Yesterday, terrorists killed 26 men in Kashmir¹. A witness said²: “They were clearly sparing women and kept shooting at men, sometimes single shot and sometimes many bullets”. [1]: https://www.rte.ie/news/2025/0423/1509045-kashmir-attack/ [2]:

RTE.ie

Gunmen kill at least 20 tourists in attack on Kashmir

At least 20 people were in Indian-administered Kashmir when gunmen opened fire on tourists, security sources told AFP, in the region's deadliest at...

Yesterday, Marco Rubio published an interesting article¹ about the current state of his department and the reorganization that he plans. He's even provided an org chart². [1]:

A New State Department to Meet the Challenges of a New Era

Author: U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio

[2]: available from

Technical Difficulties

A recent article¹ on the RTÉ News website is entitled “Why Germany robustly polices pro-Palestinian protests”. After describing police attitudes to the phrase ”from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”, it says: “many Jewish groups view its use as a call for the destruction of the Israeli state”. How strange it is for RTÉ to attribute that interpretation, as if it were open to doubt. What else could the phrase mean? [1]:

RTE.ie

Why Germany robustly polices pro-Palestinian protests

Last month Berlin authorities issued deportation orders to two Irish citizens for taking part in pro-Palestinian protests. Germany's long-standing ...

Hachette UK's Gender Pay Gap report¹ for 2024 says: ”it’s important to note that our gender pay gap has historically been influenced by our largely female workforce, and the underrepresentation of men in entry-level positions. [...] However, we are pleased to see an increase in the number of male employees in our lower quartiles”. A rare instance of men benefiting from a feminist initiative. [1]: https://www.hachette.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/2025-Gender-Pay-Gap.pdf

Yesterday, in the Irish Times, Stephen Collins referred¹ to “people in the UK who voted to leave the EU to recreate a vanished Empire”. What a ridiculous account of Brexiteers' motivations. [1]:

The Irish Times

Rory McIlroy’s wish to be identified as Northern Irish is typical of his generation

Support for Sinn Féin is growing in the North, but support for a united Ireland isn’t. This is not as strange as it might seem

RTÉ News recently reported¹ on an interview with Bernard Gloster, the CEO of the HSE: “He acknowledged concerns about what is perceived as the "absence of findings" in the Farrelly report, adding that "there are still findings here that are absolutely truly shocking even by the standards of the 1990s".” If the 1990s are seen as a dark period, that's news to me. [1]: https://www.rte.ie/news/2025/0416/1507923-grace-report/

On April 15th, the Heritage Party in the UK published a twelve-point plan¹ “to end and reverse mass immigration”. Here are the twelve points: 1. Declare a state of emergency in the English Channel. Prevent illegal boats crossing the Channel from entering British waters and return them to France 2. Leave the ECHR 3. Leave the Barcelona Declaration, Marrakesh Declaration and UN Global Migration Compact 4. Deport all foreign criminals 5. Deport all bogus asylum seekers and illegal immigrants 6. End welfare and free housing, healthcare and education for foreign nationals in the UK 7. Assist migrants losing welfare and free housing to return to their own countries 8. Increase jail sentences and financial penalties for facilitating illegal immigration or employing illegal migrants 9. Reduce work and workers’ dependents’ visas from 408,000 per year (in 2024) to 100,000 per year 10. Reduce student and students’ dependents’ visas from 415,000 per year (in 2024) to 100,000 per year 11. End resettlement programs that deliberately facilitate migration from Afghanistan, Ukraine and other countries to the UK 12. Increase citizenship qualification from 5 years to 20 years continuous residency with requirements to speak fluent English and be culturally assimilated residency with requirements to speak fluent English and be culturally assimilated (1) is impossible, I suspect. (12) would be a great improvement. [1]:

Heritage Party

IMMIGRATION POLICY 2025 - 15-point plan to end and reverse mass immigration — Heritage Party

The updated Heritage Party Manifesto is now online. We are the only challenger party with an achievable 15-point plan that will halt and reverse th...

