Latest news with #Brendan
The Advertiser
5 hours ago
- Business
- The Advertiser
Can pensioners really be 'wealthy'? One economist reckons they are
The attacks on Baby Boomers, labelling them as "wealthy" to the detriment of "families and young people" just because their home has increased in value, needs to stop. Brendan Coates, an economist with the Grattan Institute, was given a soap box on July 24 to air concerns "wealthy pensioners" should be penalised to benefit the rest of Australian society. Perhaps Brendan forgets people over the age of 65 are also valued members of society, and if they're eligible for the age pension (the current base payment being $27,333 a year for singles and $41,210 for couples, before tax is taken out) it's because they are just scraping by. Compulsory super only began in 1992 at 3 per cent, whereas Brendan enjoys 12 per cent as of July 1. The age pension is below minimum wage, and far below the wage of an economist (in excess of $100,000 according to "[Retirees] can be in Potts Point or Toorak with a $5m house and receive the same pension that a person in a $500,000 unit in Bendigo or Bathurst is receiving," he is quoted as saying in the Australian Financial Review. "People with substantial wealth are receiving the pension who arguably don't need it." Read more from The Senior: Mr Coates believes a retiree's family home (regardless if they bought it 40 years ago for next to nothing, then for the pandemic to jack up the land value) should be included in the pension assets test to better help "those who need it". But Brendan isn't a fan of retirees with superannuation either. A Grattan Institute report by Brendan Coates, released a day after his quotes around "wealthy pensioners", ironically called for more tax on superannuation funds. Not sure about you Brendan, but my grandparents on the Gold Coast have lived far longer than they expected and are now living day to day, as their meagre super dwindled to nothing. Pensioners and self-funded retirees are being slammed every which way as the "cash cows" of society, that should be pushed out of their homes - "and downsize" - to make way for a seemingly more important demographic: anyone under the age of 50. In 2025, around 58 per cent of Australians aged over 65 (around 2.4 million people) receive either the full or part age pension. But why would someone not have enough super to retire on comfortably? Compulsory super only came into play 30 years ago (around 10 years after Brendan Coates was born). "While Australians have reason to feel proud of the success of Australia's superannuation system ... the need for review, refinement and reform continues. An example is the retirement savings of Australian women," the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority states on their website. Older women are the fastest-growing group of homeless people in Australia. The 2021 Census reported a 6.6 per cent increase to women over 55 experiencing homelessness. Divorce and lack of super (due to raising children) are a big factor. Banks also won't give older people a loan for a home and rents have skyrocketed. The Superannuation Guarantee, with a mandatory three per cent contribution rate for employers came into effect in 1992 - nearly 20 years after reader of The Senior Suzanne G finished high school. "As a woman of 67 soon 68 ... back in 1974 when I finished school there was no superannuation," the retired pensioner told The Senior. She said she's worked all her life, owns her own home, and had a "meagre private super" which was cashed in some years ago to complete home renovations. The 1980s was the birth of superannuation for Aussies, but in the beginning, it was generally limited to public servants and white collar employees of large corporations. It was only in 2003 that provisions came in to allow the splitting of superannuation between divorcing or separating spouses, while 2007 saw investment losses for Australian superannuation funds of more than $200 billion thanks to the global financial crisis (GFC). The other flipside to all this: is if an older person does want to keep working they are either financially penalised (if they're on the age pension) or they're discriminated against by employers (according to the research by the Human Rights Commission and Australian Human Resources Institute). Who's with me and standing up for the rights of our wise elders? Retirees are humans too, with basic needs like anyone else. It's time the generations before them showed some respect. Share your comments below if you agree ... or disagree ... The attacks on Baby Boomers, labelling them as "wealthy" to the detriment of "families and young people" just because their home has increased in value, needs to stop. Brendan Coates, an economist with the Grattan Institute, was given a soap box on July 24 to air concerns "wealthy pensioners" should be penalised to benefit the rest of Australian society. Perhaps Brendan forgets people over the age of 65 are also valued members of society, and if they're eligible for the age pension (the current base payment being $27,333 a year for singles