Abortion Abroad

Figures published this week showed a decline (for the 8th year in a row) in the number of women travelling from Ireland to the UK for abortions. Despite this latest reduction, over 4,000 women in 2009 were still forced to leave the country in order to avail of a service that should be provided domestically. Ireland must end its exportation of women who require a pregnancy termination and seek to provide services in a sensitive way at home.

Contemporaneous with the release of these figures was a judgement by the Mexican Supreme Court holding that abortion must be provided to victims of rape and that women had the right to avoid forced pregnancies. Interestingly, this is a view that an overwhelming majority of the Irish population would appear to hold according to a survey conducted by the Irish Family Planning Association in March 2010. Yet motivation to liberalise the law in Ireland is conspicuously absent.

However, the European Court of Human Rights is expected to issue of judgement later this year following a challenge to Ireland's abortion law by three women in December 2009. So Ireland may be forced to review and reform its law in the very near future whether it wants to or not.

FTT Momentum

As the Robin Hood Tax campaign captures the imagination of activists in more and more countries, the world is being forced to respond to the calls for a Financial Transaction Tax.

The latest move is the announcement today that the European Commission will present a plan to the G20 in June for the establishment of an EU network of bank resolution funds. Although the proposal sounds very much like an insurance scheme for banks, the press release states numerous times that this is not the case.

There is no mention of using funds raised for tackling issues such as climate change and global poverty, but the very mention of a coordinated approach to taxing banks is a positive step forward.

Who Gets What?

A colleague recently brought my attention to a parliamentary question asked last week by Joanna Tuffy - requesting a break down from Minister Power of all Irish Aid funding provided to Irish NGOs in recent years.

The following table was given in reply, from which I will simply list some of the largest benefactors.

Concern Worldwide:
2010 - 15, 997,000
2009 - 24,812,620
2008 - 33,395,950

GOAL:
2010 - 9,960,720
2009 - 16,596,722
2008 - 20,197,526

Trocaire:
2010 - 11,200,000
2009 - 19,524,452
2008 - 22,999,837

Misean Cara:
2010 - 11,200,000
2009 - 16,000,000
2008 - 20,000,000

It is quite clear, from a brief examination of the table, that there is still a propensity for funding to be given to organisations that have a religious ethos at their core. With the exception of GOAL and Guidestar Ireland Ltd, secular NGOs simply do not come close to achieving that level of funding. That is not to say that all organisations with a religious persuasion are provided with such sums (see for example Christian Aid) or that such funding is not justified. It is just a numerical fact. I am also not ignoring that organisations such as Concern have been active for decades and are considerably larger than any other NGO in Ireland - though with such funding, it is clear to see how it can maintain its size and engage in the quantity of work that it does.

I am referencing the table as I think it is important for tax payers to see what organisations are trusted to spend part of Ireland's aid budget. The table should be examined in great detail and judgements should be made by the public as to whether the NGOs that benefit most financially are leaders in their field or examples of best practice.

Stop Gibe 3

The Italian and Chinese governments and potentially the European Investment Bank are currently financing the construction of a dam in Ethiopia that threatens the livelihoods of 500,000 people in both Ethiopia and Kenya.

The Gibe 3 dam on the Omo river, if completed, will;

• End the river's natural food cycle
• Reduce water flow to Lake Turkana in Northern Kenya
• Devastate the UNESCO recognised ecosystems of the Omo and Lake Turkana

The construction of the dam has been approved in violation of Ethiopian law and various international conventions and contravenes the standards set by the independent World Commission on Dams.

Sign the petition to Stop Gibe 3 now or take part in the Dublin photo stunt this coming Monday.

Tax Dodging Undermining Irish Aid

Have a look at Christian Aid Ireland's latest report Tax of Life, which highlights how tax dodging by multinational companies undermines the development of countries that Irish Aid supports.

Christian Aid has called on the Irish government to take action to address this massive loss of tax by;

• Supporting the introduction of binding country by country reporting standards for multinational companies
• Examining policy coherence between Irish Aid and the Department of Finance
• Moving forward the goal of establishing a truly multilateral agreement for the automatic exchange of tax information

Irish businesses have also been called upon to act by making tax issues part of their corporate social responsibility and supporting progressive steps taken by the Irish government.

Irish Unemployment

Figures released today by the OECD, show that Ireland has the third highest rate of unemployment within the block. Lower than only Spain and Slovakia, Ireland's rate now stands at 13.2%.

That translates into nearly a tripling of the unemployment rate in just 3 years and is considerably higher than the OECD area rate of 8.7%.

With government machinations to prop up the banking industry being published on a daily basis, it would be a welcome change to hear what nascent plans if any are in place to address the daily struggle that over 13% of the country is now facing.

Today's the Day for Clegg

Coalition governments have become the norm in Ireland. It is always known, regardless of what politicians say prior to an election, which parties are likely to pair off after the votes have been counted. There have been no surprises in recent history.

However, the situation in the UK is quite different. For decades, the political landscape has been dominated by either the Conservatives or Labour - neither party ever being forced to form an official coalition in order to gain an overall majority. The Liberal Democrats on the other hand have always been a minority voice who have existed perpetually in opposition. Now though, they are in the unique position of being able to decide, within reason, which of the established parties forms the next government.

As a result, both the Conservatives and Labour are offering concessions to the Liberal Democrats, but the key issue on the table is electoral reform. Nick Clegg must realise that true electoral reform - the kind that will embolden the political aspirations of his party - would be suicide for the Conservatives. Whether is be alternative voting or proportional representation, the Conservative party would suffer the most in future elections whereas Labour and the Liberal Democrats would benefit dramatically.

Mr Clegg has stated since the beginning of this campaign that he intends to assiduously respect the wish of the British electorate. It could be argued that to do so he must go into government with the Conservatives who secured the most seats in the 2010 election. Alternatively it could be suggested that if he truly wants to respect the will of the people, then he must do everything in his power to ensure that the political system is designed to realise that will.

If the Liberal Democrats side with the Conservatives they will be accused of abandoning some of their core principles but if they opt for Labour, many pundits will criticise them for propping up a party that much of the UK does not wish to see retain power. Either way, they will be lambasted by one side. The question that the Liberal Democrats have to ask themsevles is whether they are willing to suffer for the good of the people that they purport to represent or just suffer for their chance in power.

Greek Protests

Not to trivialise the civil unrest currently bringing strife to the streets of Greece, but it is worth highlighting one protestor's call during the riots;

We are not Ireland. We do not sacrifice ourselves for the rich

What will it take to push Irish people on to the streets?