The National Counter Disinformation Strategy¹ was announced² on April 17th. It's worth quoting the document's definition of hate: “An incident or offence which is perceived by any person to, in whole or in part, be motivated by hostility or prejudice, based on actual or perceived age, disability, race, colour, nationality, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation or gender. It can include malicious communications e.g. email and other internet-based communication.” [1]: https://assets.gov.ie/static/documents/20250416_National_Counter_Disinformation_Strategy_-_EN_-_Final.pdf [2]: https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-tourism-culture-arts-gaeltacht-sport-and-media/press-releases/minister-odonovan-welcomes-publication-of-national-counter-disinformation-strategy/

RTÉ News writes¹ that “Hungarian politicians have overwhelmingly backed constitutional changes targeting the country's LGBTQ community”. But what does this “targeting” consist of, exactly? The article refers only to "The constitutional amendment - which proclaims that people can only be male or female". A Hungarian website gives a little more detail²: “According to MTI, the amendment, proposed by the ruling parties, was designed to confirm that gender at birth is biologically determined, either male or female. Under the new changes, the state must ensure the protection of that "natural order" and prevent any endeavours to suggest there are opportunities to change sex at birth. The fixed nature of the biological gender will ensure the healthy development of society and help maintain fundamental norms of the community, the preamble to the legislation said. Hungarian law refuses to recognise changes to one's sex at birth, thus preserving the stability of the family as an institution and social order, it added. The amendment enshrines in the constitution "the protection of children's bodily, spiritual and moral development, and the right to children's identity according to their gender at birth" as a fundamental right of paramount importance, enjoying proportionate protection. This precedes any other right with the exception of the right to human life, it adds.” So I would say that RTÉ News misleads by using the word ‘targeting’. [1]:

RTE.ie

Hungary back constitutional curbs on LGBTQ people

Hungarian politicians have overwhelmingly backed constitutional changes targeting the country's LGBTQ community and dual nationals, the latest step...

[2]:

Hungary

Hungary

The amendment, proposed by the ruling parties, was designed to confirm that gender at birth is biologically determined, either male or female.

An article¹ in the Irish Times (© Financial Times) describes Viktor Orbán as “A self-confessed admirer of Trump and Putin”. I very much doubt that he has expressed admiration for Putin. It also says: “In countries such as Hungary and Poland, the US presence grew during Trump’s first term, helped in part by his personal relationships with leaders such as Orban and Andrzej Duda”. In his first term, I don't remember Trump being close to Orbán. [1]:

The Irish Times

US overtures to Russia shake up central European politics

Rehabilitation of Vladimir Putin poses awkward questions for those who admire Donald Trump but are suspicious of Moscow

The Irish Times quotes¹ “Nadav Argaman, the former chief of the country’s domestic intelligence service, Shin Bet” as saying: “Without democracy, Israel has no reason to exist.” It's remarkable that anyone could believe that. [1]:

The Irish Times

Netanyahu accuses Israeli former intelligence chief of blackmail amid dispute over controversial legal reforms

Tension also high between Netanyahu and the Shin Bet over ongoing affair dubbed ‘Qatargate’

A recent Telegraph article¹ about Voice of America says: ”A White House statement said that the order “will ensure that taxpayers are no longer on the hook for radical propaganda”. It included a link to a report alleging that VOA reporters had posted “anti-Trump” content on social media.” That's a distortion of the White House press release². Here is the relevant bullet point: • Daily Caller: “Multiple Voice Of America Reporters Have Posted Anti-Trump Content On Social Media” ◦ “Multiple Voice of America (VOA) reporters have repeatedly posted anti-Trump comments on their professional Twitter accounts, despite a social media policy requiring employee impartiality on social media platforms.” This is backed up by the Daily Caller article³ (though I haven't verified its claim that the reporters were using their ”professional accounts”). [1]:

The Telegraph

Trump silences biggest US global broadcaster for ‘radical propaganda’

Staff are blocked from accessing Voice of America offices

[2]:

The White House

The Voice of Radical America

President Donald J. Trump’s executive order on Friday will ensure that taxpayers are no longer on the hook for radical propaganda. Dan Robinson,

[3]: https://dailycaller.com/2019/07/28/voice-of-america-trump-reporters/

The British government recently announced its decision to abolish NHS England. On the thirteenth, the House of Commons debated the matter. Wes Streeting's first contribution¹ makes interesting reading. From his third contribution², the following is worth quoting: “I said before the election that there would be no release of money in winter, because winter is predictable. The NHS was given additional resources and it must learn to live within its means. Despite howls of outrage before and since the election, I have kept to my word. I said that there would be accountability for people who think that the Government are there to bail them out. Having come from local government, where that culture would never be tolerated, I and this Government are bringing that same financial discipline to the NHS. We will not tolerate deficits. It is important that we get better value for money, while also making sure that, nationally, we are providing support through the procurement platform.” [1]: https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2025-03-13/debates/25838956-1EFB-4AF7-BFB2-67CBCDA59DA9/NHSEnglandUpdate#contribution-34D9EFC2-5942-471D-9C8B-A059585AA183 [3]: https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2025-03-13/debates/25838956-1EFB-4AF7-BFB2-67CBCDA59DA9/NHSEnglandUpdate#contribution-35A43F56-515D-4B08-A244-FA1257E681C1

