A human rights challenge by the Children’s Commissioner to Northern Ireland’s laws on parental chastisement of a child was rejected in Court today. Update The mother of a mentally ill 21 year old patient has successfully challenged the Southern Health and Social Services Trust decision not to force feed her daughter who is attempting to starve herself to death.
Interesting BBC article on an upcoming presentation and talk [Roe Valley Arts and Cultural Centre, 17 August] by lecturer and broadcaster Stephen Price on the subject of his new book – The Earl Bishop. The 18th Century ”Earl Bishop” was Frederick Augustus Hervey, fourth Earl of Bristol and Church of Ireland Bishop of Derry. Hervey was also elected [...] read our review »
Northern Ireland’s peace process has been promoted as an international success story. The Republic’s Department of Foreign Affairs has its Conflict Resolution Unit, which aims to disseminate the ‘lessons’ of the Northern Ireland peace process. And some of the prominent players in our peace process have travelled abroad to other troubled spots to share their [...] read our review »
I’ve been catching up on some reading, recently. Most pleasantly surprised by John Drennan’s latest opus from Gill and Macmillan, Cute Hoors and Pious Protestors… It’s early days yet, but I was struck by this paragraph, part of a dissection of Fianna Fail near the beginning: One of the more fatal consequences of our colonial [...] read our review »
Common sense on this smacking shit at last. Time to sack the lot of these over-payed “commissioners” and abolish their offices, not appoint more.
No one loves their child like a parent.
Strongly believing that the use of violent force is no substitute for sweet reason we sat down as a family and had a rational discussion of this issue.
Soon we had divided into two implacably opposed camps with the children, for some strange reason, all being opposed to smacking. But after we gave them a sound thrashing, sent them to bed without supper and grounded them without pocket money for a month they soon came round to seeing the parents’ side of the argument.
hehehehe, Rory.
Good one.
NICCY WHACKED!
source: Tabloid Headline
Regardless of the rights and wrongs of the arguement it should be settledc in parliament by elected representives not by a commissioner and a judge
The presence of a devolved legislature elected by the people does place significant pressures on these “Commissioners” to prove their worth.
This test was failed. They’d better pass the next one.
Alex,
It was decided by parliament. It was they who set up the commission and gave it its mandate.
LOL Rory! Will be interesting to see OFMdFM’s response to this, as they are NICCY’s sponsoring department and have just committed to setting up an old people’s commissioner with similar powers (and budget) as NICCY. Only DUP spokesman so far has been Robinson, neither Paisley or lesser Paisley has spoken. As to mandate Joe you’re spot on, NICCY backed by all parties in last mandate, and backed by the current committee of FMdFM…and finally, as one child put it, if my da slaps me ma she can call the police; if he slaps me I can’t. So much for the equality ‘lie’ that is section 75