Person: Fergus Finlay

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Person: Fergus Finlay

A COMPREHENSIVE SERIES OF ARTICLES ON THIS TOPIC

<p>Elon Musk had long allowed X to be a sewer of hate. Its AI extension, Grok, brings it to a new low, allowing users to generate, without consent, sexualised and otherwise objectionable images based on photos of real people including children. Picture: Vincent Feuray/Hans Lucas/AFP/Getty</p>

S columnists

Fergus Finlay: We must block Grok, it’s that simple — so why aren’t we doing it?

Being told to turn to Hotline.ie in the face of non-consensual image abuse isn't good enough: We need political will to face down social media giants and internet service providers

SFergus Finlay: Donald Trump has driven world into a might is right phase

SFergus Finlay: What could 2026 hold for Donald Trump? Wrong answers only

SFergus Finlay: Life lessons from a hospital visit and an eloquent taxi driver

SFergus Finlay: Raise a glass to 30 years of divorce in Ireland

SFergus Finlay: Europe must stand against the worst appeasement since Munich

Fergus Finlay: Labour's vision has never been to force a unity vote

S Fergus Finlay: Labour's vision has never been to force a unity vote

An aspect of Ivana Bacik's speech at the Labour conference last weekend felt more like something Mary-Lou McDonald would say, writes Fergus Finlay

Tue, 18 Nov, 2025

Fergus Finlay: I was always proud of the Irish flag — now it is just a symbol of hostility

S Fergus Finlay: I was always proud of the Irish flag — now it is just a symbol of hostility

Behind the flags there is more than racism. We need to debate this — and we need to do it honestly

Tue, 11 Nov, 2025

Fergus Finlay: Sr Stan never settled in her advocacy for people on the margins of Irish life

Fergus Finlay: Sr Stan never settled in her advocacy for people on the margins of Irish life

There’ll be all sorts of tributes paid to Sister Stan in the coming days, every one thoroughly well-deserved.

Tue, 04 Nov, 2025

Fergus Finlay: The nomination process has to change before the next presidential election

S Fergus Finlay: The nomination process has to change before the next presidential election

Connolly’s victory was decisive but exposed deep flaws in Ireland’s presidential process — and the anger now consuming public debate

Tue, 28 Oct, 2025

Fergus Finlay: Is the 'spoil your vote' campaign loony or something more sinister?

S Fergus Finlay: Is the 'spoil your vote' campaign loony or something more sinister?

I can think of nothing less democratic than spending resources on trying to persuade people to waste their vote

Tue, 21 Oct, 2025

Fergus Finlay: I have no sympathy for Jim Gavin — the whole thing was grubby

S Fergus Finlay: I have no sympathy for Jim Gavin — the whole thing was grubby

This tawdry mess is throwing a cloud over the office of the presidency, and now our choices are unacceptably narrow

Tue, 07 Oct, 2025

Prime Minister's Questions

S Fergus Finlay: Presidential race highlights how leaders grow — or shrink — under pressure

The presidential race will not be decided by policy or ideology, but by whether candidates show true leadership under pressure

Tue, 16 Sep, 2025

Donabate missing boy

S Fergus Finlay: Ireland’s child protection failures go beyond Tusla — the real issue is political will

Ireland has one social worker per 3,000 people, yet we scapegoat Tusla instead of fixing systemic failures in child protection

Tue, 09 Sep, 2025

Fergus Finlay: Anything other than a two-state solution will never allow for peace

S Fergus Finlay: Anything other than a two-state solution will never allow for peace

You don't make peace with friends, as Shimon Peres said, you make it with 'very unsavoury enemies'

Tue, 02 Sep, 2025

Trump Putin

S Fergus Finlay: Alaska summit proves Trump is still enthralled by Putin as Ukraine war rages on

Trump’s deference to Putin in Alaska exposed his weakness, while Ukraine and Europe insist only self-determination can bring peace

Tue, 19 Aug, 2025

Fergus Finlay: Ireland may have its challenges but it is still a wonderful country

S Fergus Finlay: Ireland may have its challenges but it is still a wonderful country

The older I get the more I believe that if there is a people who know how to close the gap between what ought to be and what is, it is the Irish people

Tue, 05 Aug, 2025

Fergus Finlay: The truth is being exhumed in Tuam. But will Ireland ever face it?

S Fergus Finlay: The truth is being exhumed in Tuam. But will Ireland ever face it?

