He set himself on fire, saying he “will no longer be complicit in genocide”, referring to the conflict in Gaza.

Some readers may recall a similar case over 60 years ago — the case of Vietnamese monk Thích Quang Duc, who burnt himself to death in Saigon in 1963 as the Vietnam War was escalating.

The photograph taken of Quang Duc as he burned to death has not lost its power to shock over six decades later, and was described at the time by then-US president John F Kennedy as generating more emotion than any other picture in history.

Much has changed since, obviously. 

Back in 1963 journalists had to be specifically alerted that something was about to happen and directed to the location of Quang Duc’s burning in order to witness and film the event. 

Such arrangements are unnecessary in an age when almost everyone carries their own broadcasting platform in a pocket.

The changes go beyond technical developments, however. 

The Bushnell video was soon removed from Twitch and, though accessible online to those who wish to find such images, the video has certainly not had the impact of that 1963 image.

Figuring out why sends the discussion into different areas: Is the modern media landscape simply too diffuse, for instance, for a single clip or image to focus international attention for a significant length of time?

Those criticising Israel’s conduct in Gaza state that it amounts to genocide in plain sight, or on prime time television, yet is that visibility galvanising people to protest or action?

In the blackest of ironies, Aaron Bushnell’s actions are available to view on any smartphone, yet his protest has drawn relatively little attention when compared to the worldwide shock in 1963.

Stepping up to a shared island

The recent commitment by the Government to help fund large-scale infrastructural projects in Northern Ireland under the Shared Island initiative may have surprised some, but on paper, at least, it makes perfect sense.

It is only a few days, after all, since we were informed that Ireland’s southern region recorded the highest gross domestic product (GDP) per capita — a staggering 286% — in the EU in 2022.

Experts in the field attribute this performance to the 1,500 multinational companies that have established a base in Ireland due to its low corporation tax and access to European markets. 

For Ireland, its regional GDP has been significantly influenced by the highly volatile pharmaceutical sector, which includes giants such as Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, Thermo Fisher, Abbvie, and Eli Lilly. 

Cork is also the European headquarters of tech giant Apple.

Over the years, there has been plenty of sniping from other countries at Ireland’s success in courting the pharmaceutical and tech sectors — sniping which is a backhanded endorsement of assiduous work done by successive governments and State agencies.

We are often told that GDP is an unreliable narrator as far as Irish economic performance is concerned, and there are plenty of Irish citizens who will contrast their particular circumstances with these banner headlines; to reach back into Irish political history for a metaphor, this particular rising tide has certainly not lifted all boats.

Citizens of the wider EU may have a different view again on this news, wondering why the new European financial powerhouse is not taking a greater share of the heavy lifting.

With Britain out of the EU altogether, floundering in a mess of its own making, and Germany’s economy stuttering, others may feel it reasonable to ask Ireland to contribute more to the EU. 

In that light, is the Shared Island initiative the perfect response to that question, or the preamble to more such interventions by Ireland across the EU?

Taxi industry struggles

In recent days, this newspaper has carried an in-depth series of articles on taxi services in Cork. 

Some of the revelations make for sobering reading.

From the sheer difficulty of earning a living as a taxi driver to the physical dangers faced by those drivers working at night, the impression given is not an encouraging one.

A functioning taxi service is an important part of any successful urban infrastructure, and of the night-time economy of any city or town in particular. 

Such a service is doubly important in the absence of late bus or rail services, luxuries which are simply not an option in most Irish cities and towns. 

In that context, taxis are absolute necessities, not luxuries.

If taxi drivers are not convinced that it is safe enough for them to work at night, a vital part of the night-time economy is immediately compromised. 

People who cannot travel any significant distance to shop or socialise in an urban centre at night with the confidence they can get back home later on make a simple decision: They don’t travel, pure and simple.

There is no shortage of challenges facing our towns and cities already, ranging from derelict buildings and vacant shops to antisocial behaviour.

What is not needed is yet another problem with the potential to discourage people from travelling to those places.

People need to be able to access our city and town centres, and the taxi industry should be supported in its efforts to help them.