied on experience and expertise. We decided that each person... Continue Reading →
This. Just this.
From the Guardian's live results coverage: 11:07 Andanappa Yalagi, the father of Savita Halappanavar, who died of sepsis in Galway in 2012 after being denied an abortion during a protracted miscarriage, said he was “very happy today”. Speaking to Harriet Sherwood by phone from his home in Karnataka, in south-west India, Yalagi said: We’ve got justice for... Continue Reading →
Looks like I should have gone to press with my “populist landslide” prediction. Exit poll suggests Ireland has well and truly CRUSHED its abortion ban!
Ha! Polls closed 10 minutes ago. The Irish Times, our paper of record, has conducted an exit poll. Get a load of this baby: WOWZERS! I had told folks to expect a decisive margin, but I had been pegging it at 60:40... Of course this is just an exit poll, but unlike pre-polls, exit... Continue Reading →
Ireland is voting in its abortion referendum and this is on the FRONT PAGE of its leading national newspaper
(From the Irish Times; HT @solo1y) Does this mean that Catholics who vote to repeal Ireland's abortion ban might be forgiven if they turn up to the Popefest in August? Or partially forgiven if they catch it on TV? I think it does. Spread the word. Every vote counts!
Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names are the go-to propaganda tool of unreconstructed fascists
So the White House is now directly referring to the underclass as "animals": WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE VIOLENT ANIMALS OF MS-13 WHAT: The violent animals of MS-13 have committed heinous, violent attacks in communities across America. Too many innocent Americans have fallen victim to the unthinkable violence of MS-13’s animals. At the State... Continue Reading →
If nobody can lie, then truth ceases to exist
This happened last night: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBepD4Mv9zw Host Claire Byrne's opening line revealed what, in retrospect, might kindly be seen as something of a naive ambition: Tonight, everything you need to know about next week's referendum on the Eighth Amendment. Wow, Claire. Everything I need to know? I mean, everything??? Let's just say that this was the... Continue Reading →
This pro-life activist has a foolproof plan to reduce abortion numbers, and it involves only a *little* racism
https://youtu.be/7x_FbIh70ZE;&rel=0It is well known that around 3,500 women travelled from Ireland to Britain to get abortions in 2016, which, from a population of around 4.5 million, is a rather high number.So how does this anti-abortion activist from Ireland's Life Institute play down the numbers? Well, over to her...In 2016, the stats I've studied, 3,500 women... Continue Reading →
This is on tomorrow, in which I talk about diversity and stuff (see how effortlessly I communicate with the lay public)
Psychology Matters. Old pun, new content: Yes, that's me. And other people. Never forget the other people. In fact, in Ireland, tomorrow is a kind of national psychology day. There are #PsychMatters events taking place in cities around the country, including Dublin, Limerick, and Waterford, as well as Galway. The aim is to bring psychology... Continue Reading →
Begging-the-question, conjecture, anecdote, false equivalence, and a non sequitur: those five reasons for raising the Digital Age of Consent
Cormac Ryan has been tweeting about the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland and their letter to the government on the Digital Age of Consent. https://twitter.com/cormac114/status/994153428996718592 Cormac is right. The letter really is absurd. The RCPI Faculty of Paediatrics wants the Digital Age of Consent to be 16 years, but the government want it to... Continue Reading →
Reproductive rights in Ireland will lead to “normalisation of sex slavery”, “euthanasia”, and “the killing of political opponents”, according to local councillor who is not exaggerating at all
Is it libel if the person actually said it? Oh well. This guy has been saying stuff. A whole lot of stuff actually. Today he's been discussing the forthcoming abortion referendum in Ireland: A COUNTY councillor has defended claims that the abolition of the Eighth Amendment will lead to sex slavery becoming “normalised”. Leitrim Independent... Continue Reading →
I will be attempting to “Move psychological science forward” in Nottingham on Wednesday night
But I won't be doing so single-handedly, thank goodness. The kind folks at the British Psychological Society have asked me to be a panellist at their Fringe Event, on the opening night of their Annual Conference. I've got five minutes to pitch my solution to psychology's various problems. Five minutes. That should do it. I... Continue Reading →
John Taylor is definitely NOT a racist ;)
I mean, how could anyone consider this to be racist? Two words making a generalization about a person's race in the context of criticism of that person? No. John Taylor is definitely not a racist. Using the clichéed phrase "Typical x" historically used by racists to dismiss 'lesser' races? No. Definitely not a racist. Here's... Continue Reading →
