The Wholesome Photo of the Month Thu May 09, 2024 11:01 | Anti-Empire
In 3 War Years Russia Will Have Spent $3... Thu May 09, 2024 02:17 | Anti-Empire
UK Sending Missiles to Be Fired Into Rus... Tue May 07, 2024 14:17 | Marko Marjanović
US Gives Weapons to Taiwan for Free, The... Fri May 03, 2024 03:55 | Anti-Empire
Russia Has 17 Percent More Defense Jobs ... Tue Apr 30, 2024 11:56 | Marko Marjanović
Anti-Empire >>
A bird's eye view of the vineyard
Alternative Copy of thesaker.is site is available Thu May 25, 2023 14:38 | Ice-Saker-V6bKu3nz
Alternative site: https://thesaker.si/saker-a... Site was created using the downloads provided Regards Herb
The Saker blog is now frozen Tue Feb 28, 2023 23:55 | The Saker
Dear friends As I have previously announced, we are now “freezing” the blog. We are also making archives of the blog available for free download in various formats (see below).
What do you make of the Russia and China Partnership? Tue Feb 28, 2023 16:26 | The Saker
by Mr. Allen for the Saker blog Over the last few years, we hear leaders from both Russia and China pronouncing that they have formed a relationship where there are
Moveable Feast Cafe 2023/02/27 ? Open Thread Mon Feb 27, 2023 19:00 | cafe-uploader
2023/02/27 19:00:02Welcome to the ‘Moveable Feast Cafe’. The ‘Moveable Feast’ is an open thread where readers can post wide ranging observations, articles, rants, off topic and have animate discussions of
The stage is set for Hybrid World War III Mon Feb 27, 2023 15:50 | The Saker
Pepe Escobar for the Saker blog A powerful feeling rhythms your skin and drums up your soul as you?re immersed in a long walk under persistent snow flurries, pinpointed by
The Saker >>
News Round-Up Mon Jul 29, 2024 00:40 | Richard Eldred
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.
Labour?s VAT Plan for Private Schools Flunks Revenue Test Sun Jul 28, 2024 19:00 | Richard Eldred
New analysis suggests Labour's tax on private schools could bring in less than half the expected amount because of the extra cost of adding more students to the state system.
The post Labour?s VAT Plan for Private Schools Flunks Revenue Test appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
Far-Left Group Claim Responsibility for Paris Arson Attacks Sun Jul 28, 2024 17:00 | Richard Eldred
A far-Left group has claimed responsibility for crippling Paris's rail network with arson attacks, stranding 800,000 passengers, just before the Olympic opening ceremony.
The post Far-Left Group Claim Responsibility for Paris Arson Attacks appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
DESNZ Has Net Zero Competence Sun Jul 28, 2024 15:00 | David Turver
David Turver casts a critical eye over the new crop of ministers at the Department of Energy and Net Zero, revealing a batch of public sector lifers with no commercial savvy and zero energy know-how.
The post DESNZ Has Net Zero Competence appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
Hate Cleric Raises £3 Million to Create Islamic Homeland on Scottish Island Sun Jul 28, 2024 13:01 | Richard Eldred
A radical cleric has raised over £3 million to transform a remote Scottish island into a self-governing Islamic state with its own army, justice system, school and hospital.
The post Hate Cleric Raises £3 Million to Create Islamic Homeland on Scottish Island appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
Lockdown Skeptics >>
Voltaire, international edition
Netanyahu soon to appear before the US Congress? It will be decisive for the suc... Thu Jul 04, 2024 04:44 | en
Voltaire, International Newsletter N°93 Fri Jun 28, 2024 14:49 | en
Will Israel succeed in attacking Lebanon and pushing the United States to nuke I... Fri Jun 28, 2024 14:40 | en
Will Netanyahu launch tactical nuclear bombs (sic) against Hezbollah, with US su... Thu Jun 27, 2024 12:09 | en
Will Israel provoke a cataclysm?, by Thierry Meyssan Tue Jun 25, 2024 06:59 | en
Voltaire Network >>
View Comments Titles Only
save preference
Comments (13 of 13)
Jump To Comment: 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1I got most of my education after I left school - and what makes you think I wasnt hurt by going through this meat grinder?
If the educational system is such a murder machine and meat grinder, how come Cael emerged unhurt from it?
Pearse called the educational system of his day "the murder machine" and nothing has changed. It just trains young people to not think. Economics is taught totally from a neo-liberal perspective, history is totally distorted to suit the continued British occupation in the six counties (which is, of course, never to be called an occupation), in short young people are simply trained to be meat for the Irish Landlords' grinder. No wonder, when their powers of discernment have been withered by the uneducational system, and they face into the horrible society their elders have created, the best many can do is get drunk or stoned - and stay that way as much of the time as they possibly can. No doubt "Fianna Fáil - the Landlord's Party" are more than happy that the situation should remain thus. Otherwise, the young people just might think of changing something....
What is wrong with the educational system? It serves students well and is very tolerant.
Nowadays we have the "Me, myself and I" philosophy spread by Dublin 4 types who usually don't have to deal with the consequences of their cocaine addiction. When someone dies, it is a tragedy, but it is usually the working-class who suffer - the Dublin 4 type can always pull strings to get a better prison cell.
I'd like to second these comments by Pierre - "There is in Catholicism a sense of communitarianism and the lynchpin of Catholic social policy is re-distributism. This underlined Fianna Fáil's traditional approach to social and economic policy, which has historically been the party of the left in Ireland (at least that of workers and small farmers). Ironic then that Fianna Fáil has exchanged social democracy for free-market liberalism."
