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Eamon Nancarrow’s misadventures in Rock…
It’s the quiet ones you have to watch, they say. When I last saw Eamonn Namcarrow, back in the mid 1980s he was a congenial, good-natured and highly sociable young lad. The next time was 26 years later, in Lavery’s Gin Palace in Bradbury Place. He’d just brought out his first book, Holywood Star about [...] read our review »
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Talking to a brick wall: how to make politicians listen?
It took me a long time to warm to advertising agencies. The first time I worked with one I was working in sales management on Fairy Washing Up Liquid. I was due to attend a meeting at which I was to be told what consumers really thought of the brand. I remember my reluctance to [...] read our review »
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Learning from 1798?: Northern Ireland’s Upcoming Decade of Commemorations
Last year, the Lilliput Press released a new extended edition of Tom Dunne’s Ewart-Biggs Memorial Prize winning book, Rebellions: Memoir, Memory and 1798. First published in 2004, Dunne’s book provoked considerable controversy with its critique of the ‘commemorationist’ history that Dunne believed dominated the 1998 commemorations of the 1798 Rebellion. The book blasted the involvement [...] read our review »
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“The Democratic Unionist Party is discussing”
They could also discuss a new game of Dungeons and Dragons and it would carry a similar level of political reality.
Is this the nonsense they are wasting time on to stop senior members jumping ship?
If they roll two sixes they beat the Ogre. Grow up and play the real game not your fantasy Jim Allister politics.
So the DUP’s admitting to having failed in the St Andrews negotiations and needs to “press” for another “mechanism”.
if plan C was being offered they,d be demanding a plan D:)
If SF can have B
Then we must have C
Said the DUP simple Simon
Now UKUP want a D
And Alliance an E
And so on
Ad infinitum
That would seem to be the implication, Willowfield.
I thought all that was settled.
Well at least there was a wee joke at the end of the piece. It said…” E-mail this story to a friend”
Wouldn’t you ust love to be a fly on the wall in DUP HQ when all these goalpost moving exercises are being conducted. There most be some blood sweat and tears on the floor. I bet that their candidates must be getting twisted up inside about the whole plan going pear shape. If some of these guys have to go back to the real world to earn an honest crust it will feel like the end of the world to them. Hope they all enjoyed it while it lasted because I sense a fall coming for the DUP. Saying never never never, no no no, must seem to have been a steal compared to taking the responsibility that comes with being the largest Unionist Party. Chickens coming home to roost or what? Peter must think that the electorate are fools with his scare mongering tactics about McGuiness becoming first minister. The people in this country are a bit more wise now than the days when a unionist candidate waving a union jack and warning of the dire consequences of being sucked into a romanist all Ireland was guaranteed election are long gone. Not so long since that was big Ian’s mantra.
The fact is, nationalists/republicans will not be the beneficiaries of anything within Plan B. As like everything else, unionists must be forced into understanding the consequences of their inaction.
Willowfield
So the DUP’s admitting to having failed in the St Andrews negotiations and needs to “press†for another “mechanismâ€.
Spot on. In 40 years they have achieved? Nothing so what’s new? Individually some good people but as a group all they are is professional whiners.
Unfortunately the DUPs crunch point is post the election, and we will all sit back and enjoy. Can they hold together up to the election?
Observer
“The people in this country are a bit more wise now than the days when a unionist candidate waving a union jack and warning of the dire consequences of being sucked into a romanist all Ireland was guaranteed election are long gone. Not so long since that was big Ian’s mantra.”
I wouldn’t go that far, Observer. With due respect, there are still plenty of unionists/loyalists hunkered down, biting their nails to the quick, and still depressed with their siege & fear mentality.
no, not, not ever, never, never again, not again, again!
lol welcome do the DUP version 2.0
It’s good to want…
Good to see the DUP are in complete control of the situation.
)
Yes they have made an electoral success of predicting disaster for Unionism and ensuring it happens.
The DUP are gods gift to irish separatism. Sectarian, prickly, divided, unreliable negotiators, alienated from mainstream british values, strangers to political power and influence.
Gerry Adams could not have wished for a better caracature of thran protestant fundamentalism than Ian Paisley. Short of turning himself into a glove puppet and asking for Gerry’s hand, Paisley could have done no better in keeping irish nationalism alive.
“They have a wawwy pop. I wanna wawwy pop!â€
PM Blair might be distracted by matters other than the distribution of lolly pops.
Link doesn’t work
My god, what a bunch of cowardly losers
Aquifier
“Gerry Adams could not have wished for a better caracature of thran protestant fundamentalism than Ian Paisley. Short of turning himself into a glove puppet and asking for Gerry’s hand, Paisley could have done no better in keeping irish nationalism alive.”
Too true.
The Shinners had one small tricolour in a window in Belfast before Ian Paisley elevated them from the political wilderness to the point where they are poised to eclipse even his own growing party.
If one individual is able to take the credit for the creation of the modern political election machine that the Shinners arguably have then it must be Papa Doc.
While accepting his obvious charisma in the flesh, his public, political, and religious persona has blinded the nationalist community to the wider, multicultural, pluralistic Britain. The one they go to when they get pissed of with the Emerald Isle.
When nationalists think of “the Union†they think of him, the bogeyman they use to scare small children, not normal socio-political concerns like in England, Scotland, or Wales. He’s the “nuclear button†the Shinners can use to lure people to vote for them.
He is one of the most quoted men in the world. How much of this is directed against Sinn Fein/IRA? Considering how he comports himself outside of dear old Norn Iron (the pitiful display in the European Parliament being my personal favourite) he actually makes PSF look better around the world every time he lambastes them.
If one were to make an historical comparison, people opening gates in Ye Olde Walled Londonderrie have nothing on him.
And still the unionist electorate doesn’t seem to get it.
Why is that?
Simmer down lads, its sabre rattling.
Just seen a great photo in the local press of Willie McCrea and -shock horror -the IRA chief of staff Martin McGuiness sharing a platform.So much for Willies hard line stance. When it comes to country or getting your son a seat,Willie knows what side his bread is buttered on.
Well done Willie “run away” McCrea.
“It is understood a central plank of the DUP`s campaign in the election will be to press for greater institutional cooperation between administrations in London, Dublin, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Belfast and other parts of the British Isles.” .. UTV link
So why didn’t the DUP, er, promote Strand 3 when they were in the Executive? IIRC Trimble had the earlier Strand 3 modified to include the UK dimension. For some strange reason none of the Unionist ministers appear to have insisted on equality in the development of the UK and Irish dimensions; they could have exposed Nationalism’s hypocrisy on the equality theme.
Nevin,
Ulster Unionists didn’t like strand 3 because British and Irish politicians were getting on too well at the meetings.
You can’t always get what you want,
but if you try sometimes,
you just might find,
you get what you need….
and its been clear for a long time now that the DUP need a swift kick up the political backside
He is one of the most quoted men in the world
He is? never heard of the old man before I developed an interest in Irish politics
Sean
Yes, you are right. That was terribly sloppy of me. Of course what he says is not quoted by other people. They tend to convey the general tone, which is where the damage lies.
What I meant to say was his number of quotations, i.e. how many times some hack has asked him a question and the answer was recorded.