corksean
corksean's JournalIreland to hold referendum on gay marriage in May
Source: Guardian UK
A referendum on legalising gay marriage in Ireland will be held in May, the Republic’s deputy prime minister announced on Tuesday evening.
Tánaiste and Irish Labour leader Joan Burton confirmed that the cabinet in Dublin had agreed to hold the vote then.
...
The latest opinion poll in the Irish Times found that 71% of the Republic’s electorate would vote yes and allow for legal gay marriages in the state.
Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/dec/16/ireland-gay-marriage-referendum-may
About time.
MPs overwhelmingly back ban on smoking in cars carrying children (UK)
Source: UK Guardian
Smoking in cars carrying children is set to be banned after MPs overwhelmingly backed the plan in a free vote.
The House of Commons supported the plan, first put forward by Labour, despite the misgivings of some cabinet members, including Nick Clegg, over whether it will be too difficult to police.
Under the proposal the government will now have powers to introduce a new offence of exposing children to smoke in vehicles, with breaches of the law likely to incur a small fine.
Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/feb/10/mps-smoking-ban-cars-children
Orwell was hailed a hero for fighting in Spain. Today he'd be guilty of terrorism
If George Orwell and Laurie Lee were to return from the Spanish civil war today, they would be arrested under section five of the Terrorism Act 2006. If convicted of fighting abroad with a "political, ideological, religious or racial motive" – a charge they would find hard to contest – they would face a maximum sentence of life in prison. That they were fighting to defend an elected government against a fascist rebellion would have no bearing on the case. They would go down as terrorists.
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/feb/10/orwell-hero-terrorism-syria-british-fighters-damned
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