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Indymedia Ireland is a volunteer-run non-commercial open publishing website for local and international news, opinion & analysis, press releases and events. Its main objective is to enable the public to participate in reporting and analysis of the news and other important events and aspects of our daily lives and thereby give a voice to people.

offsite link Fraud and mismanagement at University College Cork Thu Aug 28, 2025 18:30 | Calli Morganite
UCC has paid huge sums to a criminal professor
This story is not for republication. I bear responsibility for the things I write. I have read the guidelines and understand that I must not write anything untrue, and I won't.
This is a public interest story about a complete failure of governance and management at UCC.

offsite link Deliberate Design Flaw In ChatGPT-5 Sun Aug 17, 2025 08:04 | Mind Agent
Socratic Dialog Between ChatGPT-5 and Mind Agent Reveals Fatal and Deliberate 'Design by Construction' Flaw
This design flaw in ChatGPT-5's default epistemic mode subverts what the much touted ChatGPT-5 can do... so long as the flaw is not tickled, any usage should be fine---The epistemological question is: how would anyone in the public, includes you reading this (since no one is all knowing), in an unfamiliar domain know whether or not the flaw has been tickled when seeking information or understanding of a domain without prior knowledge of that domain???!

This analysis is a pretty unique and significant contribution to the space of empirical evaluation of LLMs that exist in AI public world... at least thus far, as far as I am aware! For what it's worth--as if anyone in the ChatGPT universe cares as they pile up on using the "PhD level scholar in your pocket".

According to GPT-5, and according to my tests, this flaw exists in all LLMs... What is revealing is the deduction GPT-5 made: Why ?design choice? starts looking like ?deliberate flaw?.

People are paying $200 a month to not just ChatGPT, but all major LLMs have similar Pro pricing! I bet they, like the normal user of free ChatGPT, stay in LLM's default mode where the flaw manifests itself. As it did in this evaluation.

offsite link AI Reach: Gemini Reasoning Question of God Sat Aug 02, 2025 20:00 | Mind Agent
Evaluating Semantic Reasoning Capability of AI Chatbot on Ontologically Deep Abstract (bias neutral) Thought
I have been evaluating AI Chatbot agents for their epistemic limits over the past two months, and have tested all major AI Agents, ChatGPT, Grok, Claude, Perplexity, and DeepSeek, for their epistemic limits and their negative impact as information gate-keepers.... Today I decided to test for how AI could be the boon for humanity in other positive areas, such as in completely abstract realms, such as metaphysical thought. Meaning, I wanted to test the LLMs for Positives beyond what most researchers benchmark these for, or have expressed in the approx. 2500 Turing tests in Humanity?s Last Exam.. And I chose as my first candidate, Google DeepMind's Gemini as I had not evaluated it before on anything.

offsite link Israeli Human Rights Group B'Tselem finally Admits It is Genocide releasing Our Genocide report Fri Aug 01, 2025 23:54 | 1 of indy
We have all known it for over 2 years that it is a genocide in Gaza
Israeli human rights group B'Tselem has finally admitted what everyone else outside Israel has known for two years is that the Israeli state is carrying out a genocide in Gaza

Western governments like the USA are complicit in it as they have been supplying the huge bombs and missiles used by Israel and dropped on innocent civilians in Gaza. One phone call from the USA regime could have ended it at any point. However many other countries are complicity with their tacit approval and neighboring Arab countries have been pretty spinless too in their support

With the release of this report titled: Our Genocide -there is a good chance this will make it okay for more people within Israel itself to speak out and do something about it despite the fact that many there are actually in support of the Gaza

offsite link China?s CITY WIDE CASH SEIZURES Begin ? ATMs Frozen, Digital Yuan FORCED Overnight Wed Jul 30, 2025 21:40 | 1 of indy
This story is unverified but it is very instructive of what will happen when cash is removed
THIS STORY IS UNVERIFIED BUT PLEASE WATCH THE VIDEO OR READ THE TRANSCRIPT AS IT GIVES AN VERY GOOD IDEA OF WHAT A CASHLESS SOCIETY WILL LOOK LIKE. And it ain't pretty

A single video report has come out of China claiming China's biggest cities are now cashless, not by choice, but by force. The report goes on to claim ATMs have gone dark, vaults are being emptied. And overnight (July 20 into 21), the digital yuan is the only currency allowed.

