On 5 Jan., 15:25, Molly <[email protected]> wrote: Even in my beloved Ireland, > the backwards thinking and inability of men to consider the needs of > women, groups to consider the needs of other groups, and church (also > state) to consider the needs of families indicates a serious lack of > integrative function that sheds light on the blasphemy laws there. > The country has not emerged from war mentality. It will need to do > this before moving up the pyramid or spiral (or whatever model you > choose) and come close to the unity consciousness needed for a > government that provides these kinds of freedoms for groups and > individuals. > The Irish situation is interesting, Molly, and, as an irish expatriate, I agree with a lot of what you say. The blasphemy definition and penalties are part of a more general new Defamation Act, introduced into law a few months ago. They have yet to have a concrete trial before the courts and, should this happen, it will certainly be something which will go all the way to the Irish Supreme Court, where the discussion of basic constitutional issues will be very interesting (see the comments of one of my favourite [if stylistically somewhat extreme!] Irish bloggers, http://bocktherobber.com/2009/04/blasphemous-libel).
More generally, Ireland has been going through some interesting developments - transformations - in the past quarter of a century. When I left the country in 1984, it was going through a major Kulturkampf, which, at the time, conservative Catholicism seemed to be winning. The sea-change seemed to come in 1990 with the election of Mary Robinson to the largely ceremonial post of president (http:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Robinson). There was an amazing awakening of openness, self-confidence and "can-do" attitude. Unfortunately, this coincided with global financial deregulation and the Celtic tiger was born and nourished on the milk of the funny-money markets. The results were massive boom, dream growth-rates, practically full employment, comparatively massive immigration (into Ireland!) from Eastern Europe and a grossly inflated property bubble. Other results were the growth of an incredible greed mentality and an overweening hubris. The crash of 2008 has hit very hard, some commentators noting that Ireland has only been saved from Iceland's bankruptcy fate by virtue of its membership of the EU and the Euro- zone. The gigantic economic hangover has been accompanied in the past year by ghastly revelations of the extent of child-abuse by Catholic clergy and the complicity of the entire Catholic Church organisation in covering this up over decades. In the past few weeks four bishops have resigned in disgrace. The Catholic establishment in Ireland has been completely - possibly (hopefully?) terminally - discredited. Ironically, perhaps, I see these two developments as a major chance for Ireland. The basic resource of a young, well-educated, creative population, willing to work hard remains. The forced learning curve in 2009 has been steep and may just (hopefully) bring my homeland to a truer kind of maturity. Francis
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