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Towards the cost of SluggerReports  Or as a zip (386KB) 
Through Irish Eyes: how the Irish successor generation views the UK.
Parties and major candidates
AllianceDUP Green Party NIUP PUP SDLP Sinn Fein Sinn Fein UKUP UUP Women's Coalition John Gilliland "Excellent, balanced weblog on Northern Ireland" Guardian "...pulls in people of all persuasions and none." BBC "...dump all your old ideas about what's happening in Northern Ireland" Sunday Independent "Comment from a full range of the political spectrum" ireland.com "Drives debate beyond the web" Sunday Times "Just keep scrolling" Instapundit "No relation, but some fine reporting!" Deborah O'Toole Linking Slugger  rdf |
May 25, 2004 A sporting chance of a good game..? BBC Political Editor Mark Devenport suggests that a new major sports stadium could be the perfect vehicle for better north-south-east-west co-operation. He writes: "[I]f the aim is to promote a sense of shared and complementary identity across these islands, isn't sport an obvious place to start? The [FA] cup final, for instance, was a north-south-east-west occasion par excellence." [more] Selective memories...? LAWYERS for soldiers at the Bloody Sunday Tribunal have accused the IRA of being less than forthcoming with evidence - although it's an accusation that could probably be levelled at others too. Still, another good reason not to have a Truth Commission? [more] Costing Northern Ireland... There's been some interesting power play going on at Westminister recently. There was Rob Marris's early day motion on 4th May:
"That this House notes that, according to the latest annual Treasury publication, Public Expenditure Statistical Analysis, the identifiable per capita public expenditure in Northern Ireland was 32 per cent. higher than that in England; and calls on the Government to review this disparity".
[more] Anthony McIntyre remembers Sean Kearney, who he describes as having moved on from Republicanism but never lost his passion for the Irish language. DUP launches manifesto... The DUP has just launched it's European manifesto. Though it's Euro sceptic in rhetoric, the policy detail does little to distinguish it from the centre left stance on Euro funding of any of the other main parties. [more] Euro sceptics running well in Britain According to a YouGov poll in the Daily Telegraph the UK Independence Party could come third in the European elections on 10th June, punishing the clearly pro EU Lib Dems by pushing them into fourth. Greens embrace island politics Two weeks from the poll date, the Green Party has announced that it will in future organise on an all island basis. Leading spokesman John Barry makes a clear pitch for the radical end of the nationalist vote whilst the party's European candidate Lindsay Whitcroft emphasises the island's context in which the party clearly hopes this move will be seen. [more] Foinse ar ais? Buoichas le dia, tá Foinse ar ais ar líne ina dhiadh sós mhór de thartfa sé mhí! Ach, ar an drochuair, níl ann ach an chead paragraf le fail againn. Separating republicanism and nationalism? Courtesy of Michael Turley's weblog (how's the campaign going Michael?), I picked up an article (subs required) in the Irish Times from Davy Adams back in April. He's listening to a round table discussion on the future of Republicanism. In particular he was struck by the views of Tommy McKearney. [more] Street artist collective in Derry If life imitates art, then the peace process is in good health in Derry. Duirt mé leat... Spike Milligan gets the last laugh, but for his famous epitaph to be acceptable to the Church of England authorities, it had to be written in Irish! Thanks Mwk! Update: Agus i nGaeilge! May 24, 2004Predicting outcomes North and South Nick Whyte's competition to predict the results continues and he draws our attention to another one focused on the Republic's contest. More Iraq NI comparisons? Not sure what to make of this, but Mark Steyn has come up with the latest comparison between the current situation in Iraq and NI. Arguing that assymetrical federalism is the best fit solution - he suggests that the Sunni Triangle is analogous to Northern Ireland. Oh, and in Counterpunch Ian Paisley gets compared with Ahmed Chalabi. Candidates getting online Perhaps learning from past mistakes, the SDLP has launched a website for Martin Morgan's candidacy for Europe. The Gilliland site is also due online today. Most of the others should be available on the left hand side. Majority favours citizenship change A slight majority are in favour of the proposed amendments to the Irish Constitution regarding the granting of citizenship to all those born on the island. There's even majority support amongst the voters of those parties which oppose the amendment: Labour; the Greens; and Sinn Fein. Funding Slugger... As I mentioned last week, Slugger is a labour of love. But it's one that has some basic costs that are mostly met out of my own private earnings. [more] Disaffected Republicans A disaffected Sinn Fein member and convicted IRA killer has defected in the run up to the European elections. Mr McGeough has thrown his weight behind Independent anti-abortion candidate Mr Barrett because of his strong Catholic convictions and Euro scepticism. He contends that Sinn Fein are now dominated by radical gender feminists and "ceasefire soldiers". Mr McGeough also likens the "deluge" of immigrants to the Protestant plantation of 300 years ago and says he supports Mr Barrett's "Catholic patriotism". This begs the question - have we now passed a rubicon in the peace process? Europe: poor choice for voters Alex Kane takes the European election campaign as an example why Northern Irish voters may be actively disengaging from local politics. None of the