“Through the Looking Glass”

Connaught/Ulster 2011

Opening CeremonyReporting from Fiachra Maguire.

All EYP sessions (re-gional, national and international) are of-ficially opened by the President of the session following team building and preceding commit-tee work. This formality usually doesn’t inspire many. However, saturday morning posed many questions that I’m sure we’ll all try to answer over the weekend.

Niall Murphy (Treas-urer) began proceedings by introducing the board with whom you will do much more interacting on Sunday. Needless to say, they are a very quali-fied group of people. Niall’s introductions were followed by a speech by Monaghan Town’s own Cathao-irleach (Chairperson) Cllr. David Maxwell, who also sits on Monaghan County Council. His speech dealt with some

of the very real issues facing Ireland and Eu-rope. The councillor also discussed the importance of youth involvement in politics, which has par-ticular resonance with delegates of EYP ses-

sions. He questioned the often throwaway remarks that are made about Ireland’s youth and the extent of their interest in politics. He finished on an important question, “Has Europe been good for Ireland?”The answer of which, if not already so, should become apparent over the course of the week-end.

Ms. Ailbhe Brazel (President) delivered her opening speech in a much more lighthearted

tone. She quickly in-troduced the informal theme of this session (‘Mad Hatters Tea Party’) and began to relate it to two important topics. Firstly, that of the world around us. One needs only look at the

European bond markets or stock exchanges to find stunning examples of just how ‘mad’ some people are. In Ireland we’ve had some pretty ‘mad’ peo-ple running our affairs

for the last decade. In the Arabic world, some quite ‘mad’ people (i.e. Muammar Gaddafi and Hosni Mubarak) thought that they had personal claims to power. So, there is an emphasis on just how mad a world we live in. Secondly, Ms. Brazel spoke about this weekend. She highly recommends doing something ‘mad’ for yourself. Whether it be disagreeing strongly with what someone else is saying during the Gen-eral Assembly (Sunday) and contributing to the open debate or making a speech to defend

your own/attack another resolution. The Opening Cer-emony really set the scene for what is to come during this session and got across the central message of EYP. Get in-volved, take part and try your best.

NewsFrom The Outside World

The Eurozone has collapsed. After a Franco-German summit on the crisis, Chancel-lor Merkel and President Sarkozy have decided that their countries are better offf oustide the eurozone. As key lynch-pins of the single cur-rency, the loss of France and Germany effectively spells the end of the sin-gle currenncy project in Europe.

Just over a week after his inauguration, President Michael D Higgins is re-covering in hospital after an assassination attempt involving a lone gunman in the Phoenix Park.

According to recentsta-tistics, the number of im-migrants in EU is about to overcome the native population. The research shows 37% of the citizens of EU are immigrants and 56% of them are from India, followed by 34% from China.

The newly formed Con-servative government in Turkey has declared a theocratic state. and have ended negotiatiuns seeking EU member-ship. He told the assebled press:“Our way is God’s way. We will join no Union with the non halal eating infidel.”

“In Ireland we’ve had some pretty ‘mad’ people running our affairs for the last decade.”

“This is your opportunity to do something mad and step out of your comfort zone, make sure you take it!”

“He questioned the often hrowaway remarks that are made about Ireland’s youth and the extent of their interest in politics.”

19 November 2011

News

Bringing EYP to Monaghan

19 November 2011

News

Interview with a Head OrganiserMegan Smith and Andrew Bathe discuss the finer things in life over a cup of tea.

