The Mick Clifford Podcast: How the Boundary Commission shaped history and resentment
But what was it all about? Could it have been any different? Did the border actually beget evil?
Cormac Moore has written a fascinating account of the Boundary Commission, entitled The Root of All Evil.
Cormac is this week's guest on the podcast.
The Root of all Evil: The Irish Boundary Commission Cormac Moore
Read More
The Mick Clifford Podcast: Who is in the mix to be the next president?
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Journal
an hour ago
- The Journal
Debunked: Irish influencer's video peddles baseless claims about immigration and crime in Sweden
AN IRISH ANTI-IMMIGRATION video which has been viewed tens of thousands of times makes a string of false claims about Sweden — including that ethnic Swedes will be a minority within a decade and that the country suffers more bombings than any nation not at war. In the video, a man called Michael McCarthy speaks directly to the camera as he makes a series of claims. As well as the other statements, he also says that the city of Malmö is as dangerous as Baghdad, the capital of Iraq. None of these claims are backed up by facts. McCarthy has previously posted misleading claims about migrants, many of which have been debunked. The Journal previously fact-checked claims by him that children are being taught Islamic prayers in schools; that footage of a woman being attacked in a church was from Europe; and that the majority of Irish people disagree with the EU . His video on Sweden has been viewed more than 43,000 times since being posted to Facebook on 2 August. So, how do these claims stack up? A Swedish minority 'This is disappearing,' McCarthy says in the video as an image of three white-skinned blonde adults wearing blue and yellow clothing appears on screen. 'Swedish people are set to become a minority in Sweden in just ten years time,' he says. As he speaks, a chart appears showing the 'annual decline' of white Europeans in a number of countries, and the projected year when the population of white people is set to reach under 50%. A screenshot of the chart from the video. McCarthy seems to be using 'white' and 'Swedish' interchangeably here, given the words he uses and what the chart says. But even if you treat these two categories the same, the stats still don't work. No source for this chart is given. A search for the terms used in the chart does not shed any light on the source of the data, and directs back to versions of McCarthy's video on different social media platforms. The chart in McCarthy's video claims that 67% of Swedish people are white in 2025, and this is falling by 1.1% a year. Even if these figures were true, they do not imply white people would be in a minority in ten years. Whether he means a 1.1% decrease per year, or a drop of 1.1 percentage points each year, you still get a figure higher than 50%. However, there are compelling reasons to think that these figures are false. Sweden does not officially collect racial or ethnic statistics due to a legal prohibition , and 'white' is not a recognised category in official statistics, let alone a rate of decrease in white people. There is no indication of where the 1.1% figure comes from, and it is not backed up by official statistics. The SCB (Sweden's state statistics agency) does however collect data on where each person in the country was born, as well as the nationality of their parents. These figures are what are usually cited when estimates of Sweden's ethnic makeup are given, such as in the CIA World Factbook , which says Sweden is 79.6% ethnically Swedish. This information on parents nationality and country of birth like the most likely candidate for where the 67% figure came from. This was the proportion of Swedish citizens from 2018-2020 that were born in Sweden to two Swedish parents. It should be noted that these statistics give us no information about what percentage of the population is white, which McCarthy seems to conflate with being Swedish. People born in Sweden to two parents who were also born in Sweden may be non-white. And people born in a different country can also be white, or be born to two Swedish parents. To give an idea of the breakdown , last year, more than 208,000 Swedish residents that were born outside the state were from other Nordic countries, and almost 380,000 were from non-Nordic EU countries. A further almost 350,000 were from non-EU European countries, including almost 60 thousand from Yugoslavia, a country that hasn't existed since the early nineties. In either case, there is no reliable source corroborating the claims made in the video. Bombings McCarthy goes on to claim that this supposed change in demographics will cause Sweden to become particularly dangerous. Advertisement While there has been a significant increase in organised crime in Sweden since about 2005, the claims McCarthy makes about this subject are, again, not based in fact. 'Sweden has the most bombings of any country not in a war,' McCarthy says. 