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Anti-Empire

offsite link The Wholesome Photo of the Month Thu May 09, 2024 11:01 | Anti-Empire

offsite link In 3 War Years Russia Will Have Spent $3... Thu May 09, 2024 02:17 | Anti-Empire

offsite link UK Sending Missiles to Be Fired Into Rus... Tue May 07, 2024 14:17 | Marko Marjanović

offsite link US Gives Weapons to Taiwan for Free, The... Fri May 03, 2024 03:55 | Anti-Empire

offsite link Russia Has 17 Percent More Defense Jobs ... Tue Apr 30, 2024 11:56 | Marko Marjanović

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Human Rights in Ireland
Indymedia Ireland is a volunteer-run non-commercial open publishing website for local and international news, opinion & analysis, press releases and events. Its main objective is to enable the public to participate in reporting and analysis of the news and other important events and aspects of our daily lives and thereby give a voice to people.

offsite link Julian Assange is finally free ! Tue Jun 25, 2024 21:11 | indy

offsite link Stand With Palestine: Workplace Day of Action on Naksa Day Thu May 30, 2024 21:55 | indy

offsite link It is Chemtrails Month and Time to Visit this Topic Thu May 30, 2024 00:01 | indy

offsite link Hamburg 14.05. "Rote" Flora Reoccupied By Internationalists Wed May 15, 2024 15:49 | Internationalist left

offsite link Eddie Hobbs Breaks the Silence Exposing the Hidden Agenda Behind the WHO Treaty Sat May 11, 2024 22:41 | indy

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Lockdown Skeptics

The Daily Sceptic

offsite link Victorian Laws Against Priests Meddling in Politics Are Now Needed More Than Ever ? To Prevent Imams... Sat Jul 27, 2024 11:46 | Steven Tucker
The Muslim Vote wants Labour to abolish Victorian ?spiritual influence? laws that prevent religious leaders from swaying voters, but Steven Tucker argues that in cities like Leicester these laws are more vital than ever.
The post Victorian Laws Against Priests Meddling in Politics Are Now Needed More Than Ever ? To Prevent Imams Doing the Same appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Live and Let D.E.I. Sat Jul 27, 2024 09:00 | Dr James Allan
Law professor James Allan has had a bet on Donald Trump to win the Presidency for two years. He's even more confident of winning now that Kamala Harris has become the Democratic nominee.
The post Live and Let D.E.I. appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Three Generations of Waughfare: Alexander Waugh (1963-2024) Sat Jul 27, 2024 07:00 | James Alexander
Politics professor James Alexander pays tribute to Alexander Waugh, the grandson of Evelyn Waugh and master of non-fiction prose who died aged 60 last week.
The post Three Generations of Waughfare: Alexander Waugh (1963-2024) appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link News Round-Up Sat Jul 27, 2024 01:48 | Toby Young
A summary of the most interesting stories in the past 24 hours that challenge the prevailing orthodoxy about the ?climate emergency?, public health ?crises? and the supposed moral defects of Western civilisation.
The post News Round-Up appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Judges Told to Avoid Saying ?Asylum Seekers? and ?Immigrants? Fri Jul 26, 2024 17:00 | Toby Young
A new edition of the Equal Treatment Bench Book instructs judges to avoid terms such as 'asylum seekers', 'immigrant' and 'gays', which it says can be 'dehumanising'.
The post Judges Told to Avoid Saying ?Asylum Seekers? and ?Immigrants? appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

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Voltaire Network
Voltaire, international edition

offsite link Netanyahu soon to appear before the US Congress? It will be decisive for the suc... Thu Jul 04, 2024 04:44 | en

offsite link Voltaire, International Newsletter N°93 Fri Jun 28, 2024 14:49 | en

offsite link Will Israel succeed in attacking Lebanon and pushing the United States to nuke I... Fri Jun 28, 2024 14:40 | en

offsite link Will Netanyahu launch tactical nuclear bombs (sic) against Hezbollah, with US su... Thu Jun 27, 2024 12:09 | en

offsite link Will Israel provoke a cataclysm?, by Thierry Meyssan Tue Jun 25, 2024 06:59 | en

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Assisted Decision Making

category national | health / disability issues | opinion/analysis author Monday December 02, 2013 22:07author by Sean Crudden - impero Report this post to the editors

Guidance for Mental Patients

The United Nations' convention on the rights of persons with a disability does not confer any particular right on anyone. As a mental patient I have no more rights with it as I might have without it. However the UNCRPD has a political effect. The Irish Government must repeal the Lunatics Act of the 19th century to make Irish Law consonant with the UNCRPD. That old act is long and detailed and makes elaborate provision to prevent the exploitation of lunatics i.e. mental patients. But, it seems, a new law is required introducing assisted decision making by patients rather than providing an authority to make decisions on our behalf.

“Thus conscience does make cowards of us all
And the native hue of resolution is sicklied o’er
With the pale cast of thought.”

When it comes to decisions I suppose the best thing is to think about it but not to think too much. Many crucial decisions are made in a split second, in the blink of an eye. The thinking done beforehand, perhaps, or the principal brave enough to depend on instinct.

I attended a colloquium in Queen’s University during the last snow. Innocently I explained my question. “I do not like making decisions. Is there any way I could get someone else to relieve me of the burden and make decisions for me?” I should mention that the title of the colloquium was, “Emotion and Law.” Quick as a flash a retired professor jumped in with an answer to my question. “Yes, there is a way. It’s called marriage.”

None of us nor any child is born with a steering wheel attached for some kind of driver to steer us in some direction to suit himself and without regard for our wishes. Most people do not like being told what to do.

However there is obviously a dearth of talent where decision making is involved and uncertainty. We have only to remember the Oracle at Delphi or the modern fascination with horoscopes and fortune tellers.

It seems to me that the mentally ill and the intellectually disabled communities will have to be prepared to cope with a litany of wrong decisions if this projected law involving “assisted” decision making ever finds its way onto the statute books.

The angst and heavy responsibility seen by existentialists to be involved in decision making is often belied in real life. Decisions get made and often we do not know how the decisions came to be. Most people do not dwell on the quality of decisions made but get on with life and work their way around them.

When I was going to school there was a very strong emphasis on obedience. Respect for authority. Personal responsibility was not seen as a mitigating factor. This despite the then fairly recent judgements in the Nuremberg trials.

The common market introduced a yearning for consensus and collaboration. Personally I think this was a pious hope and it is more honoured in the breach than in the observance.

The nearest practical example of assisted decision making as public policy came with the appointment in the 1970’s of school guidance officers. The general idea at a political level was to steer pupils in the right direction. Nowadays I think the principal work of school guidance officers is to help pupils fill out the CAO form. If there has been a more fertile result I have yet to hear about it.

“There is a divinity that shapes our ends,
Rough-hew them how we will.”

Related Link: http://imperodotorg.wordpress.com
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