2011 is an historic year for a number of reasons. Obviously the main reason is because this is the first time a Con-naught/ Ulster Session has actually been held in the proud province of Ulster. The good people of St Macartan’s College opened their doors to us and facilitated the first ever Monaghan EYP session. After so many long years the banter has begun to spread to the Northern Regions. We are delighted to be here, the county which has the highest popula-tion of magical white

rabbits, the highest number of mad hats per capita and the greatest most awesome handsom-est Head Organiser and delegates. We are won-derfully grateful to be out of smelly stinky Galway. First arriving in Mona-ghan we were delighted to see that 100% of cars we surveyed in Mona-ghan beeped in support of us EYP mad hatters! (This data is taken from a survey of one car). We think that sums up the geniality of the atmosphere. Last night at a 3am meeting, Mr Cald-

rabbits, the highest number of mad hats per capita and the greatest most awesome handsom-est Head Organiser and delegates. We are won-derfully grateful to be out of smelly stinky Galway. First arriving in Mona-ghan we were delighted to see that 100% of cars we surveyed in Mona-ghan beeped in support of us EYP mad hatters! (This data is taken from a survey of one car). We think that sums up the geniality of the atmosphere. Last night at a 3am meeting, Mr Cald-

rabbits, the highest number of mad hats per capita and the greatest most awesome handsom-est Head Organiser and delegates. We are won-derfully grateful to be out of smelly stinky Galway. First arriving in Mona-ghan we were delighted to see that 100% of cars we surveyed in Mona-ghan beeped in support of us EYP mad hatters! (This data is taken from a survey of one car). We think that sums up the geniality of the atmosphere. Last night at a 3am meeting, Mr Cald-

Being in EYP for several years, I felt that the Conaught Ulster session was really just a Connaught one and the vein of intelligence in Ulster was just not being realised

Absolutely! No one can deny this has been a mo-mentous occasion not only for EYP but for the local community of Monaghan .

Well I’ve been known to bust a move or two in my spare time.

Yes, without question! Being a delegate is the most satisfactory and enjoyable part. Although as a mem-ber of the alumni I have the satisfaction of seeing new people being introduced to the system, there is no greater feeling than standing up in front of a few hundred people in GA and defending your resolu-tion.

Why did you decide to hold the Connaught Ulster session in Monaghan?

Are you proud to see such a large event finally come together in your home town?

Can we look forward to seeing you let your hair down Saturday night at the disco?

Do you ever miss being a delegate yourself?

Banter in BelarusMegan Smith explains just what the craic is in Belarus.

19 November 2011

Opinion

Belarus is a country of over 9.5 million people, containing ties with both the E.U and Russia from its past in the Soviet Un-ion. In 2010 Alexander Lukashenko was elected for the third time into the presidency, in spite of political parties in the so called democratic repub

lic’s best efforts to pre-sent a better candidate for the people. This elec-tion saw oppression of the rights of free speech for the Belarusians and also the assault of several of the candidates. The E.U’s most recent concerns however are of the potential legisla-tive acts in Belarus being brought into power, which would severely limit the freedom and rights of the people in this already repressed society. The introduc-tion of these acts would represent a further step backwards as regards to Belarus’ respect for human rights and the rule of law. Another main threat in Belarus is of a draft law currently undergoing discussions which would severely threaten the basic free-doms of the people and would severely widen the powers of the KGB (the Belarusian intelligence

agency). ). Even the discussions of these laws show Lukashenkos power in ‘Europe’s last remaining dictatorship’. The EU Delegation calls on Belarus not to pass these draft laws, in order to prevent the loss of their democracy and hu-man rights.

What should the E.U do now to help those whose rights are not met in Be-larus? With the econom-ic downturn consuming our countries has the EU forgotten about its wider ties? So far the EU has acknowledged that shunning Belarus has not worked and believes now is the best time to cause the greatest influ-ence and strengthen our bonds.With the inclusion of Be-larus in the EUs Eastern Partnership initiative the EU hoped to see a deeper political and economic tie with the country promote democracy and better human rights throughout the country. With the influence of Russia on the country the EU must be care-ful with whatever steps it takes from here in order to help in pushing Belarus to adopt political reform. We fear losing Belarus to the Russians

in the modern world, where power is draining from the West, Europe seems at a loss of how to successfully deal with the Belarusian dictatorship.So far the EU Delegation calls on Belarus to work towards ensuring the re-spect of it’s citizens free-doms of expression, as-sociation and assembly is

European observers. Is it time to impose our sanctions? Or is it unjust to punish the innocent citizens of Belarus with blanket sanctions instead of targeted sanctions which hit the elite? So what can the EU do now in order to prevent an unfortunate step backwards in the devel-

in line with international and justly standards and also to work towards Be-larus’ obligations, includ-ing facilitating political parties in the country in order to become a more democratic body. It has

been suggested that Lu-kashenko doesn’t intend to make any fundamen-tal changes to his coun-try, just enough to satisfy

opment of democratic governance and respect for human rights in Be-larus? Can Europe keep the pressure on the coun-try even as it reaches out for closer ties? govern-ance and respect for

human rights in Belarus? Can Europe keep the pressure on the country even as it reaches out for closer ties?