candidates, he argues, is offering an anti-EU ticket so that the sense that a real choice being offered is diminished. [more] Peace funding in danger At the top of the sharp new BBC politics in depth site today is the news that the long line of Peace funding from the EU is coming to an end. At least that was the talk at a cross border conference on higher education and economic co-operation. Sean Kearney dies We received the sad news of the death of Sean Kearney - a committed Irish speaker and lover of the language who nonetheless was an often trenchant critic of some of the easier orthodoxies within the language movement. His editor and friend Malachi O'Doherty pays a short tribute. [more] Sporting identity GAA site An Fear Rua says that those who play Gaelic games are "making a very clear - and sometimes risky - statement of their identity and values." Which may be of interest to some Slugger readers. May 23, 2004 The future for unionists.... Is there room for two or more identites on this island? [more] Time for a rethink on cross-border crime? A recent report released by the Organised Crime Task Force has revealed that the presence of the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic facilitates organised crime gangs, most of whom have paramilitary links. A third of all smuggled tobacco seized by UK Customs was in Northern Ireland. With the likes of the Republic`s Criminal Assets Bureau and Northern Ireland`s Assets Recovery Agency increasingly working in tandem is the time now right for an All-island agency to help combat cross border crime? May 22, 2004 Articulating loyalist culture A conflict resolution group in Ballymena has backed a police clampdown on drinking in the streets during band parades. Community Voice - Transforming Conflict, has issued the backing, ahead of the first major band parade of the year, organised for tonight by Ballykeel Loyal Sons Of Ulster. [more] D-Day commemorations North Down Borough Council has announced a weekend of events commemorating the 60th Anniversarry of D-Day. HMS Inverness will be available to visit over the course of the weekend of June 4th - June 6th. The Somme Heritage Centre will also be opening a new exhibition, the Royal Irish display team will be present and Brian Boru will also be attending. The Orange Order is also organising an exhibition throughout June and July which will include many artefacts on loan from Orange Lodges and individuals across Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic. Not an ounce?In the run up to the European elections the Progressive Democrats have dressed up a dummy in merchandise available from the offical Sinn Fein shop. The dummy was kitted-out in an "IRA undefeated" T-Shirt , a black windcheater embroidered with the 'Tiocfaidh Ár Lá' logo and a 'Sniper at Work' lapel pin. Roscommon councillor Hugh Lynn also purchased a CD containing the lyrics: "No semtex nor our guns will you ever get from us, You can stick your decommission up your a**." May 21, 2004 Overground, undercover, Wombling free... HAVE Indymedia readers found a way to publish pictures of people they believe to be undercover Garda officers on the internet - a foreign server? If Cryptome has got it wrong, as Indymedia did, they're putting people in danger. If they're right, it's quite an embarassment for the Irish security forces that they were so obvious and easily photographed. An environmental boob..? GREEN Party letter writer Malachy McAnespie has been prolific in the Belfast Telegraph recently, but do these two diatribes about women in the past two days really represent party policy? [more] Troubles on tour... YANK In Ulster blogs his thoughts on the Linenhall Library's Troubled Images exhibition as it hits America. I would advise anyone in New York interested in the politics of Northern Ireland to go see this excellent award-winning collection of symbols, information and propaganda from across the political spectrum at the National Arts Club. [more] 'Unfair' BBC slammed over elections... AFTER Eamonn McCann's court defeat in a bid to get a party election broadcast for the SEA, this early day motion (1113) slamming the BBC's election coverage was tabled in the House of Commons yesterday. The Beeb is showing the broadcasts for the four largest parties three times each. Everyone else gets none. Nothing like the status quo for Auntie, as Newton Emerson pointed out to his erstwhile employer on Saturday. Heck, even Ken Livingstone got one when he ran as an independent for Mayor of London. [more] New hate crime laws for NI A Westminster committee has just published a report into the phenomenon of hate crimes in Northern Ireland. Slugger understands that the report is to be followed up by a period of consultation, some of which is to take place online - more details as it becomes available. Remembering the victims It's hard to imagine anyone who grew up during what is euphemistically called the Troubles was not affected by some tragedy. The One Small Step Campaign recently held a seminar for the churches in Northern Ireland which called for remembrance of those who suffered in some way during that time. However, this question (as with nearly all aspects of life in NI) is potentially fraught with all manner of political difficulties. Which leads one to ask, is it possible for NI to arrive at some form of public remembrance that could serve the whole community? The hacker problem... As most regulars will know we had few problems last week which even attracted the attention of the press. Almot half of the website was written over with an earlier story title. Our first suspicion was that we'd been hacked. [more] Blogging and journalism You can probably tell I've been thinking about weblogging a lot recently. This piece by Rebecca Blood just about hits it on the head for me on