Free Republic

The Finance Minister has ruled out abolishing inheritance tax, saying it would not be fair. Former Justice Minister Alan Shatter has launched a campaign to abolish the tax. Children can currently inherit €335,000 from their parents before they have to pay tax, but anything above that rate is taxed at a rate of 33%. Jack Chambers said he thought “having capital acquisitions tax is important in a balanced economy in terms of fairness and equity.” …

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly is to seek approval to the Government to bring dozens of children from Gaza to Ireland for medical care. The initiative follows months of work across Government departments, along with the input of medical doctors and the Irish Red Cross. The Cabinet is meeting this morning ahead of the return of the Dáil later today after the summer recess. This plan is aiming to evacuate around 30 children from Gaza before the end of the year in what would be the first phase of the program. …

Last year had the worst decline in credible elections and parliamentary oversight in almost a half-century, driven by government intimidation, foreign interference, disinformation and the misuse of artificial intelligence in campaigns, an organization promoting democracy said Tuesday. The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, or International IDEA, said election credibility is threatened by turnout dropping and results are increasingly being contested. One in three elections are being disputed in some way, it said. The organization with 35 member governments said the average percentage of the voting age population who actually cast ballots has declined from 65.2% in 2008 to...

Minister for Justice Helen McEntee has said she wants legislation in place as soon as possible to ban the wearing of masks and balaclavas during protests. The concealment of identities is instilling fear and intimidation and is making the job of the gardaí more difficult, Ms. McEntee said. The proposal comes in response to a rise in violent protests over the past year where some attendees covered their faces with balaclavas and masks. The minister said she is working closely with the Attorney General and the Garda Commissioner to draft legislation. “My priority now is to make sure that the...

Ireland needs to do more to adapt to climate change, according to the Climate Change Advisory Council (CCAC) which says investment is urgently needed to avoid the worst damage and higher costs that it can bring in future years. The council published its annual progress report on how Ireland is preparing for the impacts of climate change. It said coastal erosion and flooding are the biggest risks. The report suggests part of the budget every year should be ring-fenced for adaptation measures, including making road and electricity networks more resilient to climate change. It predicts coastal flooding will cost €2...

It is both apt and ironic that the anniversary of 9/11, which paved the way for the government to overthrow the Constitution, occurs the week before the anniversary of the day the U.S. Constitution was adopted on September 17, 1787. All sides are still waging war on our constitutional freedoms, and “we the people” remain the biggest losers. This year’s presidential election is no exception. […] No matter who wins, the bureaucratic minions of the Security/Military Industrial Complex and its Police State/Deep State partners will retain their stranglehold on power. Neither Donald Trump nor Kamala Harris have the greatest of...

Apple has been ordered to pay Ireland €13bn (£11bn; $14bn) in unpaid taxes by Europe’s top court, putting an end to an eight-year row. The European Commission accused Ireland of giving Apple illegal tax advantages in 2016, but Ireland has consistently argued against the need for the tax to be paid. The Irish government said it would respect the ruling. […] A separate European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruling on Tuesday also brought a long-running case with Google to a close, with the company ordered to pay a €2.4bn (£2bn) fine for market dominance abuse. […] Apple said in a...

The Palestinians have circulated a draft U.N. resolution demanding that Israel end its “unlawful presence” in Gaza and the West Bank within six months. The proposed General Assembly resolution, which was obtained by The Associated Press, follows a ruling by the top United Nations court in July that said Israel’s presence in the Palestinian territories is unlawful and must end. […] Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Danny Danon denounced the resolution and described it as a “reward for terrorism.” He called for the resolution to be rejected. “Let it be clear: Nothing will stop Israel or deter it from its...

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., suggested that “30%” of Republican voters will never vote for Democrats because of their racism, sexism and homophobia. Speaking at the 2024 Texas Tribune Festival on Saturday, Pelosi was pressed by podcast host Kara Swisher on why the presidential race between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Trump is so close. “There are people who will never be, shall we say, inclined to support Democrats because of—they just have a different orientation toward women, people of color, LGBTQ, you know, they just are not ever going to be there,” Pelosi said. “So, say...

A group of retired generals is moving to defend Vice President Kamala Harris from criticism over the Biden-Harris administration’s handling of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan this week. The group of 10 former generals and admirals includes Admiral Steve Abbot, a former advisor to George W. Bush; Gen. Lloyd W. Newton, and Gen. Larry R. Ellis, who had never endorsed a political candidate until this week. “Vice President Kamala Harris is the best—and only—presidential candidate in this race who is fit to serve as our commander-in-chief,” the group wrote in a National Security Leaders for America letter, first obtained by...