and $41,210 for couples, before tax is taken out) it's because they are just scraping by. Compulsory super only began in 1992 at 3 per cent, whereas Brendan enjoys 12 per cent as of July 1. The age pension is below minimum wage, and far below the wage of an economist (in excess of $100,000 according to "[Retirees] can be in Potts Point or Toorak with a $5m house and receive the same pension that a person in a $500,000 unit in Bendigo or Bathurst is receiving," he is quoted as saying in the Australian Financial Review. "People with substantial wealth are receiving the pension who arguably don't need it." Read more from The Senior: Mr Coates believes a retiree's family home (regardless if they bought it 40 years ago for next to nothing, then for the pandemic to jack up the land value) should be included in the pension assets test to better help "those who need it". But Brendan isn't a fan of retirees with superannuation either. A Grattan Institute report by Brendan Coates, released a day after his quotes around "wealthy pensioners", ironically called for more tax on superannuation funds. Not sure about you Brendan, but my grandparents on the Gold Coast have lived far longer than they expected and are now living day to day, as their meagre super dwindled to nothing. Pensioners and self-funded retirees are being slammed every which way as the "cash cows" of society, that should be pushed out of their homes - "and downsize" - to make way for a seemingly more important demographic: anyone under the age of 50. In 2025, around 58 per cent of Australians aged over 65 (around 2.4 million people) receive either the full or part age pension. But why would someone not have enough super to retire on comfortably? Compulsory super only came into play 30 years ago (around 10 years after Brendan Coates was born). "While Australians have reason to feel proud of the success of Australia's superannuation system ... the need for review, refinement and reform continues. An example is the retirement savings of Australian women," the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority states on their website. Older women are the fastest-growing group of homeless people in Australia. The 2021 Census reported a 6.6 per cent increase to women over 55 experiencing homelessness. Divorce and lack of super (due to raising children) are a big factor. Banks also won't give older people a loan for a home and rents have skyrocketed. The Superannuation Guarantee, with a mandatory three per cent contribution rate for employers came into effect in 1992 - nearly 20 years after reader of The Senior Suzanne G finished high school. "As a woman of 67 soon 68 ... back in 1974 when I finished school there was no superannuation," the retired pensioner told The Senior. She said she's worked all her life, owns her own home, and had a "meagre private super" which was cashed in some years ago to complete home renovations. The 1980s was the birth of superannuation for Aussies, but in the beginning, it was generally limited to public servants and white collar employees of large corporations. It was only in 2003 that provisions came in to allow the splitting of superannuation between divorcing or separating spouses, while 2007 saw investment losses for Australian superannuation funds of more than $200 billion thanks to the global financial crisis (GFC). The other flipside to all this: is if an older person does want to keep working they are either financially penalised (if they're on the age pension) or they're discriminated against by employers (according to the research by the Human Rights Commission and Australian Human Resources Institute). Who's with me and standing up for the rights of our wise elders? Retirees are humans too, with basic needs like anyone else. It's time the generations before them showed some respect. Share your comments below if you agree ... or disagree ... The attacks on Baby Boomers, labelling them as "wealthy" to the detriment of "families and young people" just because their home has increased in value, needs to stop. Brendan Coates, an economist with the Grattan Institute, was given a soap box on July 24 to air concerns "wealthy pensioners" should be penalised to benefit the rest of Australian society. Perhaps Brendan forgets people over the age of 65 are also valued members of society, and if they're eligible for the age pension (the current base payment being $27,333 a year for singles and $41,210 for couples, before tax is taken out) it's because they are just scraping by. Compulsory super only began in 1992 at 3 per cent, whereas Brendan enjoys 12 per cent as of July 1. The age pension is below minimum wage, and far below the wage of an economist (in excess of $100,000 according to "[Retirees] can be in Potts Point or Toorak with a $5m house and receive the same pension that a person in a $500,000 unit in Bendigo or Bathurst is receiving," he is quoted as saying in the Australian Financial Review. "People with substantial wealth are receiving the pension who arguably don't need it." Read more from The Senior: Mr Coates believes a retiree's family home (regardless