Person: Alison O

A COMPREHENSIVE SERIES OF ARTICLES ON THIS TOPIC

opinion

Casey scrapes bottom of the barrel being bottom in race to Áras

HADN’T anticipated taking much comfort from this tepid shower of a presidential campaign but that’s what has happened. Peter Casey is the man responsible for it, writes Alison O’Connor. 

Mind your language: Words really matter in the world of politics

Questions need to be asked of journalists’ love-in with Michael D

Plain-speaking Dr Scally is just the man for our ailing health system

Just imagine if the Pope stood in Phoenix Park and told the truth

Bishop Doran has valid point but where does that leave ‘cultural Catholics’?

We must take full ownership of what it is we’re voting for

YOU know when you put something away carefully and you did such a good job of it that you can’t find it? Well that happened to me this week. It drove me nut, writes Alison O’Connor.

Fri, 18 May, 2018

Schools must deliver good and realistic sex education to children

The best way to help our girls and boys is to develop their sexuality in a healthy manner, writes Alison O’Connor. 

Fri, 30 Mar, 2018

Varadkar must surely be tempted to call a snap general election

Alison O’Connor believes he showed belated wisdom in not going to the country back in December. But all he needs at the moment is a valid, or valid enough, reason to throw us all into a general election campaign.

Fri, 16 Feb, 2018

Abortion debate is far from over as it now spreads into normal life

Abortion is not as black and white as people might portray it, and ‘there is a lot of grey’ in this profound, complex moral issue, writes Alison O’Connor.

Fri, 26 Jan, 2018

Dáil debate on repeal of Eighth was balm for the female soul

This was a debate about women’s rights and healthcare and about giving women equal opportunity, writes Alison O’Connor

Fri, 19 Jan, 2018

Mary Lou will always be shackled to Sinn Féin’s sectarian baggage

There was no getting over the oddness... of her being elected unopposed, writes Alison O’Connor

Fri, 12 Jan, 2018

Better control at RTÉ is probably poor comfort to Sean Gallagher

Sean Gallagher waited a long time for his case to conclude, with his life, no doubt, in some ways on hold, writes Alison O’Connor.

Fri, 22 Dec, 2017

There's little succour for women who’ve been harassed in the workplace

Alison O’Connor worries about the women who work in the background of Leinster House.

Fri, 10 Nov, 2017

How the death of Savita Halappanavar changed the abortion debate

The death of Savita Halappanavar five years ago has not yet lead to a transformation of the law on abortion but change will surely happen before much longer, writes Alison O’Connor

Sat, 28 Oct, 2017

Availability of abortion pill means the genie is out of the bottle

THERE are more than 1,000 abortions taking place in Ireland each year. Yes, they are happening every day, right under our noses, and as time goes on that figure is going to rise substantially, writes Alison O’Connor.

Fri, 27 Oct, 2017

Abortion headache will contribute to political stability until next year

Imagine either of the two parties finding themselves with abortion as an election issue, writes Alison O’Connor

Fri, 13 Oct, 2017

Minimal change in abortion law is likely, and it won’t please either side

The committee will likely end up recommending abortion in restrictive circumstances, writes Alison O’Connor

Fri, 29 Sep, 2017

President Higgins is just too old to serve for a second, seven-year term

Reading between the lines President Higgins is actively considering running again, writes Alison O’Connor

Fri, 22 Sep, 2017

Next few months will reveal if Leo is man of substance or just style

After  a summer of wetsuit posing, efforts to expand his appeal through social media and going unrecognised by Irish students on their J1 visa Taoiseach Leo Varadkar now gets down to the real business of running the country, writes Alison O’Connor.

Fri, 15 Sep, 2017

Failure to vaccinate girls against HPV is a death sentence for some

If you are a parent of one of the 30,000 girls who will be offered the vaccine in September, you are right to inform yourself, but do so from trusted scientific sources, writes Alison O’Connor.

Fri, 11 Aug, 2017

Judiciary are under siege again at the behest of a shameless populist

A row has been simmering between the executive and judicial branches of government for some time, writes Alison O’Connor. 