The Tuam excavations must not be the end of the story — they must mark the start of real justice

Tue, 22 Jul, 2025

Fergus Finlay: I arrived at the hospital for a 2.30pm appointment. I left just after 10pm

S Fergus Finlay: I arrived at the hospital for a 2.30pm appointment. I left just after 10pm

Shingles gave me a scare — and a sobering look at what’s great and broken in Irish public healthcare

Tue, 15 Jul, 2025

Fergus Finlay: The presidency belongs to the people - it needs an open contest

Fergus Finlay: The presidency belongs to the people - it needs an open contest

Our last three Presidents have brought international recognition and esteem to the office. An open contest will keep that going, writes Fergus Finlay

Tue, 08 Jul, 2025

7717

S Fergus Finlay: The Constitution must protect dignity as a right, not just an aspiration

Ireland demands loyalty from citizens but offers little in return — especially for children with special needs and the elderly

Tue, 10 Jun, 2025

Donald Trump,Elon Musk

S Fergus Finlay: Dystopian literature has taught us that oppression has a limited shelf life

Trump and Musk’s dystopian alliance is dismantling soft power, undermining democracy, and spreading fear that won’t stay confined to America

Tue, 03 Jun, 2025

Fergus Finlay: Modest efforts to do good still have lots to teach us

S Fergus Finlay: Modest efforts to do good still have lots to teach us

Fergus Finlay reflects on a childhood shaped by a noble name, family stories, and a lifetime commitment to meaningful charitable work

Tue, 27 May, 2025

Fergus Finlay: Our leaders are running a 'do-nothing' parliament, and it's offensive

S Fergus Finlay: Our leaders are running a 'do-nothing' parliament, and it's offensive

Ireland may top global rankings, but rising inequality and political inertia paint a much bleaker picture at home

Tue, 20 May, 2025

Fergus Finlay: Skorts row might seem silly but it highlights a bigger issue

S Fergus Finlay: Skorts row might seem silly but it highlights a bigger issue

Camogie’s skort rule is about more than sportswear — it’s a test of respect, choice, and how we treat women in Irish sport

Tue, 13 May, 2025

Fergus Finlay: Ireland’s housing mess won’t be fixed by a ‘tsar’ – it needs a minister who shows up

Fergus Finlay: Ireland’s housing mess won’t be fixed by a ‘tsar’ – it needs a minister who shows up

The McDonagh fallout proves ministers are shirking responsibility on housing when they should be driving the system forward

Tue, 06 May, 2025

Rachel Maddow Visits "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon"

S Fergus Finlay: Free press is the only active opposition to Trump's cruelty

Arresting a judge and disappearing students off the street among the evils being catalogued by Rachel Maddow on MSNBC

Tue, 29 Apr, 2025

Pope Francis visit to Ireland - Day 2

S Fergus Finlay: Pope Francis — A good man but a failed papacy

Poor and marginalised people mattered to the late pope, but not so much to the Catholic Church — just look at its response to Sheila Nunan's mother and baby homes redress report

Mon, 21 Apr, 2025

Wall Street Crash

S Fergus Finlay: Trump’s tariff chaos risks global economic damage, but will it even last?

Trump’s reckless trade war may not last — but the economic and human damage could echo through history again

Tue, 08 Apr, 2025

Keir Starmer visit to West Yorkshire

S Fergus Finlay: Keir Starmer's plans risk losing the dressing room even before half-time

UK Labour has inherited a broken economy and global instability — can Keir Starmer avoid the fate that has plagued left-wing leaders before him?

Tue, 01 Apr, 2025

Fergus Finlay: We are not powerless against toxic social media. It's time to act

S Fergus Finlay: We are not powerless against toxic social media. It's time to act

Conor McGregor's twisted rhetoric and the show Adolescence hit the headlines in the same week, showing just how mainstream toxic masculinity has become. We must act, writes Fergus Finlay

Tue, 25 Mar, 2025

Fergus Finlay: Democracy is dying in the US and the Democrats are allowing it to happen

S Fergus Finlay: Democracy is dying in the US and the Democrats are allowing it to happen

Unless they want to see their country damaged beyond repair, the Democrats must become a determined and focused opposition to stop America marching headfirst into an autocracy

Tue, 18 Mar, 2025

Taoiseach visit to the US

S Fergus Finlay: Can the Taoiseach navigate Trump’s unpredictability during White House visit?

As Micheál Martin visits Washington, he faces diplomatic challenges, Trump’s unpredictability, and Ireland’s critical US ties

Tue, 11 Mar, 2025

Russia Ukraine War

S Mick Clifford: Does neutrality still protect Ireland? Why it’s time for an honest conversation

As global threats rise, Ireland’s neutrality faces scrutiny. Is it a principled stance or outdated idealism? The debate intensifies

Sun, 09 Mar, 2025

Ofsted inspection report

S Fergus Finlay: 1 in 4 primary students missed a month of school — is Ireland facing an attendance crisis?

