JUST like the drunk no-one wants to drive home from the party, water charges long ago joined abortion as a subject no political party wants to be cornered on.

THOSE of a certain age may recall watching, as children, Modern Times, a 1936 epic comedy film, written and directed by Charlie Chaplin, in which his iconic Little Tramp character struggles to survive in the modern, industrialised world. 

SINCE it was first mooted, media reports on plans to hold a conference in Cork on Israel have been invariably preceded by the adjective “controversial”.

THE decision by Finian McGrath, minister of state with responsibility for disabilities, to scrap the terms of reference for the inquiry into the case of the woman known as ‘Grace’ is indicative of a Government confused, bewildered and in disarray in attempting to deal comprehensively with historic and ongoing ill-treatment of our most vulnerable citizens.

OVER-REACH by the European Court of Justice was one of the reasons Britain chose to leave the EU, prompting Prime Minister Theresa May to declare: “We are not leaving only to return to the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice.”

SPECULATIVE reports that in the region of 80 rural post offices are earmarked for closure have been resoundedly refuted by An Post which says it is conducting a review of the network.

TODAY is International Women’s Day, an annual event celebrated by millions of women around the world. It is done so, however, in the knowledge that equality between the sexes is still a long way off.

Today’s report about efforts by Kerry County Council to use the Sheen River to supply Kenmare with water describes in microcosm the problems around matching an ever-growing demand for water with finite resources.

It has not yet been established beyond reasonable doubt whether US President Donald Trump’s extraordinary complexion is a consequence of global warming or some other human activity. 

We have, inevitably but almost without noticing it, reached an extraordinarily dangerous point.