1. Give two examples of conflicts between individual and collective rights. 2. Which court decides in the case of a conflict of rights under the Irish Constitution? 3. What individual rights are in conflict when a government does the following: (a) Taxes a person’s wages? (b) Hacks into a suspected criminal’s emails? (c) Jails someone for ‘hate speech’? (d) Bans a protest march? (e) Passes a law against headscarves in schools? (f) Executes someone convicted of murder?
4. If you were a judge deciding on conflicting rights, would you prioritise: (a) The rights of individuals to live as they wanted? (b) The rights of the government to act in the public interest?
5. Can you name a conflict between a student’s individual rights and the school rules in your school?
DISCUSS
Have a short discussion (5–10 minutes) in pairs or groups on whether the government has the right to tax people’s property against their will.
Listen to each other carefully and note down any good points that you had not considered.
Report back to your teacher and the class on what you discussed and whether you mostly agreed or disagreed, stating why.
RESPONSE JOURNAL
REFLECT Visit page 45 of your Response Journal to complete your end-of-topic reflection and see how your knowledge has developed.