'Sweden! A place people probably thought was very safe.' So, is this true? The Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention has specific statistics on this, showing that there have been 129 explosions associated with criminal violence in 2024. It was 149 in 2023 and 90 in 2022. However, there are other countries not at war that have worse figures than this. For example, in 2024, 248 bombings were recorded in Pakistan — a country that is not at war (albeit one that did experience escalated tensions with India this year). Colombia saw 457 launched explosives and controlled detonation devices in 2024, according to the Red Cross . It should be noted that these comparisons are not always apt. The Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention warn that comparing figures between nations is tricky. 'Does Sweden stand out when it comes to explosions, compared to other countries?' a section on their website reads (in Swedish). 'It is not so easy to answer because it is difficult to find reliable comparative statistics,' it answers. 'Different countries register differently. What is legally considered an explosion in Sweden may be registered as something else in another country.' The casualties that are caused by the explosions can help to give us an idea of the scale of such incidents. The casualty count , including deaths and injuries, from bombings in Pakistan in 2024 was 1,476. In Colombia, it was 719. Despite the number of explosions in Sweden, no deaths were recorded to have been caused by criminal explosives in 2024, police report. 'The explosion is used primarily as a marker and a threat,' an analysis by the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention reads. 'The purpose is rarely to kill someone.' Malmö and Baghdad In the video, McCarthy says: 'Malmö in Sweden is ranked as dangerous as Baghdad.' Onscreen, a headline echoing this claim appears. This claim might sound familiar to recent claims about Ireland, repeated by Conor McGregor and Fox News , about how Dublin is ranked as the most dangerous city in Europe. And, indeed, this claim about Sweden has an almost identical unreliable source. The headline that appeared onscreen was taken from the English newspaper The Express, which made that claim in January , linking back to a website called Numbeo – the same Serbian company that was behind the claim about Dublin being dangerous. Numbeo describes itself as 'a crowd-sourced global database of quality of life data' and notes that data on crime is 'derived from surveys conducted by visitors to our website,' rather than from facts. The site also includes a disclaimer that none of its data has 'necessarily been reviewed by people with the expertise' to provide 'accurate or reliable information'. 'There is absolutely no assurance that any statement contained on the website is correct or precise,' it says. While it did rank Malmö and Baghdad next to each other (the 97th and 96th most dangerous cities, respectively), it ranked other well-known cities as much worse, such as Manchester (89), Paris (80), Washington, DC (72), and Houston, Texas (51). In other words, these rankings are worthless for giving an indication of crime in cities. There has been a real surge in gang violence that has affected Sweden's rankings in more rigorous studies of its safety. Nevertheless, Sweden's levels of danger are dwarfed by Iraq's, which is still the target of attacks by insurgent groups, such as Islamic State. Want to be your own fact-checker? Visit our brand-new FactCheck Knowledge Bank for guides and toolkits The Journal's FactCheck is a signatory to the International Fact-Checking Network's Code of Principles. You can read it here . For information on how FactCheck works, what the verdicts mean, and how you can take part, check out our Reader's Guide here . You can read about the team of editors and reporters who work on the factchecks here . Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... It is vital that we surface facts from noise. Articles like this one brings you clarity, transparency and balance so you can make well-informed decisions. We set up FactCheck in 2016 to proactively expose false or misleading information, but to continue to deliver on this mission we need your support. Over 5,000 readers like you support us. If you can, please consider setting up a monthly payment or making a once-off donation to keep news free to everyone. Learn More Support The Journal
Sunday World
a day ago
- Sunday World
Shock as Fine Gael's Mairead McGuinness pulls out of presidential race
The former EU Commissioner sent an email to party members today saying she is withdrawing on medical advice Mairead McGuinness did not have to take part in a contest to become Fine Gael's candidate for president. Photo: David Conachy Fine Gael's Mairead McGuinness is to withdraw from the presidential election race on health grounds. There is shock this evening within the party ranks after the former EU Commissioner who has led every opinion poll so far revealed the news. The Irish Independent has seen an email sent to Fine Gael members by Ms McGuinness. In it she says it was a 'very difficult decision' that was 'not lightly taken and follows a stay in hospital last week'. No details of her condition has been disclosed. 'My priority now is my health. Given that the election is in a short couple of months, I do not believe that I have the strength to give the campaign my all. 