Finucane and the right to freedom of speech, but what of our common obligation to others?
The notion of obligations comes before that of rights, which is subordinate and relative to the former. – Simone Weil, The Need for Roots: Prelude to a Declaration of Duties towards Mankind, 1949. It’s not surprising (as pre-noted on Nolan) that John Finucane MP dealt with objections to his speech at a memorial for twenty four IRA volunteers who died in South Armagh during the conflict by turning a genuine political question into one of rights. On Nolan the most …
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