Cian Ó Concubhair

The United States Could Lose the Gulf Iran’s attacks on its neighbors are a reminder that the United States cannot protect them.

"the Gulf states... hoped for a short war that would replace top Iranian leaders with more pragmatic autocrats, presumably from the military, without shattering the state in ways that would spread instability, refugees, and uncertainty..."

An Al Jazeera investigation into the US/Israeli strike on the girls school in southern Iran has come up with 2 possible explanations for the attack: either gross negligence or a deliberate attack aimed at creating a mass casualty event to undermine morale www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/...

And finally… tough pill Former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis has been charged with drugs offences after telling a podcast he once took ecstasy decades ago.

Former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis has been charged with drugs offences after telling a podcast he once took ecstasy decades ago.

Early in @younghorgan.bsky.social's BBC Sounds series Stakeknife

He speaks to ITV journalists who were approached by Scappaticci on a confidential basis (they didn't know who he was)

They described having a British army handler in another car observing who they were meeting...

They also played a grotesquely cynical 'war on drugs' card

Welcome to SeanadVoter.ie. You can use this portal to apply to be entered on the Register of Electors for the Seanad Éireann Higher Education constituency. You are eligible to register as an elector if you: Are a citizen of Ireland AND Are 18 years of age or older AND Hold a degree from a designated institution The deadline for applications for the 2026 Register is 26 February 2026. The 2026 Register of Electors will be published on 1 June 2026.

Last day to register for the Seanad, if you aren't on the list already. There's some feckers in there that desperately need voting out.

www.seanadvoter.ie

#Seanad #SpeirGhorm

I'm literally in tears listening to President Catherine Connolly's fierce speech about the silence about ongoing genocide, how the rule of law, humans rights, civil liberties, and freedoms are diminishing before our eyes... at the 50th anniversary of the @iccl.bsky.social

Judge criticises ‘shameful profiteering’ by private firms providing care placements for children Judge Conor Fottrell says he took ‘unusual’ step of publishing judgment in case of missing 13-year-old to make reservations over system clear

“The fact that these SEAs are owned by private businesses and individuals who are profiteering out of a placement crisis for the most vulnerable children in care is just wrong and shameful.”

- District Judge

Judgment link - www2.courts.ie/acc/alfresco...

Report by @kittyholland.bsky.social

Cycling agenda intimately connected to democracy agenda

This is worth a read by Cian. And I mean that despite his cycling agenda.

Garda Powers Bill has puzzling treatment of journalistic privilege Surely the minister for justice wants the best protections for the rights of journalists in fulfilling their essential democratic role, writes Cian Ó Concubhair

Dr Cian Ó Concubhair: Garda Powers Bill has puzzling treatment of journalistic privilege. Surely the Minister for Justice wants the best protections for the rights of journalists in fulfilling their essential democratic role?

www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/comm...

New Garda powers bill could conceal abuses Gardaí can consistently deny racial profiling because there is no data on who is stopped and searched — but the new powers bill doesn't allow this data to be collected. Why, asks Cian Ó Concubhair

Here is the first piece I wrote last week

irishexaminer.com/opinion/comm...

Many thanks to Deirdre O'Shaugnessy in the Examiner for agreeing to publish both pieces in quick succession

I know this isn't the norm and appreciate she recognised the importance of these matters

There's also an argument that the Bill might be unconstitutional

But the Supreme Court hasn't said yet if journalistic privilege is protected by the constitution

I have written about this in the Dublin University Law Journal in 2024

As I asked in my previous piece on Garda search powers

Why is the Minister for Justice designing a system of Garda powers that quite obviously does not protect fundamental rights and is below international best practice?

It's the first time Irish statute has taken account of journalistic privilege nearly 20 years after it was first recognised by the Supreme Court

Yet, it designs a legally inferior procedure to protect that right to that enjoyed by journalists in Northern Ireland since the 1980s

Garda Powers Bill has puzzling treatment of journalistic privilege Surely the minister for justice wants the best protections for the rights of journalists in fulfilling their essential democratic role, writes Cian Ó Concubhair

.@irishexaminer.bsky.social has published 2nd of 2 pieces on Garda Powers Bill

It looks at journalistic privilege & how Gardaí will get search warrants against journalists

In short: there's a risk risk the Bill breaches the European Convention on Human Rights

www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/comm...

Podcast: From the Archive: ‘The War on Terrorism: Is There an Alternative?’

Great archive @LRB debate from 2002 on 'War on Terror'

Interesting to be reminded of similarities between then & now regarding Euro-American militarism

How Tariq Ali was remarkably prescient

& how Hitchens was such a disgraceful propagandist

www.lrb.co.uk/podcasts-and...

Telegraph: British Museum removes ‘Palestine’ from ancient Middle East displays Institution admits word used on some maps and labels has lost its original neutrality

'Admits', thevword deployed to imply what follows is true. Old trick.

British Museum removes the word ‘Palestine’ from exhibits The British Museum has removed the word ‘Palestine’ from information panels and galleries following pressure from the group UK Lawyers for Israel

The British Museum has quietly removed the word ‘Palestine’ from maps, information panels and galleries, after lobbying.

www.newarab.com/news/british...