if they bought it 40 years ago for next to nothing, then for the pandemic to jack up the land value) should be included in the pension assets test to better help "those who need it". But Brendan isn't a fan of retirees with superannuation either. A Grattan Institute report by Brendan Coates, released a day after his quotes around "wealthy pensioners", ironically called for more tax on superannuation funds. Not sure about you Brendan, but my grandparents on the Gold Coast have lived far longer than they expected and are now living day to day, as their meagre super dwindled to nothing. Pensioners and self-funded retirees are being slammed every which way as the "cash cows" of society, that should be pushed out of their homes - "and downsize" - to make way for a seemingly more important demographic: anyone under the age of 50. In 2025, around 58 per cent of Australians aged over 65 (around 2.4 million people) receive either the full or part age pension. But why would someone not have enough super to retire on comfortably? Compulsory super only came into play 30 years ago (around 10 years after Brendan Coates was born). "While Australians have reason to feel proud of the success of Australia's superannuation system ... the need for review, refinement and reform continues. An example is the retirement savings of Australian women," the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority states on their website. Older women are the fastest-growing group of homeless people in Australia. The 2021 Census reported a 6.6 per cent increase to women over 55 experiencing homelessness. Divorce and lack of super (due to raising children) are a big factor. Banks also won't give older people a loan for a home and rents have skyrocketed. The Superannuation Guarantee, with a mandatory three per cent contribution rate for employers came into effect in 1992 - nearly 20 years after reader of The Senior Suzanne G finished high school. "As a woman of 67 soon 68 ... back in 1974 when I finished school there was no superannuation," the retired pensioner told The Senior. She said she's worked all her life, owns her own home, and had a "meagre private super" which was cashed in some years ago to complete home renovations. The 1980s was the birth of superannuation for Aussies, but in the beginning, it was generally limited to public servants and white collar employees of large corporations. It was only in 2003 that provisions came in to allow the splitting of superannuation between divorcing or separating spouses, while 2007 saw investment losses for Australian superannuation funds of more than $200 billion thanks to the global financial crisis (GFC). The other flipside to all this: is if an older person does want to keep working they are either financially penalised (if they're on the age pension) or they're discriminated against by employers (according to the research by the Human Rights Commission and Australian Human Resources Institute). Who's with me and standing up for the rights of our wise elders? Retirees are humans too, with basic needs like anyone else. It's time the generations before them showed some respect. Share your comments below if you agree ... or disagree ... The attacks on Baby Boomers, labelling them as "wealthy" to the detriment of "families and young people" just because their home has increased in value, needs to stop. Brendan Coates, an economist with the Grattan Institute, was given a soap box on July 24 to air concerns "wealthy pensioners" should be penalised to benefit the rest of Australian society. Perhaps Brendan forgets people over the age of 65 are also valued members of society, and if they're eligible for the age pension (the current base payment being $27,333 a year for singles and $41,210 for couples, before tax is taken out) it's because they are just scraping by. Compulsory super only began in 1992 at 3 per cent, whereas Brendan enjoys 12 per cent as of July 1. The age pension is below minimum wage, and far below the wage of an economist (in excess of $100,000 according to "[Retirees] can be in Potts Point or Toorak with a $5m house and receive the same pension that a person in a $500,000 unit in Bendigo or Bathurst is receiving," he is quoted as saying in the Australian Financial Review. "People with substantial wealth are receiving the pension who arguably don't need it." Read more from The Senior: Mr Coates believes a retiree's family home (regardless if they bought it 40 years ago for next to nothing, then for the pandemic to jack up the land value) should be included in the pension assets test to better help "those who need it". But Brendan isn't a fan of retirees with superannuation either. A Grattan Institute report by Brendan Coates, released a day after his quotes around "wealthy pensioners", ironically called for more tax on superannuation funds. Not sure about you Brendan, but my grandparents on the Gold Coast have lived far longer than they expected and are now living day to day, as their meagre super dwindled to nothing. Pensioners and self-funded retirees are being slammed every which way as the "cash cows" of society, that