“What should the E.U do now to help those whose rights are not met

“Or is it unjust to punish the innocent citizens of Belarus with blanket sanctions instead of tar-geted sanctions which hit the elite?”

Lukashenko: the LadCraig Allen delves into the dark depths of “Europe’s last dictatorship”.

19 November 2011

Opinion

Belarusian democracy has been a significant discussion point in the European Union since the states establishment in 1990. The state is seen as a dictatorship by most Western countries and the United States has labelled it as one of the six “outposts of tyranny” in the world. There is undeniable evidence that the current Belarusian gernment has repeat-edly rigged elections and that nepotism is

rampant in variousgovernment bodies, thereby ensuring the dominance of current dictatorial President Al-exander Lukashenko. The economy of the country, while not particularly weak is “soviet-styled” with more than half of the work force employed, either directly or indirectly, by the government. Pri-vate companies are not banned, however, the country’s most profitable

such as banking and tele-tions are dominated by state-run companies, with just one private bank in comparison to thirty state banks. The state has grown increasingly authoritar-ian in recent years, while human rights such as freedom of speech, press and religion are restrict-ed. The country has been described as “Europe’s last true dictatorship” and has been repeatedly condemned by the UN,

while this gives Europe significant influence over Belarus, it is not enough influence to fully enforce democracy in the coun-try. As Russia is Belarus’s largest export market, a possible solution is a combination of sanctions by both the EU and Rus-sia. This will not be easy however, as Russia has strong links with Belarus and are extremely reluc-tant to impose sanctions on a country that could possibly share its cur-rency in coming years. Possible solutions to the Belarusian question are becoming increas-ingly difficult to find, considering Russia’s worrying trend towards a dictatorial state, the EU has been forced to adopt a policy of appeasement towards Belarus, lifting sanctions and travel bans on government officials and sponsoring the is-suing of loans to Belarus through the IMF. Will the EU’s policy of appeasement prove effec-tive in creating a new era of prosperity and stabil-ity between itself and Belarus? Or will history repeat itself and prove again that appeasing dictators can only result in disaster

the US, NATO and the Europe-an Union in relation to its treatment of its own citizens. The question that the EU in particu-lar and the world in general must an-swer is;” is enough being done?” Are the current sanctions imposed sufficient? The Euro-pean Union is Belarus’s second larg-est export market and

Why So Serious?Ipek Kahraman laments the doomy, gloomy media.

19 November 2011

Opinion

We are living in a world surrounded by evil, unfortunate and unjust things. Earthquakes, mass murders, wars, global warming.. The situation is getting pro-gressively worse and it seems there is nothing we can do about it. Is that really the case? According to our news websites, it is. When you put 7 billion people on a single planet, we can’t expect everyone singing, dancing for the world peace. Unfortunately life doesn’t work that way. However with this

information all flowing around us, we have the chance to see the world

colourful happy news overloaded with joy. I just think there is not always adversity in our world, there are develop-ments; for instance the scientific discoveries that are occurring almost every day. I think those news deserve more place

than a 1 minute refer-ence in media. For those who were lazy to just to skim through the article, the media is now presenting the world as if we are in the worst condition ever. Nevertheless world has been always this way, the good and the bad happening but always finding an equilibrium.