A new opinion piece¹ in the Telegraph argues that “There are things the state does well but there is a deadweight cost when it becomes too big”. In such an article, I was amused to find the following paragraph: “It’s vital to not interpret this as the state does not matter. It does. An educated and a healthy population is critical to economic success.” The author seems unable to imagine private provision of education and healthcare. [1]: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2025/03/16/starmer-wrong-size-matters-when-comes-britain-bloated-state/

RTÉ News quotes¹ Micheál Martin as saying the following about the Russo-Ukrainian war: “The enormity of this war cannot be understated. Hundreds and hundreds of thousands of young people have been killed” Of those “young people”, it's a safe bet that the great majority are men. [1]:

RTE.ie

Russian sources sceptical of Ukraine ceasefire plan

Russian sources have reacted warily to a US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire supported by Ukraine, saying that any deal to end to the war in Ukraine...

RTÉ News informs¹ us that a zoo in County Cork “has announced the birth of a François' langur monkey [...] The baby's gender has yet to be determined”. Since when do animals have a “gender” (as opposed to a sex)? [1]:

RTE.ie

Fota Wildlife Park welcomes birth of endangered monkey

Fota Wildlife Park in Co Cork has announced the birth of a François' langur monkey, a species classified as endangered by the International Union ...

It's old news but I want to comment on the row that occurred when Volodymyr Zelensky met Donald Trump and J. D. Vance on February 28. 1. The two Americans disgraced themselves and their country. 2. Vance was more to blame than Trump. 3. Some people portray this as an ambush by Trump and Vance, prepared in advance. I don't think so. 4. Zelensky behaved unwisely. For example, he should not have challenged J. D. Vance and he should have remained silent as Trump was reproving him. 5. Zelensky's English is not good enough to enable him to be pugnacious. 6. It was very risky to hold such a meeting in public. That should have been clear ahead of time.

BBC News reports¹: “Work is under way to make all men in Poland undergo military training, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said. In a speech to the Polish parliament, Tusk said the government aimed to give full details in the coming months. Efforts are being made to "prepare large-scale military training for every adult male in Poland," he told the Sejm. "We will try to have a model ready by the end of this year so that every adult male in Poland is trained in the event of war, so that this reserve is comparable and adequate to the potential threats." [...] Tusk said women may also undergo military training, but "war, is still to a greater extent the domain of men".” The Guardian adds²: “After his speech, he told reporters he was not considering a return of universal military service, but rather a reserve system based on the model in Switzerland. In that country, every man is obliged to serve in the military or an alternative civilian service while women can volunteer if they choose.” I call on Irish politicians, nearly all of whom are committed to “gender equality”, to condemn this gross unfairness to men. [1]:

Donald Tusk announces military training plans for all men in Poland

Poland's prime minister said his government plans to have a model ready by the end of the year.

[2]:

the Guardian

Poland plans military training for every adult male amid growing European security fears

PM Donald Tusk says country needs army of 500,000 and backs withdrawal from treaty banning landmines

“More female than male doctors for first time ever in the UK”. March 6, 2024. https://www.gmc-uk.org/news/news-archive/more-female-than-male-doctors-for-first-time-ever-in-the-uk The above press release is from the General Medical Council. It says: “there are now 164,440 women (50.04%) registered with a licence to practise, compared with 164,195 men (49.96%)” One doctor is quoted as saying: “we see huge variations in the type of medical specialties women doctors go into – the majority choosing to be a GP or paediatrician – but very few are choosing surgery. These disparities are not acceptable for career progression” I would like to ask this doctor if the disparity in paediatrics, where 60.8% of doctors are women, is a problem. The page briefly notes that: “for the first time, there are more doctors from ethnic minority backgrounds than white doctors working in the UK” At the 2021 census, 83% of the UK's population was white¹. Evidently, disparities are not a problem if they favour women or non-whites. [1]:

Demographics of the United Kingdom - Wikipedia

This headline appeared today on the home page¹ of the Daily Telegraph: “Daring German carnival floats mock Trump, Putin and AfD”. In Germany, that's anything but daring. [1]: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/