should be pushed out of their homes - "and downsize" - to make way for a seemingly more important demographic: anyone under the age of 50. In 2025, around 58 per cent of Australians aged over 65 (around 2.4 million people) receive either the full or part age pension. But why would someone not have enough super to retire on comfortably? Compulsory super only came into play 30 years ago (around 10 years after Brendan Coates was born). "While Australians have reason to feel proud of the success of Australia's superannuation system ... the need for review, refinement and reform continues. An example is the retirement savings of Australian women," the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority states on their website. Older women are the fastest-growing group of homeless people in Australia. The 2021 Census reported a 6.6 per cent increase to women over 55 experiencing homelessness. Divorce and lack of super (due to raising children) are a big factor. Banks also won't give older people a loan for a home and rents have skyrocketed. The Superannuation Guarantee, with a mandatory three per cent contribution rate for employers came into effect in 1992 - nearly 20 years after reader of The Senior Suzanne G finished high school. "As a woman of 67 soon 68 ... back in 1974 when I finished school there was no superannuation," the retired pensioner told The Senior. She said she's worked all her life, owns her own home, and had a "meagre private super" which was cashed in some years ago to complete home renovations. The 1980s was the birth of superannuation for Aussies, but in the beginning, it was generally limited to public servants and white collar employees of large corporations. It was only in 2003 that provisions came in to allow the splitting of superannuation between divorcing or separating spouses, while 2007 saw investment losses for Australian superannuation funds of more than $200 billion thanks to the global financial crisis (GFC). The other flipside to all this: is if an older person does want to keep working they are either financially penalised (if they're on the age pension) or they're discriminated against by employers (according to the research by the Human Rights Commission and Australian Human Resources Institute). Who's with me and standing up for the rights of our wise elders? Retirees are humans too, with basic needs like anyone else. It's time the generations before them showed some respect. Share your comments below if you agree ... or disagree ...
Irish Examiner
8 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Sarah Harte: Domestic killings rooted in male control and entitlement, not mental illness
Last week felt like another dark week for Irish women. On Saturday, driving to Cork, I listened to comedian Alison Spittle on the Brendan O'Connor Show. I once approached her in the bathrooms of the Irish Film Institute to tell her how much I enjoyed her work. She was very polite but looked vaguely startled. I now have context for why. During the interview, Spittle detailed her weight struggles, but more particularly, how countless times people have accosted her to tell her that she was "a fat bitch". In one incident, a woman insulted her, but mainly it seemed to be men who let her know she was unattractive to them and therefore worthless as a woman in their eyes. She has been insulted on public transport and had chewing gum thrown in her hair, which is technically an assault. While asserting she didn't care, she broke down in tears, and O'Connor gently probed her on how it seemed she did care. She admitted she did. It was painful to contemplate the sustained misogyny she has endured as she tries to live her life. In a radio interview, Alison Spittle detailed her weight struggles, but more particularly, how countless times people have accosted her to tell her that she was 'a fat bitch'. Picture: Karla Gowlett Of course, the kind of social system that creates the perfect environment for men to harass Alison Spittle is precisely the same system that allows domestic and sexual violence to thrive — one which is based on misogyny, entitlement, domination, and devaluation of women and girls. Let's stick with last week. On Monday, 53-year-old Stephen Mooney from Kilbarrack Road was sentenced to life for the murder of his wife Anna Mooney, 43, in June 2023, when he stabbed her to death at their home with a kitchen knife. Mooney initially pleaded not guilty to killing Anna, but entered a guilty plea when he changed his plea after gardaí found footage of the murder on a mobile phone he had set up to spy on her. He believed she was having an affair. On Wednesday, a domestic violence colleague messaged me to alert me to the triple shooting of Vanessa Whyte, a vet originally from Co Clare, her son James, 14, and daughter Sara, 13, in Maguiresbridge, Co Fermanagh. Ian Rutledge, Vanessa's husband and the father of her two children, the only suspect in the murder investigation, died on Monday as a result of self-inflicted gun wounds. A prayer service was held over the weekend for Ms Whyte and her children in Barefield, Ennis. Parish priest