The idea that our response to the Covid-19 pandemic might be moving us in the direction of the authoritarian horrors of the last century is one that a great many are resistant to. They may feel, for example, that we are living with an extraordinary circumstance, and that the response, however undesirable and unprecedented, remains unavoidable in the face of the threat.<\/em><\/p>\n Even to those who feel this way, however, the danger of authoritarianism is something which we should all meditate very deeply on. The comparatively free societies which we have grown up in are a rare and precarious achievement; we are simply not aware how precarious because they are the only world we have ever known.<\/em><\/p>\n Dr Billy Ralph<\/span><\/a>, meanwhile, questioned a cosy scientific consensus in Ireland:<\/p>\n Throughout this pandemic we have witnessed very little meaningful scientific debate in Ireland. Irish experts are drawn from a small circle of academics, some with vested interests, supporting the government\u2019s highly successful publicity campaign. In other countries, in contrast, there are heated public debates between scientists as to whether to adopt a dominant approach of blanket policies, or one of shielding elderly populations.<\/em><\/p>\n But in Ireland Nobel laureates and professors from prestigious universities around the world are routinely dismissed with smart quips by gullible journalists. But let us examine the three mantras in a dispassionate way that acknowledges each of their adverse impacts.<\/em><\/p>\n With a Dickensian Christmas forming on the horizon David Langwallner drew on the wisdom and compassion of the great author Charles Dickens<\/a><\/span> in an impassioned appeal for meaningful reforms:<\/p>\n To revert to Dickens as the supreme chronicler of Christmas. If someone has the temerity to present themselves like Oliver Twist with an empty bowl and ask for more will our modern day workhouses permit another spoon of porridge?<\/em><\/p>\n Or will they ask: \u2018are you not happy with your existing pile of gruel \u2013 the charitable food banks that ease the conscious of the rich?\u2019 Now with Covid-19 restrictions in full force diminishing most incomes \u2013 but especially those least well off \u2013 many now need a bit more, just to survive. This should involve chasing down the artful dodgers in the large corporation, who have picked a pocket or two avoiding paying their fair share of tax.<\/em><\/p>\n Also that month, notwithstanding a deep antipathy to all forms of religious fundamentalism, David Langwallner drew on the theme of Religion in his Public Intellectual Series<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n With the loss of religious forms, however, many living in modern technocratic societies experience a loss of meaning, and even a moral void. The social structure of religions fostered close relationships and inculcated a sense of community, as well as charity, the protection of human dignity and a commitment to public service. The Bible injuncts kindness towards strangers, and to do unto others as you would wish them to do to you, which also derives from Aristotelian philosophy.<\/em><\/p>\n There was also debate around what to do with Dublin\u2019s historic buildings, as Neil Burns<\/a><\/span> decried the elitism of the Irish literary community:<\/p>\n Protestations against James Joyce\u2019s \u2018The Dead\u2019 House on Usher\u2019s Island being ear-marked for a hostel are rooted in cultural-bias and emotional-led egocentrism, and exhibit blatant hypocrisy among the denouncers. Artsy sentimentality can be the lesser evil, but it is still based on emotional, and, cultural biases.<\/em><\/p>\n In contrast, Andrea Reynell<\/a><\/span> argued for increased preservation:<\/p>\n Under normal circumstances tourists flock to Ireland for its rich cultural inheritance and traditions. Indeed we live atop generations of history. When the soil offers its secrets in the form of ruins and artefacts, we either attempt to preserve or reduce them to rubble. More often than not, we choose to tear down or bury the past. This often occurs without the general public being aware of what is happening.<\/em><\/p>\n Next, in November\u2019s underwater instalment Daniel Mc Auley introduced us to the Jewel Anemones Crowning the Irish Coastline<\/span><\/a>:<\/p>\n Their method of reproduction means you normally find patches of colour fighting for real estate. Neon Green battles with neon pink for prime locations on the surface of underwater cliff faces. Rarely seen on the east coast, they are to be found in all of the most dramatic sites I have dived along the Atlantic coast.<\/em><\/p>\n In arts coverage, Imogen Stead traced a creative link between the modern Greek poet Constantine Cavafy, and the singer-poets Leonard Cohen and Laura Marling<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n Around the beginning of the second century AD, the Greek writer Plutarch unknowingly created the spark for a flame of artistic inspiration which, not unlike the notion of the ancient Olympic torch, has transcended millennia until today. He might, perhaps, have nourished the expectation that his work\u2019s renown would outlive him, but he could not have imagined that his words would be traced through the 20th century poetry of Cavafy to the 21st century songs of Leonard Cohen and Laura Marling. And yet, in a single stunning example of ancient influence and contemporary Classics, one particular story of his has been read, performed, spoken, sung, enjoyed, downloaded, streamed and reflected on in a chain of inspiration which spans over a century of creativity. The remarkable longevity of one small digression in the mass of Plutarch\u2019s extant work demonstrates beautifully the basic humanity which has connected us from antiquity to now, reflected and refracted through the lens of varying personal and societal perspectives. As a result, the historic loss of Alexandria has become, paradoxically, our cultural gain.