The Saker >>

Public Inquiry
Interested in maladministration. Estd. 2005

offsite link RTEs Sarah McInerney ? Fianna Fail?supporter? Anthony

offsite link Joe Duffy is dishonest and untrustworthy Anthony

offsite link Robert Watt complaint: Time for decision by SIPO Anthony

offsite link RTE in breach of its own editorial principles Anthony

offsite link Waiting for SIPO Anthony

Public Inquiry >>

Lockdown Skeptics

The Daily Sceptic

offsite link Sarah Mullally Appointed as First Female Archbishop of Canterbury Fri Oct 03, 2025 11:24 | Will Jones
Dame Sarah Mullally has been announced as the first female Archbishop of Canterbury, with conservative Anglicans condemning the liberal bishop's appointment as "committing live action, slow-mo (but not that slow) suicide".
The post Sarah Mullally Appointed as First Female Archbishop of Canterbury appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Kemi?s Pledge to Repeal the Climate Change Act Must Be Just the Start Fri Oct 03, 2025 09:00 | Ben Pile
Kemi Badenoch's pledge to repeal the Climate Change Act ? which commits the UK to Net Zero ? must be just the start of the dismantling of the Westminster Uniparty consensus on climate catastrophism, says Ben Pile.
The post Kemi’s Pledge to Repeal the Climate Change Act Must Be Just the Start appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link The Sceptic | Episode 53: Starmer?s Bizarre Bid to Brand Reform Racist, the Real Danger Posed by Lab... Fri Oct 03, 2025 07:00 | Richard Eldred
In Episode 53 of the Sceptic: Tom Jones on Keir Starmer's bizarre bid to brand Reform racist, Andrew Orlowski on the real danger posed by Labour's digital ID and Kathryn Porter on the colossal cost of Net Zero.
The post The Sceptic | Episode 53: Starmer?s Bizarre Bid to Brand Reform Racist, the Real Danger Posed by Labour?s Digital ID and the True Cost of Net Zero appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link News Round-Up Fri Oct 03, 2025 01:58 | Richard Eldred
A summary of the most interesting stories in the past 24 hours that challenge the prevailing orthodoxy about the ?climate emergency?, public health ?crises? and the supposed moral defects of Western civilisation.
The post News Round-Up appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link The WHO Pandemic Accords Consolidate the Power of the Covid Clerisy on a Global Scale Thu Oct 02, 2025 19:07 | Ramesh Thakur
The WHO Pandemic Accords, the first part of which came into effect last month, consolidate the power of the Covid clerisy on a global scale, warns Professor Ramesh Thakur. Expect more of the same.
The post The WHO Pandemic Accords Consolidate the Power of the Covid Clerisy on a Global Scale appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

Lockdown Skeptics >>

Less Education, More Privatisation

category cork | education | opinion/analysis author Wednesday December 16, 2015 18:55author by RebelCityWriters - Rebel City Writers Report this post to the editors

An article from a young student regarding the impending cuts to student grants in Ireland.

“Educate that you might be free” – Thomas Davis, Young Irelander, 1814 – 1845

There will be a lot of media spin and government soundbites in the coming days after a government commission report on funding Irish higher education released some its findings.

I imagine that they will follow the usual lines that are regurgitated to us when the state wants us to submit to further marketisation of public services. All about how this will be good for jobs and investment and how the current model is failing and that this is the only alternative, and anyone who opposes just does not want to pay for anything.