Fri, 30 Jun, 2017

Deep divisions hamper abortion committee

As Judge Mary Laffoy gets ready to present her report on the Citizens’ Assembly, Alison O’Connor says we are in for a tortuous few months before we get to vote on the issue.

Mon, 26 Jun, 2017

Youthful Leo has old-fashioned attitude to women in politics

You cannot purport to be a modern leader, like Macron, and not prioritise women at cabinet, writes Alison O’Connor

Fri, 23 Jun, 2017

How Fine Gael’s cappuccino candidate trumped his Complan rival

Regardless of who wins the election today, the real winner in all of this has been the

Fri, 02 Jun, 2017

We should respond in kind as Muslim community reaches out

I am afraid to go the French capital, and certainly do not want to bring them [my children] there, writes Alison O’Connor.

Fri, 26 May, 2017

Light on substance but Leo Varadkar does look the part

Taking questions for some 40 minutes at his policy launch yesterday, Leo Varadkar looks cut from a different cloth to the incumbent leader, writes Alison O’Connor.

Tue, 23 May, 2017

History books will treat Enda Kenny more fairly than the current commentary

Without doubt he damaged the party further by staying on too long in an act of self indulgence, writes Alison O’Connor

Fri, 19 May, 2017

Hijab allows Muslim women to articulate their faith and identity

They believe it is no wonder Muslim women are synonymous with words such as submissive, passive, oppressed, victim, writes Alison O’Connor

Fri, 05 May, 2017

For too long, mothers have given birth in buildings unfit for purpose

The problem is we all know the Church plays a very long game, and sticks, religiously, to its beliefs, writes Alison O’Connor

Fri, 28 Apr, 2017

Citizens’ Assembly shows the way on abortion

The Oireachtas no longer has the excuse of saying it does not know the way forward on abortion after the Citizens’ Assembly delivered its judgments, writes Alison O’Connor.

Mon, 24 Apr, 2017

It’s time to scale back on plastic pollution — think before you buy

You are cleaning your teeth with plastic. You can literally feel it on your tongue, writes Alison O’Connor.

Fri, 14 Apr, 2017

Could Enda Kenny be staring down at us from posters at the next election?

The leadership contest has effectively been going on for over a year, points out Alison O’Connor.

Fri, 24 Mar, 2017

Politicians and public bury their heads in the sand on alcohol abuse

Our streets host fabulous parades by day, but scenes of vomiting, urinating, and fighting by night, writes Alison O’Connor.

Fri, 17 Mar, 2017

The 8th: Toxic shame continues to haunt women years after Tuam horrors

As a woman listening, it was so wounding to realise what little value your country has in you, writes Alison O’Connor.

Fri, 10 Mar, 2017

Assembly on eighth amendment will scrutinise input of women who had abortions

They’ve been chosen to give a ‘range’ of the experiences which can be undergone by women, rather than an absolute balance of pro and anti abortion, writes Alison O’Connor.

Fri, 03 Mar, 2017

Fine Gael leadership race could hinge on sexual orientation issue

A result where holy Catholic Ireland has elected a gay prime minister would make international news, writes Alison O’Connor.

Fri, 24 Feb, 2017

Our Lady's Hospice help patients come to terms with dying

Helping patients come to terms with their situation is just one of many care services provided by the staff of Our Lady’s Hospice, writes Alison O’Connor.

Tue, 21 Feb, 2017

It is finally time to move on, but without this bumbling Taoiseach Enda Kenny

Enda Kenny’s approach has been to treat the whistleblower as if he had the equivalent of a political plague, writes Alison O’Connor.

Fri, 17 Feb, 2017

Fine Gael should put their water treatment by RTÉ on ice for now

Fine Gael seem to be threatening RTÉ with censure if they do not treat them the way they think they should be treated, writes Alison O’Connor.

Fri, 20 Jan, 2017

Taoiseach and his chief whip need to sing from the same hymn sheet

Asked if she may have to stand down Regina Doherty said: ‘The principle is more important than the job’, writes Alison O’Connor

Fri, 13 Jan, 2017

Governments have failed but we also need to question our priorities

Why do we take to the streets in massive numbers to protest over water charges and not over such utterly appalling conditions in our health services? asks Alison O’Connor

Fri, 06 Jan, 2017