Irish Examiner view: Respect for campaigners fighting surge of domestic violence

It should not be up to brave individuals to make up for the legislative sluggishness of the State

Aretha Franklin’s powerful anthem ‘Respect’ has topped an updated poll from Rolling Stone magazine which lists the 500 best songs ever. The queen of soul made the Otis Redding song her own with a 1967 rendition so forceful it became a rallying cry for the civil rights and feminist movements.

What a shame the greatest song of all time continues to be relevant today when respect is conspicuous by its absence in so many areas of modern life, not least in the domestic sphere where Aretha once urged her man to have “just a little bit”.