The accepted line in the media is that the confidential report (Funding Irish Higher Education: A Virtuous Circle of Investment, Quality and Verification) recommends a new income contingent loan system for graduates, increased maintenance grants for low income families and a greater contribution from both state and employer. But those of us who live in the real world know that’s a load bullshit.

This report, funded by the taxpayer, is most likely just a way of testing public opinion before the inevitable. But it certainly is not a new strategy of the free market ideology. Just look at our friends across the Irish Sea. Students crippled with huge debt and rising fees living in a society with soaring private rental prices, where labour is devalued and even most college graduates have a difficult time finding a decent or well paid job. It’s almost a mirror image for young people here all we are short is the student debt.

Students are already faced with huge funding problems during their time of study the last thing they need is for those problem to stay with them once they have finished. Every year there is huge accommodation crisis for students and how often do we hear the stories of students sleeping in cars or having no food for days. Some students who are on grants would probably happily welcome the abolishing of SUSI if it meant they finally got their grant and I am sure students who cannot avail of grants would welcome a state sponsored loan scheme. But have no doubt though that this will lead to further entrapment of a generation and a generation to come. Not only will they be burdened with the state’s bank debt which stands somewhere around €67 billion, they will also have to carry the weight of the student debt.

Currently there are 2 main fees students are required to pay while attending an IT or University in the Republic of Ireland, these are tuition fees and student contribution/registration fees.

The student contribution which currently stands at €3000 a year having rose from €2000 in the lifetime of this government. Tuition fees can vary depending on course and usually start around €4000 yearly. Grants are available for both but applicants go through a rigid and flawed means testing process. The grants were historically dealt with at local council level but were lobbed into a national universal grant authority in 2012 following years of money mismanagement and reported cronyism. It was common knowledge that if you were friendly with the right local politicians regardless of your income you would have little trouble getting a grant but it was also known that if little Johnny’s grant money was being delayed his mother could pop in to the local VEC office and make as much of a nuisance of herself as she had to until it was all sorted. This new body was called Student Universal Support Ireland, or SUSI, and most of their administration work was outsourced to Cork based company called Abtran (coincidentally they have also been awarded other state outsourcing contracts such as Local Property Tax and Irish Water but that’s an article for another day).

From day one there was a huge public outcry following massive delays in processing of grants and payments. Parents and students alike were met with astronomical amounts of misinformation, red tape and secrecy. It was widely accepted that the whole thing was a farce. There are many tales of people who had to wait until the next academic year to be awarded their grant and receive payment and more from those who could not afford to wait and had to drop out. Although the process has become more efficient these tales are still to be found widely as the body continues in its 4th academic year in operation of the grants system. Not surprising really it’s much easier to get rid of a national body hated by the public rather than one that does a swell job. Hence why taking these responsibilities off the local VEC is just all smoke and mirrors. But now the mask is finally off.

The marketisation of our education system has been taking place a long time and I think this can be seen from the education that is received in 3rd level institutes. These institutes, especially universities, are seen to be centres of learning where free thinking is praised and knowledge is protected and created at the same time. Instead they have become extremely market oriented as professional associations exert greater influence. Also the fact that many college graduates actually struggle to find decent paying jobs questions the benefit of third level education in comparison with the cost. Another worrying trend is of graduates being manipulated into internships which frankly, no matter how you dress it up, is free labour. This is a huge cause for concern as not only is labour devalued but the education that some of us could end up getting in €16000 worth of debt for is also devalued.

As it stands this is just a report and not exactly government policy yet. With a general election looming it is doubtful the big parties will come out in full support of the loan system but be assured it will be revisited. Neo-liberals play the long term game; they done it with water and housing and they are doing it with education and healthcare. Nothing will be safe until it is all opened up to the markets. I predict massive opposition from the student population but the question is can we resist or will we be beaten into submission?

Jonathan Dunne

Related Link: https://rebelcitywriters.wordpress.com/2015/12/15/less-education-more-privatisation/
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