'I am taking this decision on medical advice and while it is extremely difficult, it is the right decision for me and my family.' Ms McGuinness acknowledges in her note that the development 'will come as a shock' to party members. 'I have spoken with the Tánaiste and Party leader, Simon Harris, and thank him for his support and understanding. 'I also want to thank all of those people who have done so much to support me, now and in the past.' The email concludes: 'My focus now is my health and my family and I ask for privacy in the time ahead.' Mairead McGuinness did not have to take part in a contest to become Fine Gael's candidate for president. Photo: David Conachy Ms McGuinness was the only name put forward for the party, although several others had been speculated upon including ex-MEP Sean Kelly, former Tánaiste Frances Fitzgerald and former minister Heather Humphreys. It was expected that Ms McGuinness would run a low key ground campaign over the summer before a formal launch next month. However she has been noticeably absent from major public events such as last weekend's Tullamore Show. Mairead McGuinness News in 90 Seconds - August 14th In a statement Fine Gael leader Simon Harris said Ms McGuinness 'has made an incredible contribution to public life in Ireland and in Europe'. "It was our clear view in Fine Gael and the view of many people across Ireland that Mairead would make an excellent President of Ireland. 'Mairead's health will not now allow this. This has come as an awful shock to us all. Mairead is a valued member of our Fine Gael family. It is absolutely essential that she now prioritises her health and I know I speak for everyone when I wish her all the very best on that journey.' He said Fine Gael will reconsider its strategy for the election. 'But that's for the time ahead, not for today. Today I want to pay tribute to Mairead. I want to thank her for all she has done. I want to wish her and Tom and their family all the best at this time and she knows we are all sending her our very best,' Ms Harris said. It means the only candidate now formally in the race is Independent TD Catherine Connolly who has the backing of the Social Democrats, Labour Party and People Before Profit. Ms McGuinness served as an MEP for six years and as European Financial Services Commissioner for four years in that time. She first attempted a tilt at Áras an Uachtaráin in 2011 but lost out on Fine Gael nomination to Gay Mitchell. It has been assumed ever since that she would be the frontrunner for the party.
Irish Times
4 days ago
- Irish Times
Trump sends troops into Washington DC: distraction tactic or part of wider policy?
It's one of the unique quirks of living in Washington, DC : the presidential motorcade sweeping through the city, with attendant street shutdowns and security sweeps and by-passers rubbernecking for a glimpse. But the occupant of The Beast, as the presidential state car is nicknamed, can look out on the world too. The short bursts to and from the White House are the only real opportunity that any president has to observe the city in which they reside. And this weekend, Donald Trump decided he had seen enough. On the short drive back through the city from his Virginia golf club, Trump saw a homeless encampment, a littered underpass and someone sleeping rough near the Capitol. Within hours, he had announced Monday's press conference, which he titled as being on 'Crime and Beautification' of the city. 'We are here for a serious purpose ,' he told a crowded media attendance in the James Brady press room on Monday morning. 'I'm announcing a historic action to rescue our nation's capital from crime, bloodshed, bedlam and squalor and worse. This is liberation day in DC and we are gonna take our capital back. We are taking it back.' The announcement that the actions of the DC police will be placed under federal control and that National Guard will be deployed in the city for 30 days, under section 640 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, was, he told the room, for their benefit also. READ MORE 'Many of you tend to be on the liberal side but you don't want to get mugged and shot and raped and killed,' he said, before declaring the murder rate in Washington is 'higher than Bogotá, Colombia or Mexico City, some of the places you hear about as the worst places on Earth.' The announcement was a sudden, no-warning escalation of Trump's long-held portrait of Washington as a fallen, urban nightmare for its citizens. At the outset of his election campaign last year, he described the capital as 'a rat-infested shithole' during a snowy Sunday-morning stumps speech in Iowa. Now, as first resident of Washington, he was in more benign mood and leant into the idea of his reclamation project of an extension of his recently-announced intention to enhance the White House with a ballroom. Even as Trump continued to speak through a press conference that soon diverged into a rambling forecast of Friday's meeting with Vladimir Putin in Alaska, statistics refuting the president's claim about Washington's crime and safety began to appear in the majority of news networks. The majority noted that violent crime had fallen from the alarmingly high rates of 2023. In 2024, the violent crime rate in Washington was 1,005 per 