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Wednesday 29 March 2023 Dublin: 11°C

Voices

This year
2023
Voices
Analysis: Government supports are welcome but will they improve living standards long-term?
Taking the temperature of the global economy, Economist Victor Duggan asks whether government support offered this week will be adequate.
Voices
Opinion: The Greek model of responding to drug use is worth keeping an eye on
Tony Duffin of Ana Liffey project and his long-time friends, Dr Brian Melaugh and Dr Austin O’Carroll visited Athens to see how drug use is handled there.
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Grace O'Sullivan: Ireland must lead Europe's response to support the people of Palestine
The MEP, writing from the West Bank, calls for movement on the stalled Occupied Territories Bill.
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Opinion: 'Sending Gardaí clubbing will not reduce drug harms, minister'
Dr Cian Ó Concubhair and Dr Ian Marder respond to comments on drug use made in the Dáil this week.
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Donnacha Ó Beacháin: 'Contemporary Russia is not the USSR - it is arguably a greater threat'
DCU Professor of Politics Donnacha Ó Beacháin takes a look at Putin’s state of the nation address.
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Larry Donnelly: One year on, Biden walks a tightrope on Ukraine
Our columnist looks at Joe Biden’s visit to Kyiv this week and his challenges maintaining support for Ukraine at home.
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Local MLA: 'There's a black cloud over Omagh today - one we'd hoped had gone forever'
The SDLP’s Daniel McCrossan says the people of Omagh are shocked that such violence has once again visited them.
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Opinion: Menopause is a workplace issue - it must be addressed as such by employers
According to employment expert Katie Ridge BL, a culture shift regarding menopause is underway, although change is slow.
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Tom Clonan: 'Putin's aggression is going nowhere as this war reaches its first anniversary'
The security analyst says Putin’s back is to the wall and the global community must redouble efforts to bring an end to this war.
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Money Diaries: A private healthcare agency manager on €65K who is expecting her first child
This week, our reader is focused on having her and her husband’s home ready as they prepare to welcome their first child after undergoing fertility treatment.
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Opinion: 'You've never fled from your country - you've gone away, but you weren't forced'
Filmmaker Dennis Harvey writes about what drove him to make a documentary about migration – both his own, and friends from abroad.
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Eyewitness: One man had seen the bodies of his wife, kids and parents brought out of the rubble
There was also a huge shortage of coffins and body bags, writes midwife Aisha Harbalieh from Azaz in northern Syria.
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Opinion: 'I mourn the loss of my younger years when I couldn’t embrace my Traveller identity and culture'
Nora Corcoran of the Galway Traveller Movement and Teresa Lavina explain why Lavina’s new documentary on Irish Traveller culture, Mincéir, is so important.
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Opinion: As Valentine's Day approaches, spot the romanticisation of stalking in popular culture
Members of the Active*Consent team take a look at how popular movies can make behaviours like stalking look ‘romantic’.
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Opinion: Investment in agriculture shouldn't be about the status quo - but on moving away from intensive farming
Dr Emma Howard explains the economics of climate change – like how it’s counterintuitive to heavily subsidise a carbon-intensive product like beef.
Voices
Money Diaries: A 60-year-old currently recovering in a nursing home on disability allowance
Our reader this week is living in a residential facility to aid their recovery from a stroke.
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Analysis: Sinn Féin's mortgage interest relief proposal is a terrible idea
Mortgage interest relief is anti-poor, almost by definition, writes Ciarán Casey.
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Larry Donnelly: If Biden's speech is anything to go by, he wants four more years in office
Our columnist looks at the US President’s State of the Union address and asks, what now?
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Opinion: I'm telling the story of Ann Lovett on screen because it must be told
Director Ciaran Creagh writes about the process of bringing his film about Ann Lovett to the big screen.
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Paul Murphy: Anti-refugee protests a far cry from grassroots 'no to water charges' campaigns
‘You’d have to have your head in the sand not to notice that Ireland’s emerging far-right is playing a crucial role here,’ writes the Dublin TD.
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Opinion: Attorney General's nursing home fees report largely side-steps the actual criticisms
Máiréad Enright of the University of Birmingham examines the Attorney General’s recent report on refunds on illegal nursing home charges.
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Opinion: The Bell - the almost-forgotten Irish literary journal that 'took on the sacred cows'
Phyllis Boumans writes about why the literary journal The Bell was so important to Irish writing.
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Opinion: We as legislators must be brave and make difficult decisions regarding drug laws
Fianna Fáil’s Paul McAuliffe says we cannot consider drug laws without understanding the trauma behind drug use.
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Money Diaries: A 32-year-old admin assistant on €39K living in Dublin
This week, our reader is focusing on saving money in order to travel more with her husband and renovate their home that they bought from her parents last year.
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Recipes: Pastry chef Shane Smith has some seasonal dishes for you to try
If baked cheese and tasty biscuits work for you, you’ve come to the right place.
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Opinion: Enough talk - we need to decriminalise the possession of drugs for personal use
Criminologist Dr Ian Marder proposes a paradigm shift away from criminalising drug use and towards a health-led approach.
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John Gibbons: Shell made record profits as the planet burns - welcome to the toxic oil industry
The environmental campaigner questions how a global fossil fuel giant can record its highest profits ever in the shadow of a climate crisis.
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The Sultans of Ping: 'It was a crazy sight to behold - every gig was exciting'
Paul McDermott traces the musical journey of Cork band The Sultans of Ping.
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Opinion: Music can unlock memories and evoke emotions for people with dementia
Music therapist Lisa Kelly looks at the discussion around the positive benefits of music for people with dementia.
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Vision-impaired woman: 'Please legislate to keep e-scooters off footpaths'
Anne Marie Kearney is vision impaired and uses a cane. She says e-scooters must never reach a footpath.
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Analysis: Why news headlines about Irish GDP are still irritatingly misleading
Economist Ciarán Casey says that Ireland’s GDP often generates news headlines which do nothing for his emotional stability.
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Opinion: Will it take a miracle for State to do right thing on Mother and Baby redress scheme?
The proposed redress scheme – which is expected to pass in the Dáil today – is deeply flawed, James Smith writes.
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Money Diaries: Have you been affected by the cost of living - would you like to keep a diary for us?
We are asking readers to keep a Money Diary to let us know how your spending and savings are changing.
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Analysis: The six-month rule for Mother and Baby Homes redress does not add up
Barrister Seán Beatty says the government’s six-month rule around compensation is impossible to justify.
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Bad Bridget: Uncovering the secret lives of Ireland's emigrant women
Elaine Farrell and Leanne McCormick, authors of the book Bad Bridget, share the story of an Irish emigrant who was sent to prison for seven years for stealing a watch and money.
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Money Diaries: A business operations manager on €45K living in Cork
This week, our reader is considering how much they spend on cigarettes but is still enjoying a few nights out.
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Opinion: Make no mistake - history shows us that Brigit was a boss
Dr Niamh Wycherley says Brigit (St Brigid) would have been a thick-skinned and defiant woman living in a misogynistic and restrictive society.
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Larry Donnelly: How will Irish politicians cope with an increasingly angry electorate?
Our columnist says the Donohoe affair and protests of recent weeks show that the political mood here has darkened.
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The squeezed middle: What we should learn from the Great Recession of 2007-2013
By studying and learning from the effects of the Great Recession, policy makers can gain valuable insights into how to respond to the cost-of-living crisis.
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ISPCC chief: The CAMHS report came as no surprise to anyone caring for children in turmoil
John Church says the recent CAMHS shows just how many young people in Ireland are suffering.