Founder of the Iona Institute, David Quinn
You may recall how, last year, ahead of the same-sex marriage referendum, David Quinn said:
“If they can beat us badly on marriage, they’ll feel they can beat us on the abortion issue. So this is really, really an important battle – not for just what marriage and what the family is all about but for the pro-life section of the constitution, too.”
Mr Quinn, in today’s Irish Independent, writes:
“The big majority of voters in this country, like in every democratic country, vote mainly on the basis of the economy. Only a minority will vote on the basis of social issues. Some of this minority will be attracted to a party because it is ‘liberal’ on social issues and others to a party that is ‘conservative’ on those same issues.”
“…Journalists will incessantly ask a politician who is socially conservative about issues like abortion. It will become very hard for that candidate (or his or her party) to show voters that they also have interesting things to say about the economy which is what will allow them to reach out to more voters. This immediately makes them ‘niche’ candidates and can limit their electorate prospects.”
“Liberal candidates do not have this problem. Their support for the likes of abortion will find favour with most journalists. They won’t be harassed about it at press conferences and will be perfectly free to talk at length and directly to the electorate about the big economic issues. This allows them to appeal to a much bigger section of the electorate than they would if they were seen as social issue candidates only.”
“My suggestion is that if you are pro-life, and you have a Renua candidate locally, find out if they back the Eighth Amendment and if they do, then consider giving them a vote. If pro-lifers don’t do that, then all of those who lost the Fine Gael whip over the abortion issue, not just the members of Renua, might begin to wonder if the pro-life vote is worth courting in any way, shape or form.”
Previously: Poll Position
Thanks Ronan
Stop That
at
Splutter.
This morning
The Gasworks. Grand Canal Hotel, Grand Canal Street, Dublin 2.
Thanks relegation6pointer
Loudspeakers facing North Korea at a South Korea border post
They’re jealous of those on the top,
So Seoul is now blasting K-pop,
Right over the border,
It’s right out of order,
And petty. They really should stop.
John Moynes
(Associated Press)
Same ingredients.
Head-shattering price difference.
Rodders writes:
Some amateur sleuthing in Dublin around GSK Panadol drug marketing and prices, inspired by the recent Neurofen drug marketing scandal in Australia…
First image shows Panadol Extra and Panadol Cold and Flu 12 packs. Note the identical ingredients, paracetamol 500mg, and caffeine 65mg, in each.
The other two images show the prices for each, €3.14 for the Extra, and €4.75 for the Cold and Flu tablets, which is about a 50% markup for a product identical in all but branding.
In Australia “The ACCC [Australian Competition and Consumer Commission], took proceedings because it was concerned that consumers may have purchased these products in the belief that they specifically treated a certain type of pain, based on the representations on the packaging, when this was not the case”
Something similar going on here? What’s the basis for the 50% mark-up on the Cold and Flu tablets?
(And, if you were willing to forgo the caffeine altogether, you can get a 12 pack of Panadol paracetamol 500mgs for approx €1.50 or €1.60. So, adding caffeine into the mix more than doubles the cost of your pills. Does caffeine really help relieve a cold or flu?)
Anyone?
Snap
at
Saudi executions coverage in The Onion ( above) and as originally seen in Waterford Whispers News
Niall Gubbins writes:
Fair play to [Ireland-based satirical news site] WWN [Waterford Whispers News]. Looks like [US-based satirical paper] The Onion are being “inspired” by lads.
The Hypnos Sleep Hoodie – a hoodie with built in inflatable pillow – designed by Josh Woodle.
Currently, inevitably, massively overfunded on Kickstarter.
Omar Sarhan writes:
New map on migration, my first in 2016, based on older (pre-2015 refugee) figures, but I think the patterning is pretty interesting and echos other maps I’ve created, an obvious split between EU and Eurozone member states.