A group of Hollywood celebrities — including Disney-Marvel star Mark Ruffalo, HBO’s Sex and the City actress Cynthia Nixon, and two-time Oscar winner Mahershala Ali — is claiming that arms exports to Israel are “illegal” as part of their latest push for a ceasefire in Gaza. The stars co-signed a new call to action from the group Artists for Ceasefire that alleges that the shipment of arms to Israel violates U.S. and international law because Israel engages in what it called “grave human rights violations.” Among those alleged violations are “striking schools or hospitals, restricting humanitarian aid, and killing children,”...

Vice President Kamala Harris used a joint campaign appearance with President Joe Biden in the critical swing state of Pennsylvania on Monday to say that U.S. Steel should remain domestically owned — concurring with the White House’s monthslong opposition to the company’s planned sale to Japan’s Nippon Steel. Her comments came during a rally before cheering union members marking Labor Day in the industrial city of Pittsburgh, where Harris said U.S. Steel was “an historic American company and it is vital for our country to maintain strong American steel companies.” “U.S. Steel should remain American-owned and American-operated, and I will...

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Vice President Kamala Harris’s Democratic running mate in the 2024 race for the White House, is scaring “MAGA men” by subverting the traditional patriarchy and “offering living proof their tormented masculinity is yesterday’s news” according to an essay in Salon magazine. The commentary, contributed by Christopher Cotton, is a long piece that sets out the argument a revolution is reshaping how men view themselves in society and it is being led from the front by Walz and his “dad” vibes despite this being the man critics point out signed laws that install tampon-dispensing machines in K-12...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday pushed back against a new wave of pressure to reach a cease-fire deal in Gaza after hundreds of thousands of Israelis protested and went on strike and U.S. President Joe Biden said he needed to do more after nearly 11 months of fighting. In his first public address since Sunday’s mass protests showed many Israelis’ furious response to the discovery of six more dead hostages, Netanyahu said he will continue to insist on a demand that has emerged as a major sticking point in talks — continued Israeli control of the Philadelphi corridor,...

Former President Donald Trump on Friday said he will vote no on a Florida ballot measure that would repeal the state’s six-week abortion ban, a day after he seemed to indicate he would vote in favor of the measure. Trump has said he thinks Florida’s ban is a mistake and said in an interview with Fox News Channel on Friday, “I think six weeks, you need more time.” But then he said, “at the same time, the Democrats are radical,” and he repeated false claims he has frequently made about late-term abortions and said that he opposed allowing abortions up...

The same state that introduced terms like “person who produces sperm” into the classroom is now telling the general public to stop referring to their children as sons and daughters. “The language we use matters!” the Vermont Department of Health declared Wednesday in a social media post titled “Inclusive Language for Families”:“The language we use matters! Many families and students are getting ready for the new school year. Equity in the classroom is an essential piece of a productive and healthy learning environment.“When talking about family, it's important to use terms that cover the many versions of what family can...

The members of Swedish pop group ABBA have asked Donald Trump to stop using their music and videos at his campaign rallies, the band’s record label said. ABBA hits including “The Winner Takes It All”, “Money, Money, Money” and “Dancing Queen” were played at a rally held by Trump and his running mate JD Vance on July 27 in Minnesota, accompanied by videos. “Together with the members of ABBA, we have discovered that videos have been released where ABBA’s music has been used at Trump events, and we have therefore requested that such use be immediately removed and taken down,”...

The Swiss political scientist who has studied the unique dynamics of why incumbents win and lose told RedState the polling shifts toward Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential campaign and away from former President Donald Trump are highly suspect. “I would not be surprised if some voters would be lying to pollsters right now,” said Dr. Louis Perron, who earned his doctorate at the University of Zurich. Perron, the author of Beat the Incumbent: Proven Strategies and Tactics to Win Elections, said it is natural for voters to present themselves as socially or morally acceptable. “There is currently quite...

Almost two-thirds of people, 64%, agree that Ireland should welcome people who move here to make a better life for themselves or their families, according to a new survey. The study, which was conducted by Ireland Thinks for the Migrant Rights Center Ireland (MRCI), showed that 18% of those surveyed disagree that Ireland should welcome people who move here. Asked what Government policy should be towards undocumented migrant workers, 25% of respondents said they should be required to leave the country immediately, while 69% said they should be given the opportunity to come forward and legalize their status, provided they...

Taoiseach Simon Harris has said he is seeking information on reports that Israeli operated aircraft carrying weaponry from the United States to Israel flew through Irish airspace. Speaking in Government Buildings, he said there are very clear consent protocols that would need to be followed for that to happen. He said his understanding from the Department of Defense and the Department of Transport is no such consent was sought and he is expecting to hear an update from the relevant Government departments. …