<\/em><\/p>\n Sonic Gate Studios were the Musicians of the Month for November<\/span><\/a>. Caterina Schembri described the group\u2019s genesis:<\/p>\n We met in Dublin, as students. It was in the MA room, in the recording booth, in a fully-packed Ryan Air flight with destination to Sofia that a small but important concept emerged in my mind. By\u00a0 experience, or by force of habit, I had a fixed idea of the isolated composer working for countless hours on end;\u00a0 a dim light, a dark room, a head full of ideas. A familiar concept really,\u00a0 that\u2019s how I had been making music for years. But the familiar changes, and it was in that MA room, on that crowded plane, sitting by the cliffs of the Irish west coast or on a summer night in the living room of a beautiful countryside house in Spain, that I realised that being a composer doesn\u2019t necessarily have to be a one-woman show; that composition feeds on other creative forms, it feeds on other people, and that\u2019s when many seemingly impossible things start to happen.\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n November\u2019s featured artist Aga Szot<\/a><\/span> discussed her Temple Bar-based Icon Factory:<\/p>\n Ten years ago I walked those streets of Temple Bar and no one could have imagined it would be possible to walk those lanes. It was a NO GO area and even Dubliners did not walk there. They were identified as dark spaces, and with anti-social behaviour, public toilets and worse. There was no reason why people would choose to walk there.<\/em><\/p>\n Now our art projects attract hundreds every day into the area, and are included in national tour guides, indicated as one of the most popular attractions in the area: an art centre which invites artists to participate in the project with its educational and civilised mission. We made this space safer and a better place for all.<\/em><\/p>\n There was fiction from Dara Waldron<\/a><\/span> inspired by The Grateful Dead\u2019s Jerry Garcia:<\/p>\n \u2018Jerry who?\u2019 I asked.<\/em><\/p>\n \u2018Jerry Garcia, one of The Grateful Dead. They\u2019re a band, apparently.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n \u2018Never heard of him or them,\u2019 I said, realising that there was more to it than a rockstar dying and that Don was somewhat perturbed.<\/em><\/p>\n \u2018You wouldn\u2019t believe it man. Jamie and Shaun rang in to say they were out for a week. That depressed this dude is dead. It\u2019s JFK levels of impact. I\u2019m not shitting you.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n \u2018A week? What the fuck?\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n \u2018Yea. It\u2019s like their fucking mother died. Left in the dock. I\u2019m practically on my own here.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n \u2018This Garcia dude. Some kind of Jesus figure or what? A whole week because he died?\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n \u2018Yeah. Weird. Apparently, they\u2019ve been deadheads for years\u2026Some fan cult thing. Can you make sure to meet Sarah tonight? And I\u2019ll see you tomorrow? Don\u2019t forget?\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n \u2018No problem, man. It\u2019s all on the itinerary.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n While a seedy pool hall was the location for another of Daniel Wade\u2019s Dublin chronicles \u2018Niall\u2019<\/span><\/a>: \u2018They shoot pool like they\u2019re born for it. Some for cash,others for pride or thrills; there\u2019s no sole reigning champion. Anyone might wear the crown\u2019<\/p>\n In further fiction from Stephen Mc Randal<\/a><\/span>, the character of Manus stands in opposition to an anti-mask crowd but is more bothered by the sectarian and racist rhetoric, before heading to another Free Julian Assange rally.<\/p>\n There was also two poems from Kevin Higgins in which he encountered a Presidential Black Forest Gateaux<\/a><\/span> and responded to political witch hunts<\/a><\/span>:<\/p>\n Each witch hunt is a tribute act to the last. Finally, Luke Stromberg recalled:<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n The First Obscenity<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Before we turned our eyes from nudity, Dressed up in our Sunday best, our deaths Unforgettable Year: January 2020<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Unforgettable Year: February 2020<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Unforgettable Year: March 2020<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Unforgettable Year: April 2020<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Unforgettable Year: May 2020<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Unforgettable Year: June 2020<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Unforgettable Year: July 2020<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Unforgettable Year: August 2020<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cassandravoices.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/ThreeMantras-300x181.jpg\")
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<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cassandravoices.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/SonicGateStudios-300x169.jpg\")
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\nThere is always a committee of three.
\nThe gravity in the room is such
\nthey struggle to manoeuvre
\nthe enormity of their serious
\nfaces in the door.<\/em><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cassandravoices.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/the-death-of-the-good-old-man-sir-william-blake-300x229.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\nOr banished certain words, death was the first
\nObscenity\u2014the one from which the rest,
\nIn time, would find their way. The first
\nTo make a joke of life. The first
\nTo show us what may come of children\u2019s games:
\nA skull left caked in mud, the slicing rain.
\nWhat is a rude word if not a reminder
\nOf the grave in which one\u2019s coffin will be lowered?
\nAn old man\u2019s kiss upon a young girl\u2019s navel
\nWould not be possible if not for death.<\/em><\/p>\n
\nSeem almost hypothetical. They\u2019re not.
\nPlastic surgeons, age-defying creams,
\nAir-brushed waistlines on the cover of Cosmo\u2014
\nThese prove our distaste. Death\u2019s in the ghetto.
\nBut only look out past your green kept lawn,
\nAnd there it is, unfazed, a grinning fact.<\/em><\/p>\n