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Sunday, May 16th 2010


Social Policy on Irish Left Review

The Social Policy section contains all the ILR articles that relate to criminal justice, climate change, the Irish health service, equality, and the media.

Articles

Right to Work Protest at Dail Tuesday 11th May 2010

[From Paula Geraghty of TradeUnionTVIreland.]

Thousands took to the streets to protest at the bailout of the banks and at the jobs crisis in Ireland. Watch some of the speeches, listen to the views of some of the protesters.
John Bisset a veteran campaigner for social justice was particularly scathing of the role of the media in [...]

Media and Civil Society in Crisis Conference - DIT Aungier Street May 12th

In March 2010 the independent Commission of Inquiry into the Future of Civil Society in the UK and Ireland, working in conjunction with the Carnegie (UK) Trust, published a report into the future of civil society - Making Good Society. One of the key aspects of that report was an enquiry into the relationship between [...]

Workplace Equality and the Urgent Implications for Trade Unionists

This article is a slightly edited version of a presentation I gave at the Equality in a Time of Crisis conference, organized by the UCD Egalitarian World Initiative (EWI) and the UCD School of Social Justice in UCD last week.
The issues raised by an agenda of workplace equality have urgent implications for trade unionists.
By [...]

Retreating the Political in Irish Human Rights: Donncha O’Connell’s ‘Inaugural Editorial’ in the Irish Human Rights Law Review

In his insightful ‘Inaugural Editorial’ for the Irish Human Rights Law Review, Donncha O’Connell briefly addresses the lack of enthusiasm in Ireland for a political approach to human rights (rather than juridical).  There is much to commend the editorial. Perhaps the most interesting element is O’Connell’s sense of the political and its relation to human [...]

Minister White, here’s a better idea

I don’t know the motivation behind Minister Mary White’s first substantial decision since she was elevated: to commission assessments of three state bodies with responsibility for equality: the Equality Authority, the Equality Tribunal and the Human Rights Commission, which was reported in the Irish Times at the weekend.
Her motivation might be bad, in that it [...]

Governor’s Resignation Yet Another Alarm Call for Minister

The Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT) has today expressed deep concern at the resignation of Kathleen McMahon, Governor of the Dóchas Centre.  The issues cited by the Governor on her resignation are worrying in the extreme, and IPRT is calling on both prison management and the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform to take [...]

The Social Determinants of Mental Ill-Health

The past few decades have seen a growing awareness among health professionals and policy makers of the role that social and economic factors play in determining good mental health. As the WHO Regional Committee for Europe noted:
Widening disparities in society or economic changes in individuals’ life courses seem to be of particular importance here. Whether [...]

The Economic Costs of Mental Health

In discussing mental health, we tend to focus on issues such as the distress and suffering of mental health service users as well as the most appropriate manner in which we might respond to their needs. The human rights of mental health service users are also a significant issue and have been assuming a more [...]

IPRT Calls for Urgent Review of Imprisonment of Women

I’m reposting this in light of the resignation of Kathleen McMahon as governor of the Dóchas Centre and her highly critical comments about the Irish Prison Service in her letter of resignation. In today’s Irish Times report on her resignation it mentions a chilling aspect, about how the Irish prison service is developing policy based [...]

The Murder of Toyosi Shittabey and Racism in Irish Society

The recent tragic killing of Toyosi Shittabey behooves us all to critically reflect upon, and engage in national dialogue about, the true scale and nature of racism in Irish society today. The pervasiveness of racism in Irish society is a reality that a number of young people in the Tyrellstown area—where Toyosi was killed—have eloquently [...]

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