School absences in Ireland have skyrocketed post-pandemic, with disadvantaged areas hit hardest. Urgent reform is needed now

Tue, 25 Feb, 2025

Fergus Finlay: We need to take a stand and make misogyny a criminal offence

S Fergus Finlay: We need to take a stand and make misogyny a criminal offence

Another woman raises her head and decides to have a go at politics. Good on her. Except this was Gráinne Seoige, who had done nothing wrong except to show a bit of ambition for public service.

Tue, 18 Feb, 2025

Trump Goes Back To Butler Assassination Site To Bolster Campaign

Fergus Finlay: Cruelty goes unchecked as Democrats fail to get act together

Behind the craziness there is deeply sinister change. The kind of change that won’t just change America but the world. And it’s been driven by an entirely sociopathic approach

Tue, 11 Feb, 2025

New Taoiseach appointed

S Fergus Finlay: With one stupid decision, coalition undermined itself and united the opposition

The Ceann Comhairle says the regional Independents cannot be considered part of the opposition. But many questions remain about the shoddy little deal Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael struck with them

Tue, 04 Feb, 2025

Fergus Finlay: Vote for Taoiseach was chaotic — but it was great craic, wasn’t it?

S Fergus Finlay: Vote for Taoiseach was chaotic — but it was great craic, wasn’t it?

On days like last Wednesday, people stop what they’re doing and tune in to find out what’s going on in the Dáil

Tue, 28 Jan, 2025

Meta ends fact-checking on Facebook and Instagram

S Fergus Finlay: We have to take on all of the things that undermine democracy

Trump controls the political system, the courts, and now the primary means of communication for millions of Americans. What about the rest of us? Are we really hopeless and helpless?

Tue, 14 Jan, 2025

TOPSHOT-US-VOTE-POLITICS-TRUMP

S Fergus Finlay: Democracy is dying — a more autocratic world is only years away

Democracy is floundering and wringing its hands in the face of visible and growing threats and challenges

Tue, 07 Jan, 2025

FRANCE-JUSTICE-TRIAL-ASSAULT-WOMEN

S Fergus Finlay: In a year of strong women, Gisele Pelicot stood out in 2024

In a year in which we may have seen the start of the gradual decline and death of democracy, there have been some women who have given us hope

Tue, 31 Dec, 2024

Fergus Finlay: This time of year, we all need something good to believe in

S Fergus Finlay: This time of year, we all need something good to believe in

Santa Claus is coming. If you believe, he can really help to ease whatever pain and heartache is hurting you, writes Fergus Finlay

Tue, 24 Dec, 2024

General view

S Fergus Finlay: We must stop funding greyhound racing

So-called sport that gets €20m of taxpayers' money annually promotes gambling and animal cruelty

Tue, 17 Dec, 2024

Fergus Finlay: Our government formation system is wonky but also precious

S Fergus Finlay: Our government formation system is wonky but also precious

Our imperfect democracy seems to be the best we can do. And it’s always going to be that way

Tue, 10 Dec, 2024

General Election

S Fergus Finlay: Three words for Labour on government formation — Don’t. Don’t. Don’t

It was social democracy that founded the welfare state, led the fight for equal pay and rights for women, and insisted on the right of workers to join trade unions

Tue, 03 Dec, 2024

Fergus Finlay: Courageous Nikita Hand went into court as a victim but came out as a hero

S Fergus Finlay: Courageous Nikita Hand went into court as a victim but came out as a hero

Why is abuse tolerated? Why must we rely on the courage of brave and often alone women to speak out?

Tue, 26 Nov, 2024

Fergus Finlay: The smaller political parties are behaving like the adults in the room

S Fergus Finlay: The smaller political parties are behaving like the adults in the room

There is an entire generation at risk of becoming increasingly alienated from ordinary democratic politics

Tue, 19 Nov, 2024

'My message to the next Dáil' podcast: Fergus Finlay on disability rights

'My message to the next Dáil' podcast: Fergus Finlay on disability rights

Long standing child welfare and disabilities campaigner and media commentator Fergus Finlay sets out what he feels needs to be done by the next government to improve the lives of disabled people and those who care for them in our society

Listen | Tue, 12 Nov, 2024

Coronavirus - Sun May 3, 2020

S My message to the next Dáil: Fergus Finlay — give people with a disability the ability to live a full life

Tens of billions of euro is spent chaotically by a number of government departments and hundreds of agencies with no transparency, very little accountability, and no real direction

Listen | Tue, 12 Nov, 2024