the old is blogging the new journalism. And it's not because she gives a favourable mention to my colleague David Steven's work on the Daily Summit in Johannesburg. Case against mega-bonfires... Suzanne Breen argues that bonfires are fine, but that the increase in the scale over the last few years can lead to unintended consequences. Ahern and McAleese knighted As has been discussed on Slugger in the past, the Republic doesn't have an honours system as such (the nearest being Aosdana's title of Saoi). But the British are not the only ones to hand out knighthoods. UVF feud gets serious... Brian Rowan with some context to the killing of Brian Stewart in East Belfast last week. Blogging that pays... Slugger and virtually 99.99% of blogs keep going because some people want to write them, and others want to read them. According to Business 2.0, Nick Denton is one of the few who have actually cracked the problem of making them pay, (read Nick's reply) with a heady mix of gossip and porn. However, not all bloggers are convinced of the quality of the end product. [more] May 20, 2004 Cyber Church the next big thing? The UK`s first online 3D Church has had to moderate it`s cyber pews after the congregation misbehaved. The Church of Fools has been inundated with visitors since it`s launch on the 11th May. It is a three month experiment by the UK`s largest Christian webzine, the Ship of Fools. It is being backed by the UK Methodists and National Christian Resources. Pope jibe = 5 grand Glasgow Rangers have fined a player £5,000 for making a sectarian jibe in an autograph, having been alerted to it by pressure group Nil By Mouth. Snow Patrol live If anyone's interested, local boys Snow Patrol are doing a live set for a radio station in Los Angeles right now - you can listen to it here, or watch it here. It'll be archived here afterwards. They're being interviewed at the moment, talking about growing up in and around Belfast... Posthumous award for war hero? The Ministry Of Defence has been asked to posthumously award the Victoria Cross to Second World War hero Lieutenant-Colonel Paddy Mayne. Mayne from Newtownards was awarded the Distinguished Service Order and three Bars. He saw service with the Royal Ulster Rifles and helped to found the SAS. Are there elections due? Mitchel McLaughlin has apparently told the Guardian that Sinn Fein is determined to "get rid of the IRA". On Eagle`s Wing John Anderson`s new stage show On Eagle`s Wing will premier at the Odyssey Arena in Belfast on the 28th May. In the run up to this event Lord Laird Of Artigarvan has detailed the history behind the title. In September 1636, 140 Ulster-Scots Presbyterians set sail from Groomsport, Co Down, aboard the Eagle Wing. Their destination was Massachusetts. Paradoxically the Presbyterians who helped to found the United Irishmen and who fled religious persecution in Scotland and Ulster are now some of the most committed to maintaining the Union. May 19, 2004 Nostalgia ain't what it used to be... WE'RE fond of the past in Norn Irn, but can old political artifacts really be 'art'? With Germans currently appropriating and reinventing old East German (GDR) symbols and memorabilia in their own fad called 'Ostalgie', are we now about to experience something similar here, a theme explored in a photographic exhibition at Belfast Exposed? We've got Communist-era statues in post-ceasefire Belfast superpub (just visible) 'The Northern Whig' (with its own historical and political references), but are we ready to regurgitate more local troubled images in the same way? [more] Discrimination a Protestant thing? David McKittrick examines a recent academic report which suggests that 60% of graduates in Northern Ireland are from the Catholic community. He links this finding to a trend in recent opinion polls which indicate that Catholics are less and Protestants more worried about discrimination - a reverse of traditional attitudes in NI. Irish intolerance Eric Waugh in the Tele says that "to be Protestant and/or unionist down south is still to tread on thin ice", even though the number of Protestants there has stopped declining. Any personal experience amongst Slugger readers? Unionists lack confidence? Mitchel McLaughlin believes that it is lack of confidence amongst the Unionist leadership that's responsible for them not signing up to the existing Agreement. [more] Living on the edge... THE reaction to proposals for social housing for pensioners on the Crumlin Road clearly illustrates the lack of trust that exists between loyalist and republican interface communities. It must be tough for those wanting to do something positive in North Belfast. Breaking the glass ceiling... JUDITH Gillespie has become the first woman to reach the uppermost echelons of the police in Northern Ireland. She's not the only well-qualified woman in the PSNI, begging the question - what kept them so long? May 18, 2004 New approach for PSNI? At the end of this long article about the future of BBC Radio 1, controller Andy Parfitt says some nice things about the response in Derry to the station's recent gig there - and says that crime actually fell in the city while it took place! I can't find any evidence, but what a use of license fee cash! |
Slugger O'Toole records news, commentary and diverse opinion on Northern Ireland. Produced by Mick Fealty News, tips or crits here: mick -at- mickfealty.com 
Readers comments
Sporting identity - (168)More Iraq NI comparisons? - (5) Separating republicanism and nationalism? - (32) Beyond politics, language and religion - (14) Sean Kearney dies - (37) Disaffected Republicans - (47) Foinse ar ais? - (14) Europe: poor choice for voters - (55) Majority favours citizenship change - (71) Greens embrace island politics - (19)
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