as we want to see it; we can make it a living hell, a moderate dull place, or a paradise. And nowad nowadays media holds the key to show the world as it really is rather than making it a extremely hopeless hole that only alco-hol or a numb-ing substance can fix. It is a scien-fact that every human being is a little bit prone

to be affected by the sad, highly tendency to get to the readers by publish-

ing the the news and made the newspapers sell more, however, as the quantity of these news grow, it made public insensitive and passive. The problem of indiffer-ent people still continues today and it is worsened by fast living style. There

is so much information that we can’t see them all, so little time that we can’t search for the good ones so we trust the media to come up with the most important ones for us. This is where the prob-lem occurs. Media is not doing its best to give the unbiased news. Media is still judging by the intensity of calamity to

to reach more readers and be appraised that they did their best by affecting the readers emotionally. I don’t say the news programmes should be like a Teletub-bies show with colourful

Media are just emphasiz-ing on the bad ones and making the rest of the world worried with the future of the world.

“This is where the problem occurs. Media is not doing its best to give the unbiased news.”

“We are living in a world surrounded by evil, unfortunate and unjust things”

Sordid ScandalMikey Finn questions the morality of media sensationalism.

17 November 2011

Opinion

In recent years, the influ-ence of the media has rapidly grown to enor-mous levels. People like John Terry, Ryan Giggs, Wayne Rooney, Tiger Woods and Ashley Cole have seen their personal life exposed and cred-ibility destroyed. This is a topic which people have

debated intensely and it seems that the only reasonable conclusion is that everyone in this vicious cycle is guilty in some way. Personally, I feel that it is wrong for some individual who has gained fame in an area for tremendous sport-ing ability to be in the spotlight of the media for their behaviour in their personal life. However, it is also true that many of these famous athletes have benefitted greatly on a financial level from publicising and promot-ing the more commend-able aspects of their private life. Tiger Woods is one of the best-known sport-speople in the world. On the 27th of November 2009, Woods was in a car accident just a day after reports alleging he had an affair with a New York City nightclub man-ager. In the following

18 months, Woods lost many of his highly lucra-tive sponsorships. Woodsdivorce settlement cost him $100 million. Yet, through all the bad pub-licity he has been subject to, the women who he slept with have earned shed loads of money through “exclusive”

interviews revealing the details of their relation-ships with Woods. Wayne Rooney and his wife, Colleen, received £2.5 million from OK! Magazine for their wed-ding photos. Ashley and Cheryl Cole cashed in on £1 million in a similar deal. The fact that these

people are benefitting from their “squeaky-clean” images, makes a case for their exposure and perhaps offers some justification for the high scrutiny on their private lives’. Economically, the people financing the media and profiting from it will base their content on what people want to read i.e. what people are interested in and will pay money to know. Is it right that the families of these culprits should suffer the pub-lic’s judgement when they are innocent? Is it right that the children of these people will read the headlines about their parents? For me, it all boils down to two simple

choices: money and mor-als. I think that the people with the power i.e. the journalists should be more responsible with their articles and report informative and relevant news. Newspapers as a whole should serve as a source of knowledge and facts rather than rumours. The consumer also has a role to play, if we boycotted the tabloids who print these stories and instead supported the more intellectual broadsheet newspa-pers, the tabloid content would change. We all must play our part in changing this nosey and pessimistic aspect of the modern society’s attitude.

“For me, it all boils down to two simple choices: money and morals.”

Don’t Stay Classy.Kieran McNulty explaines why their should be more to school than just class.

19 November 2011

Opinion

We live in shocking times, it is true. The astonishing events that 2011 has seen so far (such as, the unprec-edented debt crisis, the London riots and the violent uprisings in Africa and the Middle East, never mind, the heartbreaking break-up of Westlife) have all con-tributed to an ever-shift-ing, unstable political situation in the Western world. This journalist feels no need to point out the more than fair share of economic problems faced by Ireland in addi-tion to this turmoil. The government must turn then to its new favourite term, “cost-cutting meas-ures”, to stem the tide of these problems. In the secondary school sys-tem, many reforms are taking place such as the

the scrapping of the Junior Cert. The most obvious measure to take, from an economic point of view, is to cut the “ex-tra” year: Transition Year. This is a mistake. T.Y., for all its criticisms, is still one of the most use-ful years a diligent stu-dent can have. It’s easy to dismiss T.Y. as a luxury, a relaxing year.

