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Post by cato on Oct 3, 2019 10:05:39 GMT
It looks like this month is going to be a rocky time;
1) Brexit will probably end in parliamentary chaos when parliament and government struggle over the 31st October departure date. Whether Brexit occurs or not we may see the UK break up and unintended consequences for Ireland too.
2) The "liberalisation" of Northern Ireland's Abortion laws in a few weeks looks inevitable given the Northern Ireland assembly is not going to resume. The north will end up with more liberal laws than the south or the rest of the UK. Naturally this will in time lead to demands for removing what restrictions remain in those juristictions.
3) The USA moves towards a damaging and self absorbed process of Presidential impeachment just when global leadership is needed to deal with Iran and China.
4)Democracy in Hong Kong is in danger from communist military invasion from the mainland. This could have major international implications. As an open globalised economy Ireland is vulnerable to international crises but our blinkered media rarely if ever talk about any threats other than Brexit.
5) And finally there is the little matter of a Roman Synod to discuss the Amazon. In this age of supposed decentralisation why we need to drag South Americans from a sparsely populated area to Rome is bizarre, but that is probably the least bizarre aspect of what is about to unfold.
All in all an interesting month lies ahead.
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Post by Séamus on Oct 4, 2019 12:47:02 GMT
Maybe there's a possible positive undercurrent. Does the American Democrat action expose the fact that they have little confidence in actually winning the next election? The two forerunners have baggage of their own, while Sanders' health is beginning to decline.
Perhaps Westminster likewise had little confidence that the people of Northern Ireland would actually follow the republic in voting for abortion.
As much as I'd culturally be a supporter of Scottish nationalism, the very idea of the SNP disallowing their members even a vote of conscience in a case of a Westminster-imposed law on another UK country seems a blatant contradiction.
I've been reading a newly reprinted book about an American Jesuit's 1920-30s work in Mexico which was then under strongly anti-Christian governments. Although the nation was probably still,unlike our time, very Catholic under the anti-clerical surface, you feel that there's, nevertheless, a parallel, and often a parallel of hopefulness. I was warmed by the description of a bishop's pastoral visit and confirmation in a rural area, where occasional green, red and white decorations were erected in the town- having a Mexican administration that worked against everything they stood for didn't stop them proudly displaying their national colours.
Prince Charles will reportedly attend the canonization of Newnan the month, representing his mother, who will probably not travel from Britain any more. Last month in Ireland a Knock miracle of the first class was officially declared: a rare event even in Lourdes. A spark here and there
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Post by Séamus on Oct 17, 2019 12:18:04 GMT
It looks like this month is going to be a rocky time; 1) Brexit will probably end in parliamentary chaos when parliament and government struggle over the 31st October departure date. Whether Brexit occurs or not we may see the UK break up and unintended consequences for Ireland too. 2) The "liberalisation" of Northern Ireland's Abortion laws in a few weeks looks inevitable given the Northern Ireland assembly is not going to resume. The north will end up with more liberal laws than the south or the rest of the UK. Naturally this will in time lead to demands for removing what restrictions remain in those juristictions. 3) The USA moves towards a damaging and self absorbed process of Presidential impeachment just when global leadership is needed to deal with Iran and China. 4)Democracy in Hong Kong is in danger from communist military invasion from the mainland. This could have major international implications. As an open globalised economy Ireland is vulnerable to international crises but our blinkered media rarely if ever talk about any threats other than Brexit. 5) And finally there is the little matter of a Roman Synod to discuss the Amazon. In this age of supposed decentralisation why we need to drag South Americans from a sparsely populated area to Rome is bizarre, but that is probably the least bizarre aspect of what is about to unfold. All in all an interesting month lies ahead. It would be interesting if the new Johnson/Brussels deal ends up depending on the support of Arlene Foster who,Iona is reporting,would sanction the opening of Stormont to prevent the same Johnson government imposing abortion laws in her country. Maybe even the Queen's cutting down on 2,000 or so diamonds,give or take a jewel,had symbolic meaning. A tiny news-clip in a business section of a newspaper today was applicable - "Dutch farmers are driving their tractors in slow-moving convoys across the country to protest their treatment by the government as it seeks to rein in carbon emissions. Farmers say nitrogen levels are being calculated inaccurately as the Dutch government struggles to meet EU emissions targets,in part by offering to buy up farms voluntarily" The word "voluntarily" could so easily fall off the last sentence,why does this remind me of Hong Kong? It looks like the Taoiseach did notice Newman's canonization- predictably as one of the JohnHenry-for-following- individual-conscience commentators. For all the talk of John Paul's favouritism with Saints'Causes, Newman,Damian of Molokai and Matt Talbot were reportedly the three men he most wanted to complete. He only achieved the beatification of one(Damian). I can't remember, but my father always speaks of the criticism by one brother-in-law when he was told that the pontiff wasn't planning to visit Talbot's tomb in '79,at a time when John Paul generally wasn't questioned by the rank and file. This uncle (rip) was definately rank and file. Not sure if Francis made it last year,seeing that he got out-and-about a slight bit more? It may only be something that dioceses like Melbourne,that have once homed campuses of the John Paul II (bioethics) Institute, are taking note of, but it would seem that there's a bit of an ideological war in this papal educational institution also;an article criticising new head Mons.Pierangelo Sequeri came from someone previously known as a papal defender. Just the name makes one assume that Monsignor is a Vatican bureaucrat. Without knowing much about the whole thing, his alleged mention of a 'epochial remodelling of the Christian form' is rather repelling |
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Post by cato on Oct 18, 2019 13:27:53 GMT
In addition to the 5 issues I mentioned in the original post above I should add 1) copycat riots and civil disobedience in Barcelona , imitating the Hong Kong disruptions.
2) The self indulgent extinction rebellion protests are getting lots of many favourable publicity. Their absolutely daft predictions of billions of deaths from climate are rarely challenged. This upper middle class movement has been disrupting flights traffic and even bizarrely public transport. In London yesterday a group of workers pulled Climate change activists off the roof of their train so they could get to work.
3) Most importantly Donal Trump stabbed the Kurds in Syria in the back by removing a small symbolic US army presence and giving the nod to a Turkish invasion.
Lest we forget the Kurds were the only group who fought the ISIS butchers who massacred tens of thousands of innocents especially Christians who have lived in the middle East since biblical times. The USA has betrayed the Kurds twice in recent years ; George Bush senior encouraged them to rebel against Saddam Hussein in the 1990s and then allowed Saddam to crush them .
Now the Kurds are turning reluctantly to the Syrian government as they have no allies left. The Syrians are backed by Iran and Russia so the USA has handed a strategic victory to its international foes. It should be added Trumps impulsive action has been widely condemned even among Republicans.
We seem to be in an age of disruption, uncertainty and chaos.
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