Fr Tom Fitzpatrick said: "We cannot rationalise what should never have taken place." At another vigil held at the weekend, Fr Brian Darcy, who knew the family in Fermanagh, calling for better mental health services, said: 'There's nothing we can say that can make sense of something as senseless as this.' I understand that being a priest is ultra challenging in these situations. However, this triple murder will have to be 'rationalised' to see what lessons can be learned to identify red flags which might help in preventing other similar murders. It's part of our cultural storytelling that killers in domestic homicides snap and lose control. International experts unanimously agree they do not result from a spontaneous burst of anger or a loss of control on the part of the perpetrator, as is commonly believed. It comes from a core belief in male power and control over women. It is proving extremely difficult to reverse this belief, not least because the media too often unconsciously reinforce this narrative. It has already been reported Ian Rutledge was depressed and losing his sight. It was similar in the Alan Hawe case. There was an attempt to minimise what he did to his wife, Clodagh, and three children, who were murdered in cold blood. Or at least to present reasons as to why he was having a hard time and was essentially a good egg who snapped. We persist in reaching for an explanation like the poor fella hadn't been himself or was under terrible pressure. This prevents grappling with the hard fact that underpinning these murders is a belief that didn't come from nowhere, that women are men's property. Because here's the thing — if you are depressed and choose to take your own life, while it is tragic, what gives you the right to take your wife and children with you? On Thursday, a former Irish soldier, Keith Byrne, 34, was jailed for 15 years for strangling his girlfriend of eight months, Kirsty Ward, 36, to death at a Spanish hotel in July 2023 with a hair straightening cord. Ms. Ward had told him she was leaving him. Kirsty Ward was killed in Spain by her boyfriend. Bryne was also handed a restraining order preventing him from contacting Kirsty's teenage son, mum, or siblings, or going within 1,000m of them for 25 years. Byrne claimed during his trial that Kirsty Ward took her own life. Javier Goimil, a Spanish public prosecutor and domestic violence specialist who had sought a 20-year sentence, refuted this claim. In his powerful closing speech to the jury, he said Byrne had decided: 'You're mine or you're nobody's... You, woman, are no one to say you're going to detach yourself from me the man and have your own independent life.' We know men often kill women because they are losing control over the victim. Perpetrators can't handle loss of control, in part because, personality type aside, societally we have taught men from the cradle that control over a woman is their right. Byrne also released a video from his prison cell, claiming his innocence and referring to Kirsty Ward as 'the girl'. He took her life, then he tried to take her identity by referring to a 36-year-old mother, Kirsty, of a 14-year-old son, Evan (when she died), the daughter of Jackie and John, as 'the girl'. An irrelevant nothing. Misogyny and violence take place along a continuum of behaviour ranging from throwing gum and insults on a train to stalking, strangling, or stabbing a woman to death. I was struck by an interview given by Amy Hunt to the BBC last month, in which she spoke about the epidemic of misogyny in society. Court artist drawing of Kyle Clifford, who was convicted of killing Carol Hunt, 61, the wife of John Hunt, and two of their daughters, Hannah, 28, and Louise, 25. Last year, her mother and two sisters, the wife and daughters of BBC racing commentator John Hunt, were murdered in their own home by her youngest sister's ex-boyfriend, Kyle Clifford, 26, two weeks after she ended the relationship. Amy pointed out how our society 'allows misogyny to fester', how it 'emboldens misogyny'. The Irish women whose faces we saw in the news cycle last week, and Amy's mother, Carol, 61, and sisters, Hannah, 28, and Louise, 25, are not just statistics. As Amy pointed out, these murdered women are flesh and blood people who were murdered in the prime of life by men who unilaterally decided their time was up. The statistics, and not just in Ireland, are massively skewed in terms of men killing their female partners and not the other way around. It feels like howling into the void to repeat the statistics for domestic, sexual, and gender-based violence are genuinely terrifying. I can't help wondering if we would be so slow to act if women were routinely harassing men in the public space, raping them, and murdering them in their own homes? Amy Hunt, who gave a brilliant interview, got to the heart of the matter. 'We've got a serious obligation as a society to change men's behaviour because this is a man's issue — it's not a woman's issue.' I'll leave the last word to Amy because I couldn't put it better. 'It's a question of what sort of world we are comfortable living in.'