The image of T.Y. as a doss year is sadly much too embedded in people’s minds. People say it is a break and it really is. But is that bad in itself? The secondary school sys-tem in Ireland is overly focussed on rote learn-ing and terminus exams that loom in the distance, hanging over both stu-dents and teachers heads.

For Transition Year teaches you different lessons, if you let it. The students can learn how to deal with the pressures of the outside world, like the work experience students get to do. For all the work given in school, it hardly compares with the type of work that a job entails. T.Y. can give you a chance to discover

what career you’d like to do also. The P.A.L. mock trial programme is a good example of this. Of course, the draw-back of T.Y. is simply that it isn’t for everyone. For those students who would like their second-ary school education to be over as soon as pos-sible, it is a good move to sidestep the year. For

For those who do a bare minimum of work, the Transition Year doesn’t just land opportunities in your lap. You have to work by yourself to get them. In this regard, Transition year is invalu-able to those who want to learn, who are eager to pursue their interests and to achieve their full potential. So to conclude, in this climate where jobs are scarce and new ideas are desperately sought for, it would be a grave mistake to scrap a year which not only opens student’s minds to new opportu-nities, it teaches them a little about themselves as well. That’s a necessary skill to have, not just an “extra” one.

School

VsOffice

“The image of T.Y. as a doss year is sadly much too embedded in people’s minds.”

Busy Being YoungAndrew Forde brings some optimism to the debate on our current “situation”.

19 November 2011

Opinion

We hear a lot about the doom and gloom of the economy. Everyday, we hear of debt, unemploy-ment and how people are struggling. Yes, times are tough but the Irish are tougher! It all seems to be a story of a demoralized country with no sense of belief in itself. That’s not what I see. Everyday in our own communities we see innovation, en-terprise and excitement about the future. We can see this coming from all walks of life, but espe-cially from young people. Young Entrepreneurship can be a shining light in turbulent times. It can prove to people that not only are young people capable of great achieve-

achievements but that they have drive, deter-mination and the in-dependence to take up the risk of setting up a business. They also show that there is a future in this country. We should take pride in the successes of this country. It is important that people hear not only hard of economic woes but also of the hundreds of success stories from across the country. It is important that we hear of people young and old who are involved in entrepreneurship, those who pay little heed to the recession but instead look at it as a challenge to be overcome. If you really look into Irish so-ciety you don’t see slack-

ers or defeatists. We are a strong proud and incred-ibly talented nation. These talents need to be celebrated ff our country is to finally de-feat our biggest foe,

the all miserable mon-strosity that is the reces-sion Monster. A spirit of enterprise is the best tool to cut through the heart of the miserable beast. In hard times the real spirit of a nation can be seen, when we see local people supporting local busi-ness. That’s when we see the real Ireland; people supporting and caring for each other. Enterprise and young people are the pillars of

cour communities. From a young age so many young people want to challenge themselves. Young entrepreneurs know that if they work hard, that if they believe

and commit fully to their business, that they can achieve something. But they cannot stand on their own. Every busi-ness needs their com-munity to support them. To provide the help and experience that is crucial to their success. These are the ingredients for success. Now I know very few things are defi-nite in life but you can be definite that if you don’t try you’ll never succeed.

“That’s when we see the real Ireland; people supporting and caring for each other.”

Where’s me Hat?On the 18th of November Ailbhe’s head lost a vital addition . Not only did this reveal her unfortunate hat hair but it also made her cry. This is unacceptable for the Mad Hatter ’s press team; we cannot have our leading lady in such dis-array. We, the EYPers must work together to locate this lost gem and return it to its prestigious owner. The game is afoot! We are willing to offer a substantial reward for the return of this treasured article . Here is a detailed description to help you on your quest for hatty justice .