100,000 residents - which unquestionably represents a significant threat in a city of just 700,000 people. It was twice as high as the figure for New York City, but less than half that of Memphis, which has a similar population. DC authorities argue that the 2025 statistics are indicative of a spectacular turnaround, on track to achieve a 30-year low – an achievement the president may well attribute to this week's intervention if it continues until the end of the year. But with his usual facility for blurring dates and data to produce an argument that suited his broader purpose, Trump noted that the 2023 murder rate in Washington was the highest in 25 years. He also described crimes of which he had direct knowledge: the shocking carjacking and murder of a former Trump administration official Mike Gill, which happened in the early evening in the heart of downtown early in 2024 and, just weeks ago, the attack on Edward Coristine, a former DogeE staffer who was set upon and viciously beaten by a group of youths after he intervened in an attempted carjacking. 'Our capital city has been overtaken by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals, roving mobs of wild youth, drugged-out maniacs and homeless people, and we're not going to let it happen any more,' Trump vowed as he stood at the podium flanked by his defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, and attorney general Pam Bondi, who will now become the first holder of that office to take charge of the metropolitan police force. The response from Democratic opposition was predictably scathing, with former house speaker Nancy Pelosi issuing a statement that Trump 'delayed deploying the National Guard on January 6th when our Capitol was under violent attack and lives were at stake'. 'Now he's activating the DC Guard to distract from his incompetent mishandling of tariffs, healthcare and immigration – to name just a few blunders,' her statement continued. But the Democrats failed to make January 6th a deterrent to voters in last year's election. And the broader operatic message behind Monday's performance will be well received among the Republican supporters, as will his vow that while police officers were for years restricted from responding when agitators spat in their faces, under his executive orders they 'will be allowed to do whatever the hell they want'. It was presented as a companion piece to the Trump administration's border policy: a zero-tolerance emergency programme to cleanse Washington DC of a decades-old malaise and restore it to being a capital city of which Americans can be proud. 'You have countries where every Saturday the people go out and they wash the sidewalks in front of their doors,' Trump said at one stage. 'We are not quite at that level yet. I think it's so beautiful to hear that. You know my father always used to tell me – I had a wonderful father, very smart. He used to say: 'son, if you walk into a restaurant and you see the front door is dirty, don't go in. Because if the front door is dirty, the kitchen is dirty also.' Same thing with the capital. If the capital is dirty, our whole country is dirty – and they don't respect us.' Nobody was certain of how the sudden infusion of 800 national guard members and FBI to the city's regular policing force will 'look', or whether it will be limited to a four-week exercise in image and high-profile arrests. The mayor of Washington DC, Muriel Bowser, said at a hastily called press conference of her own that she believes that president Trump's view of the city was shaped by his experience of the city during the pandemic. Invited to state whether she worried that the 30-day emergency measures could turn out to be a 'disaster,' she replied: 'I'm gonna work every day to make sure it's not a complete disaster, put it that way.' The broader question on Monday centred around why president Trump had ordered this drastic intervention now. Sceptics interpreted the gesture as another high-profile distraction tactic to divert attention from the Epstein imbroglio. Monday's announcement by Trump coincided with a brutal ruling by Paul Engelmayer, the judge who rejected the department of justice request to unseal the grand jury transcripts relating to the Epstein case. In a 31 page-opinion he stated that granting it would 'casually or promiscuously' erode future confidence of citizens called to testify before panels. Crushingly, Engelmayer argued that the entire thesis forwarded by the department, most vocally by attorney general Bondi, that the transcripts could provide additional information that the public deserves to know 'is demonstrably false'. The arrival of Putin in Alaska – if he shows up - for his summit with Trump should keep the Epstein story at bay for the remainder of the week. Meanwhile, the military is coming to Washington for the last few weeks of the summer. It remains to be seen whether it's a symbolic gesture. But just two months ago, Trump ordered the California National Guard on to the streets of Los Angeles in the wake of anti-deportation protests. And on Monday, in referencing Chicago, Baltimore and Oakland, he hinted that this could be the beginning of a new pattern. 'This will go farther,' he promised. 'We are starting strongly with DC.'