Irish Examiner
16 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Sarah Harte: Dehumanising women starts at random insults and ends in murder
Last week felt like another dark week for Irish women. On Saturday, driving to Cork, I listened to comedian Alison Spittle on the Brendan O'Connor Show. I once approached her in the bathrooms of the Irish Film Institute to tell her how much I enjoyed her work. She was very polite but looked vaguely startled. I now have context for why. During the interview, Spittle detailed her weight struggles, but more particularly, how countless times people have accosted her to tell her that she was "a fat bitch". In one incident, a woman insulted her, but mainly it seemed to be men who let her know she was unattractive to them and therefore worthless as a woman in their eyes. She has been insulted on public transport and had chewing gum thrown in her hair, which is technically an assault. While asserting she didn't care, she broke down in tears, and O'Connor gently probed her on how it seemed she did care. She admitted she did. It was painful to contemplate the sustained misogyny she has endured as she tries to live her life. In a radio interview, Alison Spittle detailed her weight struggles, but more particularly, how countless times people have accosted her to tell her that she was 'a fat bitch'. Picture: Karla Gowlett Of course, the kind of social system that creates the perfect environment for men to harass Alison Spittle is precisely the same system that allows domestic and sexual violence to thrive — one which is based on misogyny, entitlement, domination, and devaluation of women and girls. Let's stick with last week. On Monday, 53-year-old Stephen Mooney from Kilbarrack Road was sentenced to life for the murder of his wife Anna Mooney, 43, in June 2023, when he stabbed her to death at their home with a kitchen knife. Mooney initially pleaded not guilty to killing Anna, but entered a guilty plea when he changed his plea after gardaí found footage of the murder on a mobile phone he had set up to spy on her. He believed she was having an affair. On Wednesday, a domestic violence colleague messaged me to alert me to the triple shooting of Vanessa Whyte, a vet originally from Co Clare, her son James, 14, and daughter Sara, 13, in Maguiresbridge, Co Fermanagh. Ian Rutledge, Vanessa's husband and the father of her two children, the only suspect in the murder investigation, died on Monday as a result of self-inflicted gun wounds. A prayer service was held over the weekend for Ms Whyte and her children in Barefield, Ennis. Parish priest Fr Tom Fitzpatrick said: "We cannot rationalise what should never have taken place." At another vigil held at the weekend, Fr Brian Darcy, who knew the family in Fermanagh, calling for better mental health services, said: 'There's nothing we can say that can make sense of something as senseless as this.' I understand that being a priest is ultra challenging in these situations. However, this triple murder will have to be 'rationalised' to see what lessons can be learned to identify red flags which might help in preventing other similar murders. It's part of our cultural storytelling that killers in domestic homicides snap and lose control. International experts unanimously agree they do not result from a spontaneous burst of anger or a loss of control on the part of the perpetrator, as is commonly believed. It comes from a core belief in male power and control over women. It is proving extremely difficult to reverse this belief, not least because the media too often unconsciously reinforce this narrative. It has already been reported Ian Rutledge was depressed and losing his sight. It was similar in the Alan Hawe case. There was an attempt to minimise what he did to his wife, Clodagh, and three children, who were murdered in cold blood. Or at least to present reasons as to why he was having a hard time and was essentially a good egg who snapped. We persist in reaching for an explanation like the poor fella hadn't been himself or was under terrible pressure. This prevents grappling with the hard fact that underpinning these murders is a belief that didn't come from nowhere, that women are men's property. Because here's the thing — if you are depressed and choose to take your own life, while it is tragic, what gives you the right to take your wife and children with you? On Thursday, a former Irish soldier, Keith Byrne, 34, was jailed for 15 years for strangling his girlfriend of eight months, Kirsty Ward, 36, to death at a Spanish hotel in July 2023 with a hair straightening cord. Ms. Ward had told him she was leaving him. Kirsty Ward was killed in Spain by her boyfriend. Bryne was also handed a restraining order preventing him from contacting Kirsty's teenage son, mum, or siblings, or going within 1,000m of them for 25 years. Byrne claimed during his trial that Kirsty Ward took her own life. Javier Goimil, a Spanish public prosecutor and domestic violence specialist who had sought a 20-year sentence, refuted this claim. In his powerful closing speech to the jury, he