Politicians Want "Alive" Newspaper banned from Churches

[BRéNOC]

In Dáil Éireann, at the Oireachtas Committee on Europe, a number of politicians attacked the Alive newspaper for giving publicity to the NO arguments during the recent Lisbon Treaty referendum.
They have called on Cardinal Sean Brady to ban the newspaper from churches throughout Ireland.

According to the Press Association article
The Press Association: Paper 'should have been banned'

Paper 'should have been banned'

A right-wing Catholic newspaper which said a Lisbon Treaty No vote was a vote for God, should have been banned from churches, politicians have claimed.
TDs and Senators on an Oireachtas Committee told Cardinal Sean Brady the Alive paper confused and offended worshippers trying to make up their minds on the issue.
Members of the Committee on Ireland's Future in the European Union also said Catholic Bishops should have called for a definitive 'Yes' vote instead of releasing a statement that was broadly supportive of the referendum.

The ban is further discussed in the Irish Independent of 6-Nov-2008.
Brady urged to ban priest's 'anti-EU' paper from church - National News, Frontpage - Independent.ie

This attempt to silence free speech in our country must be resisted.

These politicians, while attacking the Alive newspaper made no comment, about the blatantly biased coverage of the Lisbon Treaty, presented in the Irish Catholic, which is also available in many churches throughout the country.

The propaganda in the Irish Catholic reached its height when just before the vote, they gave over their entire front page to calling for a YES vote, even decorating it in the colours of the European flag of blue and gold.

We are entitled in a democracy to have full access to all the information we need to make a reasoned decision.
Not only does the political elite want to ignore our democratic rejection of the Lisbon Treaty, they now want to censure the media in advance of a second referendum.

Contact these politicians and demand that they respect free speech;

Thomas Byrne TD
Tel: 041 98 135 20

Joe Costello TD
Tel: 01 618 3896

Senator Paschal Donohoe
Mob: 087-2816868
Tel: 01 618 3689

Contact Cardinal Brady and express your support for the Alive newspaper;

Cardinal Sean Brady
Tel: 048 3752 2045
Email: admin@aracoeli.com

[Kiss]

I love reading alive magazine and I'm a yes voter.

[Munion]

The Church is entitled to not allowed Alive to be distributed on its property. It doesn't stop you from standing a reasonable distance back from their property and distributing your newspaper there.

As a liberal I disagree with you in nearly everything you stand for but i'd defend your right to spread your message unimpeded on public ground.

[forest]

i believe banning the Irish Daily Mail would be a better place to start

[mccafferty cat]

Sorry, but how is free speech being impinged on here?

As far as your post (and linked articles) outline, no-one has called for Alive to be banned…...

[Almanac]

This is a call for political censorship of opposing viewpoints, an attack on the fundamental right to free speech and free expression, something we would normally associate with a totalitarian state. These politicians are an absolute disgrace.

But at least democracy EU-style is showing its true, ugly face. We have already witnessed a call for equal air time to be scrapped, now our own politicians are calling for newspapers to be banned. An EU institution has called for censorship of online activity.

[CookieMonster]

Sorry, but how is free speech being impinged on here?

As far as your post (and linked articles) outline, no-one has called for Alive to be banned…...

I've edited the title to be a little more in line with the articles quoted.

[QuizMaster]

I love reading alive magazine and I'm a yes voter.

I find Alive a repulsive rag and I was a No voter.

I support freedom of speech though.

[Trampas]

I find Alive a repulsive rag and I was a No voter.

I support freedom of speech though.

As a NO campaigner I have to say that I think "Alive" is an absolute hoot.

[mccafferty cat]

If "Alive" believe so fervently in free speech, then surely they will join me in calling on the Catholic Church to distribute letters from the IFPA and the Well-Woman centre from its porches?

To ban such articles from its premises is surely an affront to freedom of speech, is it not?