“It’s clear that there will be no significant progress until the day comes when new ideas, not just new suits, are voted in.”
Maybe it was fate that on Monday of Freshers’ Week, when I was at my most wide-eyed …
Comment
Budget: Minority government offers short-term solutions for long-term problems
While student housing and higher education funding were addressed in today’s budget, the government declined to offer any major policy initiative to really tackle these problems.
Having digested today’s budget, one can’t escape the underlying feeling that it provides short term solutions to long term problems. The government today showed a reluctance to commit to particular approach to student housing, and higher education funding. While this …
The Repeal campaign is not without its flaws
“As a woman, I have strong opinions regarding the 8th Amendment, as it is an inherently sexist piece of legislation as it stands. However, also as a woman, I have strong and negative opinions on certain aspects of the campaign.”
The Repeal the 8th movement has recently brought the issue of abortion to the fore of Irish life. While the right to choose to have an abortion seems fundamental, there is a danger that repealing the 8th Amendment will be …
Have we forgotten what is it to show respect?
A woman never deserves to be attacked, so why is Kim Kardashian West being shamed?
On Sunday night, while staying in a rented apartment in Paris during Paris Fashion Week, Kim Kardashian West was robbed by two armed men who bound and gagged her before placing her in the bathtub and stealing $10 million worth …
Erasmus: Declassified
Jennifer Brereton’s honest account of the trials and tribulations she encountered
Before I left for my year abroad, in a little corner of my mind, I naively rejected the belief that Erasmus wasn’t going to be a typical college year. Naturally, it was going to be a little different, I thought …
Ireland: A Friendly Nation or Masters of Linguistic Politeness?
The language of politeness is part of our everyday lives, but as Helen McMahon explains, in Ireland we have a particular mastery of social discourse
Ireland regularly trumps all other nations in lists published regarding “friendly” or “welcoming” countries. Are we truly deserving of this international reputation or is there another reason behind our amiability? To take a cynical view, it may be that we …
A University is not a Factory
Michael Foley discusses the growing commercialisation of universities
There has been a great deal of debate over the future of Irish universities over the past few weeks. The publication of the Cassels report, along with the plummeting of almost all Irish universities down the QS rankings, has pushed …
College is real, gut-wrenching, terrifying freedom
“What we spend time on becomes a large part of who we are, and so deciding how to spend your time is also about deciding who you want to be.”
Last week a friend of mine, an incoming fresher in Law and Politics, messaged me: “My timetable is awfully sparse”, he said. He was referring to the 15 contact hours a week – a good number, in my estimation. “Welcome …
The Rise of New Racism
Old racism was based on blood and biology. New racism is based on culture and religion
Gone are the days of segregation and fascism, when your life chances depended on the colour of your skin or eyes. Now your job prospects depend on how qualified you are, rather than where you came from. Equal opportunity is …
Tír gan Teanga, Tír gan anam?
Féidhlim Mac Róibín argues that the bitter attitude towards the Irish language is rooted in deep national self-doubt
Identity politics are universally fraught.
Ireland is not alone in having bitter disagreements in relation to language policy; however, it is unusual that the disagreements do not form along the lines of two cultural traditions, but that rather the intensity …