Anthony McIntyre's Blog, page 669

A Morning Thought @ 1340

Putin’s Little Helpers Undermine Solidarity

People And Nature  ✒ We know what solidarity in the face of war looks like. Simon Pirani29-December-2021It looks like the Grupa Granica, set up to support those stranded on the Polish border by the government’s vicious anti-migrant policy and the Belarussian government’s cynical manipulation of refugees.It looks like the thousands of Polish people who have demonstrated, demanding “stop the

Lynx By Ten To The Power Of One Hundred And Thirty Five

Ten links to a diverse range of opinion that might be of interest to TPQ readers. They are selected not to invite agreement but curiosity. Readers can submit links to pieces they find thought provoking.Before We Conform, Let Us At Least Be CuriousLifting of restrictions in Ireland greeted as vindication by those who refused vaccine‘Tell everyone on this train I love them’: the meaning of a hero’s

Is Unionism Facing St Valentine’s Day-Style Massacre At Ballot Box?

Dr John Coulter ✒ Today is St Valentine’s Day. It also marks the anniversary of the Chicago massacre in 1929 during the American mob wars. But with a Stormont election looming, is Unionism as an electoral force about to face its own ballot box massacre? TPQ's Monday political commentator explores the poll dilemma facing the pro-Union community.Today is supposed to be an occasion for extending

A Morning Thought @ 1339

Collusion ✑ Guilty M'Lud

Anthony McIntyre ✒ This week’s Ombudsman report into a number of Northern conflict deaths has again placed the RUC firmly at the centre of a collusion narrative. With each passing report, inquest or inquiry the noose tightens around the neck of the RUC's monochrome remembrance of itself and its security services allies that the RUC and political unionism has assiduously tried to cultivate. The

Defence Forces Report Calls For Updating Chaplaincy And Ending Catholic Masses At Induction

Atheist Ireland ✒ welcomes a report that should herald a secularisation of the Irish Defence Forces. Atheist Ireland  the Evangelical Alliance of Ireland, and the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community of Ireland welcome that the Report of the Commission of the Defence Forces, published yesterday, has recommended that:A number of outdated practices should be discontinued, including but not limited to the

God ✑ An Anatomy

New Humanist 🔖 A new book examines how the western idea of God developed, and how the values and flaws attributed to him have changed over time.God: An Anatomy (Pan Macmillan) by Francesca Stavrakopoulou.Mathew LyonsWe don’t know his real name. In early inscriptions it appears as Yhw, Yhwh, or simply Yh; but we don’t know how it was spoken. He has come to be known as Yahweh. Perhaps it doesn’t

Playing Whack-A-Mole With Religious Charities Isn’t Working

National Secular Society ✒ Regulating charities effectively will not be possible until religious privilege is removed from charity law  Time To reform charity law.Megan MansonThe Charity Commission for England and Wales has a lot on its plate. It regulates over 185,700 charities, and actively seeks to register more – including more religious charities.It's therefore laudable that despite its

The Old God Threat Again

Right Wing Watch ✒ Bianca Garcia Says Christians Who Don't Vote for Her Will Be Held Accountable by God.Kyle Mantyla Bianca Garcia, a right-wing conspiracy theorist who served as president of Latinos For Trump, is currently running for a seat in the Texas state Senate because, she claims, God has called her to take her “rightful place” in the state capitol and “make the devil run.”So positive is