Fórsa members in St Patrick's hospital will be protesting at the facility in Steeven's Lane, Dublin 8, at lunchtime today in their dispute over outsourcing. Turn up to support them between noon and 2pm if you can. 

Meanwhile, as the media coverage of GE2020 limps over the line, ICTU published the political parties' responses to its election charter yesterday. Here's ours from earlier in the week, and here's some essential reading for any ballot-baffled atheists out there.

Elsewhere, former president Mary Robinson placed public servants at the heart of her vision of climate action, full NTC tests are to resume, and there's more bad news for bees.

Truth to tell, I'd decided to keep my ultra-paranoid thoughts about the implications of Trump's non-impeachment to myself until I saw this in the US edition of The Guardian.

Finally, Zen honours Kirk Douglas (RIP) who should be remembered as much for his political courage as his acting. Here's his most famous clip.

Bernard