Brice Dickson, head of the Human Rights Commission, recently defended the group's failure to back calls for an outright ban on the use of plastic bullets by reminding us that RUC officers had human rights too. Free article

Who was surprised at the State of the West Report produced by the Western Development Commission? Better still, who believes that the necessary policies are in place to tackle the wholesale underdevelopment of the region? It seems that it is only the Dublin government that still clings to the forlorn belief that the National Development Plan can redress decades of under investment and neglect in the west. Free article

In the last of his series on globalisation, JUSTIN MORAN examines the lessons to be learned from Genoa. Free article

Educational inequality, and the indifference of the Dublin government to the same, were brought into sharp focus by two major news stories this month. One of them outraged the people of Ireland, the other barely commanded a whimper. Free article

It is hard not to believe there is a campaign being mounted from Britain to oust ATGWU Irish regional secretary Mick O'Reilly from his post. On 26 June, O'Reilly returned from his holidays and traveled to Belfast on his first day back at work for a meeting of the Irish regional executive of the ATGWU. Though he traveled all the way to the meeting, O'Reilly was not allowed participate. Waiting English officials told him that he was being suspended on full pay pending an investigation into allegations of misconduct against him and the union's Six-County organiser Eugene McGloin. Free article

``It's a good time to be Irish.'' This was just part of the analysis made by Bertie Ahern speaking in Brazil last week. Never mind the turmoil in Genoa and an international economy clearly stumbling with dire implications for all of the Irish economy, Ahern was spreading the message of what a great economy the 26 Counties is. Free article

Kevin Myers' identity crisis

A Chairde,

The Irish Times columnist Kevin Myers wants to open up a debate about what it means to be Irish, or rather what qualifications he feels are required. Rarely do I agree with said Mr Myers, but the relationship between Britain and Ireland and the historical legacy that influences our perceived identities warrants further debate.

Myers brushes... Free article

A year ago, Mexicans elected a new president, Vicente Fox. During his campaign, Fox committed himself to resolving long-standing economic and human rights issues Free article

Ós rud é go bhfuil Mí na Súl Buí ag teacht chun deiridh, tagann Balar na Súile Nimhe chun cuimhne chugam. Ní amháin go bhfuil clú agus cáil ar Bhalar ar fud na hÉireann ach tá trácht air sa Chorn chomh maith. Free article