Tall , slim yet seductively curvaceous. This hat reaches heights of whopping twelve inches! It boasts incredible girth Encrusted with tacky rhinestones, this ginger hat was handmade with love in the exotic land that is Monaghan . With whisping Cheshire cat hairs this hat has a kitten soft inner lining making it attractive for any Mad Hatter.

This hat has a unique screw in instrument that makes it impossible to blow off in the wind, unfortunately Ailbhe had not got the hat firmly attached to her head at the time it went missing.

This hat was a loving soul and seemed devoted to keeping our Ailbhe’s head warm. Recently however the hat seemed slightly saggy and dejected, it ’s person-ality had changed dramatically. This most prized possession was perhaps subject to a partial loss of identity due to all the hats that were supported on the open-ing day of the session . Ailbhe had not warned the hat of all the competition . The Maddest Hat never fraternises with other hats and it felt dismayed and betrayed by Ailbhe’s misleading ways.

Our only hope now is the safe return of the hat to Ailbhe, so they can talk it out. You’re help would be greatly appreciated and the reward is available to anyone who is able to ensure the safe return of The Maddest Mad Hat!Warning: this hat is expected to be armed (metaphorically speaking) and dan-gerous due to Ailbhe’s disloyalty. There’s no telling what this hat will do next.

19 November 2011

Banter

Ask the Cheshire CatYou got girl problems? I feel bad for you son. But ask the Cheshire Cat. He’ll know what to do.

Why are all the alumni so sexy?

Alumni take great pride in their es-teemed looks, but how do they keep up such a healthy complexion? Don’t worry dear delegates, the Cheshire cat teaches all alumni, and he will teach you too; in time.

How do I ‘get

around’ at the disco?

Dress the part! Having a rockin’ costume is sure to give you an edge over the competition and

impress any fellow ‘suit-ors’ that may look

How do I get a Mad Hat?

Well, the mad hats are strictly journo, and there have sworn never to relinquish

their mad hats, however if you steal a journo and dangle them upside down for an hour

and a day it has been prophesied that they will drop their prized pos-

session, The Mad Hat.

Who are the Orgas?

The Orgas are the ‘rabbits’ of the session; they are not allowed to wear mad hats, however they do ensure that ‘everything goes ac-cording to time.’

Who would win in a

fight? Alice in Wonder-land or Ailbhe Brazel?

This is very difficult for my whiskers to predict, Ailbhe is proud and passionate, Alice is young and curious, I wonder

who will land the first punch?

Why is a raven like a writing desk?

What is GA?

It’s Generally Awesome (Like a boss)

by Craig Allen and Andrew Forde

Lewis da “mad hatter” Carroll wrote many gloriously eccentric and endearing poems. He new how 2 rite poetry pure good! He was a little bit bonkers but in fairness he seemed a bit of craic. Ma mam thinks he not good but I don’t !

Ma favourite thing that he did was the movie he released in 2010! He must be like really minted cus it sold loads a ticketz! I’d like ta meet him and tell him I think he’s as cool as Kieran!

I like da characterz, especially da mad hatter dudee. He’s a bebo stunnah 19k 50! But the question waz why Lewie C would be a epic EYPer. I think he’d be awesomee coz his poetry is full of wit and bant. “Tweedeldum and Tweedledee” talks bou a battle which would have been deadly buzz!

And he’s a sound enough guy lyk. That nice book that he writ waz kinda weird and it had a bad ending but I liked the unbirthday and da cat. That dude’s so cool, ya can tell he’s a playa .

He would ave been really good at the teambuilding or the activity we done last nite. Con-sidering he wrote the poems, yano? He also, in my opinion, would have been really really good at the games because he’s weird and I’d say he would have really really really good at making them up. He’d have did an attack speech coz he’s good with the oul’ English. And he’s good at “imagining” geddit?

Peace out Lewis dawg!

Leaving Certificate English Foundation Level 2011

Q1: To what extend does Lewis Carroll’s poetry reveal his capacity to have been the ultimate EYPer?

He’s dead. Also, Kieran is not cool... Try and keep your statements factual.

Don’t make stuff up.

woeful grammer

Base your opinions on the actual text. Please.

seriously?

? t