Ireland outlaws blasphemy

[Mediocrates]

http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php/site/article/7171/

It does seem bizarre that, in 2009, a modern European nation would seek to shield religious belief from criticism – yet that is what is happening in Ireland right now. In repealing the 1961 Defamation Act, the Irish government sought to expunge the worst excesses of Ireland’s draconian laws restricting free speech, but in the process it has ended up making offending religious belief a criminal offence (1).

[maven]

http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php/site/article/7171/

It does seem bizarre that, in 2009, a modern European nation would seek to shield religious belief from criticism – yet that is what is happening in Ireland right now. In repealing the 1961 Defamation Act, the Irish government sought to expunge the worst excesses of Ireland’s draconian laws restricting free speech, but in the process it has ended up making offending religious belief a criminal offence (1).What you have to bear in mind Mediocrates is that the Irish Republic is not in the normal sense a Western Democracy but a Parliamentary Theocracy.

It's religious laws are in some cases stricter than Iran, no abortions are permitted and women have to travel to the UK to have them performed. Ireland is also in contravention of at least one EU law on sexual discrimination. It actually lags behind the Islamic Republic in it's treatment of transgendered citizens.
Irish political attitudes have more to do with Che and Chavez than Sarcozi or Churchill. It is in fact a heavily subsidised Banana Republic that floats off the European continent.

It is also a nation with a tradition of cowardice. The idea that somehow the Irish rose up against the British in 1916 is as big a myth as the French resistance; both resistors were only a tiny fraction of their societies.

Ireland refused to fight Hitler even as pictures from the concentration camps were shown in newsreels in the cinemas. Partly that was because of centuries of Catholic anti-Semitism; which persists today in votes at the UN on Israel (The Irish deligate was one of the few who sat all the way through Ahmedinjad's speech and clapped at the end). Anyone who wishes to see that anti-Semitism has only to watch old footage of the shroud-waving Palestinian supporter Orla Geurin who acted as BBC corrospondent in Lebanon.

Video: Typical of Irish attitudes to Israel's foes: BBC's Orla Geurin's Outragiously biased report on what poor Hezbollah had to suffer from the evil Jews:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZTAsnUN-tk

The Irish people support Hamas and Hezbollah to the hilt and the IRA work closely with both.

Happy to have Britain and US defend them from Hitler they now seek Europe to defend them from any attack while refusing to reciprocate. As is revealed in the discussion in the video below, military cowardice is an integral part of the culture:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDKk5cfhIDU