🚨France, Germany, Italy, and the United States have escalated attacks on UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese, demanding her resignation over remarks she did not make. Here’s everything you need to know: 1. U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz and the leading Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee accused Albanese of calling Israel the “common enemy of humanity.” 2. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot went further, branding her a “political activist who stirs up hate,” accusing her of comparing Israel to the Third Reich, and announcing France will formally demand her removal at the UN Human Rights Council session on February 23, 2026. He insisted she must resign immediately. 🔴3. But Albanese never called Israel the “common enemy of humanity.” She described the system enabling genocide in Palestine as humanity’s common enemy. The quote has been widely misrepresented. 4. French officials also criticized her for appearing at the Doha Forum alongside a Hamas leader and Iran’s foreign minister. In fact, she was not on stage with those figures. Paris has long accused her of “justifying” the October 7 attacks for contextualizing them within decades of occupation, a characterization President Emmanuel Macron previously called a “disgrace.”

5. The Trump administration has previously demanded her removal and imposed sanctions on her for documenting Israel’s crimes. 6. Germany’s Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul echoed the push, writing: “I respect the UN system based on independent rapporteurs. However, Albanese has made numerous inappropriate statements in the past. I condemn her recent statements on Israel. Her position is untenable.” 7. Italy’s foreign minister also supported her removal, stating that Albanese’s positions “do not reflect those of the Italian government” and that her “behaviors, statements, and initiatives are not appropriate for the position she holds within a body of peace and guarantee such as the United Nations.” 8. Supporters, including various scholars, say the campaign is political retaliation for her reports on Israeli human rights violations. 9. Amnesty International France called Paris’s move a “shameful misrepresentation,” stating: “No, Francesca Albanese did not designate Israel as the common enemy of humanity… We denounce this attack on the independence of her mandate.” The group added it was “shocking” that France’s foreign minister repeated false claims while publicly prioritizing the fight against disinformation.

10. In an interview with L’Humanité, Albanese responded to @jnbarrot : “Everyone makes mistakes, it’s human. But we correct, we rectify,” calling on him to apologize and retract his false comments. 11. The backlash has not come only from Western governments.. “We don’t agree with much of what she says. We wouldn’t use the language that she’s using in describing the situation,” the spokesperson for UN Secretary-General António Guterres said. The fight now centers on whether @FranceskAlbs , an independent UN Special Rapporteur can continue documenting Israeli crimes without political reprisal. 🎥 Video via L’Humanité. References in reply.

Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur oPt @FranceskAlbs My full AJ Forum speech last week: the common enemy of humanity is THE SYSTEM that has enabled the genocide in Palestine, including the financial capital that funds it, the algorithms that obscure it and the weapons that enable it.

🚨France, Germany, Italy, & the U.S. have escalated attacks on UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese, demanding her resignation over remarks she did not make.

Here’s everything you need to know:

1. U.S. Amb. Mike Waltz & the leading Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee accused...

The European Commission chose to condemn antisemitism and reference Holocaust Remembrance Day when asked about a doctored video of Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese circulated by misinformation accounts including @UNWatch and its director @HillelNeuer . Five sitting European foreign ministers had cited the doctored clip in calling for her resignation. The Commission did not address the video itself or say whether it would defend UN officials targeted by disinformation. Watch the video below 👇

The European Commission chose to condemn antisemitism & reference Holocaust Remembrance Day when asked about a doctored vid of Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese circulated by misinformation accounts including
@UNWatch (X) & its director Hillel Neure.

Five sitting European foreign ministers...

Public service email to everyone heading into the UK at the end of this month who isn't a UK or Irish citizen. The ETA requirement for UK entry is coming and isn't receiving enough advanced coverage. Don't get caught in the ensuing chaos:

homeofficemedia.blog.gov.uk/electronic-t...

World's rules-based order 'no longer exists', Germany's Merz warns "Our freedom is not guaranteed" in an era of big powers, the German chancellor tells Munich's security summit.

It's really something to see people who are up their eyes in genocide complicity lamenting the end of the alleged "rules based order"

www.bbc.com/news/article...

New Garda powers bill could conceal abuses Gardaí can consistently deny racial profiling because there is no data on who is stopped and searched — but the new powers bill doesn't allow this data to be collected. Why, asks Cian Ó Concubhair

Very good piece by Dr Cian Ó Concubhair on the new Garda powers bill - interestingly, when the Commission on the Future of Policing recommended codification of these powers it did so thinking the preparatory work would be done by the Law Reform Commission

www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/comm...

New Garda powers bill could conceal abuses Gardaí can consistently deny racial profiling because there is no data on who is stopped and searched — but the new powers bill doesn't allow this data to be collected. Why, asks Cian Ó Concubhair

Brilliant, sharp incisive criticism of the new Garda Powers Bill from Cian Ó Concubhair: the absence of explicit powers to record racial data in particular is such an important point: www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/comm...

AGS has been criticised by Oireachtas & the Policing Authority for not recording race & ethnicity data of those subject to Garda stops

AGS & Dept of Justice have claimed they cannot record the race or ethnicity data without a specific power

The Bill doesn't include that power

New Garda powers bill could conceal abuses Gardaí can consistently deny racial profiling because there is no data on who is stopped and searched — but the new powers bill doesn't allow this data to be collected. Why, asks Cian Ó Concubhair

I have a piece in Today's @irishexaminer on some major problems with the Garda Powers Bill

An Garda Síochána has routinely denied it racially profiles – & repudiate evidence of racial profiling by denying there's data

This Bill fails to get that data

www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/comm...

Gained access to Epstein’s FedEx account: Still live Shipments in 2024, address book with 90+ names

The Ditch gained access to Jeffrey Epstein’s FedEx account – records show it was used for shipments long after his death and an address book including a senior Israeli military officer now considered a “strategic consultant” for “diplomatic matters”.

www.ontheditch.com/gained-acces...

And even if they can, the cost of new build is significantly higher than purchasing existing housing stock which is already unaffordable for many