The Irish banking crisis may be a little parochial, but the Irish government’s reluctance to act immediately on the EU money laundering directive is indicative of the relations between Brussels and the national parliament. Let’s take a recent concrete example of the 2015 anti-money laundering directive, which has lain dormant in the corridors of […]
Be Careful Mr. Cruz: Revenge Can Be Self Destructive!
It was an accident prone week for the principal speakers at Republican Convention last week. We had Melania Trump’s speech which followed a customary ceremonial (epideictic) model; then we had Ted Cruz’s speech, which was a forensic speech albeit a negative one, and finally Donald Trump’s acceptance speech, which was deliberate in style and content. […]
The “Via Media”
Is it possible to please everyone in a speech or in any interpersonal encounter such as in a conversation? Taking a middle path that gives no offence is easier said than done. Perhaps one way to explore this route is to look at how others fared when no practical solution seemed available
