Senator Rónán Mullen has challenged Ireland’s EU partners to be true to their word and ensure that Ireland receives guarantees on family law and the right to life ahead of a second referendum on the Lisbon Treaty. Following on from a report in today’s Irish Times suggesting that some EU member-states were expressing doubts about...
Ninety five per cent of Irish people still believe in God, according to a study launched in Maynooth this week. The survey, carried out by Jesuit sociologist Fr Micheal McGreil, spoke to 1015 adults in 2007 and 2008 about their religious beliefs and practices. The survey, “The Challenge of Indifference: A Need for Religious Revival...
A couple in Scotland who have seen their grandchildren taken from them and placed with a homosexual couple are set to receive financial help to challenge the move in the courts. And the council responsible for the decision to place the children with the two men could be facing an inquiry. A wealthy businessman has...
Children in the UK need lessons in love and moral responsibility to combat the growing culture of greed and individualism, according to a new report. The report, entitled ‘A Good Childhood’, finds that adult pursuit of ‘personal success’ has damaged childhood in the UK and states the country is one of the worst affected in...
Irish teenagers have the second-highest level of drunkenness among nine countries surveyed, according to new figures. The data, contained in the State of the Nation’s Children report, shows that 29 per cent of Irish 15-year-olds say they have been drunk at least once in the last month, according to a report in the Irish Times....
The UK Government is attempting to overturn a crucial free speech protection added last year to a law prohibiting ‘hate crimes’ against homosexuals. The free speech protection makes it clear that criticising homosexual practice or urging people to refrain from such conduct cannot be counted a hate crime. It was added last May to the...
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Michéal Martin, has reiterated the government’s promise that legal guarantees ensuring Ireland’s right to maintain its own family and education policy will be part of the Lisbon Treaty to before the Irish people again later this year. In a speech given yesterday to the Institute of International and European Affairs...
The European Parliament has adopted a resolution of its Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs welcoming a report published last year by the Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) that called for binding EU regulations to force member states to abolish the differences between marriage and same-sex civil unions. The resolution, authored by Italian Communist...
Parents are financially better off if they split up under the current UK tax system, according to a new report. The study, compiled by Civitas, an influential UK think-tank, shows that parents are effectively penalised for living together, with some left more than 20 per cent poorer. The report says that government policies have created...
The European Parliament has adopted a resolution of its Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs welcoming a report published last year by the Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) that called for binding EU regulations to force member states to abolish the differences between marriage and same-sex civil unions. The resolution, authored by Italian Communist...