I would substitute christian democracy for social democracy in the above quote. Postwar (West) Germany reconstructed its shattered society by implementing a mixture of christian and social democracy. Many of its leading politicians have been attempting to erode the social consensus by introducing market-led liberal economic policies. If they get their way expect German society to break down into alienation/atomising me-first attitudes of the kind so widespread in the Irish media of today.
If FF has turned its back on its communitarian past as Pierre says then the drug-troubled suburban communities are in deep trouble. In the absence of a bonding church culture they have nothing coherent to turn to.
"I am not a fan of organised religion, particularly the catholic flavour, "
Why, what is particularly bad about the Catholic faith above all others?
I blame the permissive society, this liberal attitude "I can do whatever I want". There is in Catholicism a sense of communitarianism and the lynchpin of Catholic social policy is re-distributism. This underlined Fianna Fáil's traditional approach to social and economic policy, which has historically been the party of the left in Ireland (at least that of workers and small farmers). Ironic then that Fianna Fáil has exchanged social democracy for free-market liberalism.
Social and economic liberalism is the prevailing ideology in Ireland today. People want expediency and instant gratification. The notion of solidarity with trade unions and other workers is rather quaint in modern society. I think abortion is the ultimate example of this, women who have sex when it suits them and are unwilling to deal with the consequences, who would rather destroy a child than be encumbered by it. This inane "rights based" attitude is poisonous: everybody has rights, but nobody is willing to take any responsibility. The working poor are so dependent on the welfare state and think they have an absolute right to housing and so forth, but are anxious to deny the same to others e.g. asylum seekers or immigrants. You decry the attitude of these stupid, feckless mothers but are you one of those activists that has in the past has sympathized with them and worked to secure a council apartment that they objectively don't deserve?
In the past, the respectable working class had been the bedrock upon which FDR's (or indeed Jimmy Carter jr's) Democratic party and Harrold Wilson's Labour party were based. Not anymore, that has changed with the upwardly-mobile working class becoming more discerning in whom they support and both the Democrats (and Labour) becoming dependent upon that proportion of the underclass that sees fit to vote that week. So, they've helped to produce a selfish generation that is dependent upon the State and thinks everybody owes them something. Where does this sense of entitlement come from?
You declare that "...we need to enforce a sense of morality through education and the age old carrot and stick method."
That sounds like the law of the sheriff and his posse's guns in the wild west.
A sense of morality cannot be plucked out of the air. It has to be based on a society's historic consensus handed down from century to century. Would the ten commandments help? I am deeply worried by the moral void left by the decline in Catholic influence, allied to the splurge of illusory affluence coming from the celtic tiger, the alcohol + drugs culture, and the death of community feeling in a rapidly suburbanising society.
If I raise the issues that you have raised with a politician he/she will merely "toss" back a load of cobblers.
No weary, I would just like the Minister for Children, The Minister for Education and the Minister for Justice earn the salary.
And to the question to what you can do? The next time one of the tossers turns up at your door ask him where he stands and what his party is going to do about it. Even better, find out the address and e-mail address of your local representative both at council and national level and send him an e-mail and a written registered letter.
Ask him in plain and clear language what he and his party are going to do about your concerns and send it registered post. Get all your friends to play the game as well, Your local representative really could not give a toss about you or me, however both he and his party do give a toss about a block of votes, especially if you discuss your letter with your local newspaper.
And most importantly vote your conscience not your party affiliation. These people work for us and are accountable to us.
I am not a fan of organised religion, particularly the catholic flavour, nor would I espouse a return to the church run state. I use the reference to the church just as a marker, we need to enforce a sense of morality through education and the age old carrot and stick method. Do wrong, go to prison, do not stop do not pass go.
I was of the opinion that the failure of our legal system was squarely to be laid at the foot of the Gardai, however, now I do not think that is the case, or just the case. Our Legislators and judiciary share a very large part of the blame.
I agree with the general thrust of the article, which rightly decries the media focus on the individual tragedy of socialite Kate French while overlooking individual and communal tragedies in low income areas of Irish society. The drugs trade has made deep inroads into communities which have traditionally been beset with financial, literacy and health problems. I don't believe there were "good old days" and the writer isn't glorifying the past either. What he seems to suggest is that in the absence of church community bonding the communities won't be able to cope with the myriad of problems especially the drugs problem, since the void left by church affiliation hasn't been filled by any other bonding infrastructure.
In the mid-70s independent councillor later TD Tony Gregory co-operated with parish networks and the prisoners rights association to educate inner city neighbourhoods about the dangers of allowing the drugs trade to spread. Some progress was made but the power of the international drugs trade was too great to resist and the drug barons got a stranglehold of the situation.
The Criminal Assets Bureau was established. It has hit many convicted drug merchants where it counts - their property and bank accounts. The CAB can only act after convictions in the courts.
I can't make any reccomendations for solving the plight of drug-ridden low income communities. One problem, as a poster above said, is that there is no sense of community in many city neighbourhoods.
I detect this moral degeneration too and it makes me anxious but what can anybody do?Establish some sort of official state morality implemented by a Department of Morality? Would we have a Minister of Morality?Morality inspectors? Philosophers, theologians, scientists and other academics and thinkers can't even agree what morality is.
The "sense of community" in the past only meant that all the bad stuff was kept quiet.
The price was a bad church-supervised education system which didn't prepare people for the emigration that followed.
Why are we now paying €1 billion a year to the third world when we still have 3rd world places at home that need help? And with a sot like Conor Lenihan in charge to make sure we don''t get ripped off?