said Byrne had decided: 'You're mine or you're nobody's... You, woman, are no one to say you're going to detach yourself from me the man and have your own independent life.' We know men often kill women because they are losing control over the victim. Perpetrators can't handle loss of control, in part because, personality type aside, societally we have taught men from the cradle that control over a woman is their right. Byrne also released a video from his prison cell, claiming his innocence and referring to Kirsty Ward as 'the girl'. He took her life, then he tried to take her identity by referring to a 36-year-old mother, Kirsty, of a 14-year-old son, Evan (when she died), the daughter of Jackie and John, as 'the girl'. An irrelevant nothing. Misogyny and violence take place along a continuum of behaviour ranging from throwing gum and insults on a train to stalking, strangling, or stabbing a woman to death. I was struck by an interview given by Amy Hunt to the BBC last month, in which she spoke about the epidemic of misogyny in society. Court artist drawing of Kyle Clifford, who was convicted of killing Carol Hunt, 61, the wife of John Hunt, and two of their daughters, Hannah, 28, and Louise, 25. Last year, her mother and two sisters, the wife and daughters of BBC racing commentator John Hunt, were murdered in their own home by her youngest sister's ex-boyfriend, Kyle Clifford, 26, two weeks after she ended the relationship. Amy pointed out how our society 'allows misogyny to fester', how it 'emboldens misogyny'. The Irish women whose faces we saw in the news cycle last week, and Amy's mother, Carol, 61, and sisters, Hannah, 28, and Louise, 25, are not just statistics. As Amy pointed out, these murdered women are flesh and blood people who were murdered in the prime of life by men who unilaterally decided their time was up. The statistics, and not just in Ireland, are massively skewed in terms of men killing their female partners and not the other way around. It feels like howling into the void to repeat the statistics for domestic, sexual, and gender-based violence are genuinely terrifying. I can't help wondering if we would be so slow to act if women were routinely harassing men in the public space, raping them, and murdering them in their own homes? Amy Hunt, who gave a brilliant interview, got to the heart of the matter. 'We've got a serious obligation as a society to change men's behaviour because this is a man's issue — it's not a woman's issue.' I'll leave the last word to Amy because I couldn't put it better. 'It's a question of what sort of world we are comfortable living in.' Read More Justice minister promises domestic violence register following report on record abuse complaints
Daily Record
21 hours ago
- Daily Record
Dad and son named as victims of quadruple stabbing as murder probe launched
Terry McMillan and Brendan McMillan were knifed to death at a studio. Two people who died in a quadruple stabbing have been named as a dad and his son. A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after Terry McMillan, 58, and Brendan McMillan, 27, were fatally stabbed at a business premises in Long Lane, Southwark, London yesterday, Monday, July 28. The pair worked at the business in Studio One. An employee of Terry McMillan confirmed it was the two men who were killed in the incident. Rosemary George, 59, has worked as a cleaner for the family for the last 14 years, both at their home in Chislehurst and at their business, reports the Mirror. Rosemary George, 59, said: 'Terry and Brendan have passed away. I have worked with them for 14 years. I'm just on the way to the house now in Chislehurst. I watched Brendan finish secondary school. From secondary school he went to college and then university for four years. 'He had a gap year in America. He did physical education and was good at rugby as well. I WhatsApped him yesterday at 3pm and there was no answer. I was calling the office and there was no answer. I didn't know what had happened. I found out this morning. 'I have cleaned their house for almost ten years - twice a week at the house and here once every three weeks. The office has roughly seven or eight people working there. It's not huge. Not all of them are family. I was worried because normally someone would always pick up the phone and nobody was picking up the phone." Emergency crews rushed to Long Lane in Southwark at about 1pm after reports of multiple stabbings inside a commercial property, where they found and treated four people for stab wounds. A 58-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene and three other men were taken to hospital, the Metropolitan Police said. A 27-year-old man later died in hospital, cops said. On Tuesday, police said a 31-year-old man, who is a British citizen and was initially detained in connection with the incident, was arrested on Monday. He remains in hospital and his condition is not life-threatening, they added. Bystanders said they saw a man pinned down in an alleyway outside the offices of Trademark Group, the McMillan family's firm which is involved in projects across Bermondsey. A man who works inside the building said: 'I saw him get tackled to the ground. There were 12 to 15 people out the back. There was a load of commotion, hundreds of people looking out from the balconies. He was on the ground, facing down, shirtless.' A nearby resident who knows Brendan said they had seen a video of a man they thought was him being wheeled to an ambulance after the melee. The woman said she had not heard it was him who had died, but feared the worst after seeing the footage. She added that his car had not moved from outside the business in the 24 hours since it happened. Old Colfeians Rugby Club shared the following tribute on Instagram: 'Yesterday, Old Colfeians lost a member of our family, one of the kindest, funniest, most genuine people you could ever meet. 'Brendan lit up every room he walked into, forever smiling, always cracking a joke and always full of life. His absence will be deeply felt for a long time to come. 'We will miss him more than words can say and we'll always carry his memory with us. We are also mourning the loss of his beloved father, Terry, a long time supporter and sponsor of the club. 'Our thoughts and prayers are with their family and friends during this incredibly difficult time. Rest in peace, Brendan McMillan. Rest in peace, Terry McMillan.' Terry, reportedly left school aged 16 with very few qualifications, immediately joined the Post Office, prior to identifying an opportunity and pursuing a career in the property industry. Subsequent to a number of years' experience, predominantly working on refurbishments, conversions and trading-stock, he went on to set-up 'Trademark Homes' in 1998, a company which has steadily and consistently evolved into a group of companies specialising in both property development and investment, now commonly known as 'The Trademark Group'.
Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Daily Mirror
Southwark 'murder' probe: Father and son named as victims of quadruple stabbing
Terry and Brendan McMillan were stabbed to death at a commercial building in Southwark, central London, on Monday The two people who died in a quadruple stabbing have been named as a father and son. A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after Terry McMillan and Brendan McMillan were fatally stabbed at a business premises in Long Lane, Southwark, London. The pair worked at the business in Studio One. An employee of Terry McMillan confirmed it was Terry and Brendan who were killed. Rosemary George, 59, has worked as a cleaner for the family for the last 14 years, both at their home in Chislehurst and at their business. Rosemary George, 59, told The Mirror: 'Terry and Brendan have passed away. I have worked with them for 14 years. I'm just on the way to the house now in Chislehurst. I watched Brendan finish secondary school. From secondary school he went to college and then university for four years. 'He had a gap year in America. He did physical education and was good at rugby as well. I WhatsApped him yesterday at 3pm and there was no answer. I was calling the office and there was no answer. I didn't know what had happened. I found out this morning. 'I have cleaned their house for almost ten years - twice a week at the house and here once every three weeks. The office has roughly seven or eight people working there. It's not huge. Not all of them are family. I was worried because normally someone would always pick up the phone and nobody was picking up the phone." Emergency services were called to Long Lane in Southwark at about 1pm on Monday after reports of multiple stabbings inside a commercial property, where they found and treated four people for stab wounds. A 58-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene and three other men were taken to hospital, the Metropolitan Police said. A 27-year-old man later died in hospital, police said. On Tuesday, police said a 31-year-old man, who is a British citizen and was initially detained in connection with the incident, was arrested on Monday. He remains in hospital and his condition is not life-threatening, they added. Witnesses said they saw a man pinned down in an alleyway outside the offices of Trademark Group, the McMillan family's firm which is involved in projects across Bermondsey. A man who works inside the building said: 'I saw him get tackled to the ground. There were 12 to 15 people out the back. There was a load of commotion, hundreds of people looking out from the balconies. He was on the ground, facing down, shirtless.' Another worker said a 'fight' between men went into the lobby of the Marriott Hotel next door. She said: 'It went into the hotel and back out, so it was closed off yesterday and people in hazmat suits went in." A nearby resident who knows Brendan said they had seen a video of a man they thought was him being wheeled to an ambulance after the incident. The woman said she had not heard it was him who had died. But she said she feared the worst after seeing the video and that his car had not moved from outside the business in the 24 hours since it happened.
