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    Thursday, August 02, 2007

    “dealing with serious and organised crime linked to the activities of the UDA”

    According to the BBC Talkback news bulletin, Chief Constable Hugh Orde has called for the funding of the UPRG project to be cancelled following last night’s violence in Bangor which included shots being fired at police. The report mentioned that he was saying that they hadn’t kept their word.. ANYhoo..  from the UTV report, “Police Chief Superintendent Graham Shields today confirmed that the raids carried out by his officers were targeted against criminal activities linked to the loyalist paramilitary group the Ulster Defence Association”

    “The fact is the police operation yesterday was aimed at dealing with serious and organised crime linked to the activities of the UDA in the Bangor area and dealing with crimes which are of major concern to the wider community,” said Mr Shields

    As I’ve said before, as well as a quick reminder of the previously noted poisonous foundations of The Process™, there is a different school of thought on how to deal with for-profit terrorists..
    Adds Haven’t got the full quotes but Orde did say “It’s a matter for government.. but, if you want my personal opinion, I wouldn’t give them 50 pence.” BBC report here Meanwhile From the Deputy First Minister, Sinn Féin’s Martin McGuinness

    “I think it is quite clear from the way in which events moved forward that it was organised,” the Sinn Fein MLA said. “So there is a responsibility here on the UDA to recognise that this is unacceptable behaviour and that they have a responsibility to de-escalate situations that may occur within society.”[added emphasis]

    Which, in my opinion, misses the point entirely.

    Pete Baker @ 10:04 AM

    “if you could only pick one it would be…”

    The Guardian’s BookBlog’s World Literature Tour is making a pit-stop in Ireland.  There’s already a healthy selection of authors and tomes, past and present, mentioned in the comments zone but feel free to toddle over there and add some of your own suggestions.

    Pete Baker @ 09:22 AM

    Tommy Makem passes away

    The great Irish folk singer, Tommy Makem, passed away last night in the USA. Makem made his name alongwith the Clancy Brothers, touring the US and Ireland and entertaining thousands with their live performances. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.

    Chris Donnelly @ 08:51 AM

    “a signpost for the realignment of Dublin’s epicentre eastwards”

    Belfast may have the needle in the cathedral, and whether it’s courageous or hideous will remain a matter of personal opinion, but Dublin has set course for something that sounds really courageous and innovative and exciting.  Sculptor Antony Gormley, previously mentioned in connection with another project [and how is that project progressing? - Ed], has been chosen from a shortlist of six by Dublin Docklands Development Authority to develop his proposal for a sculpture “two-thirds the height of Liberty Hall” (48 metres)[subs req], likely to be “located in the river Liffey close to the Seán O’Casey footbridge.” [pdf file]

    Pete Baker @ 08:17 AM

    Cross border motorway to cut half hour from Belfast-Dublin journey

    Just 14 Kms long, but the new motorway link (opening today) between the A1 at Cloghoge in Co Armagh to the N1 at Dundalk will cut out that circuitous/tortuous journey through and around the north Louth border town. At 2 hours, the road link now rivals the rail journey for speed, if not convenience.

    Mick Fealty @ 07:58 AM

    DUP dog barks in the middle of the day…

    Sherlock Holmes fan Alex Kane examines once again the case of the dog that barked in the night time, or rather, most famously, didn’t… He believes theDUP is deplying the Rev William McCrea to calm the nerves of the party’s hard line followers who, he believes, “are not convinced, because the DUP is now asking them to believe that a bit of tinkering with the Belfast Agreement, that “treacherous and one-way-ticket to a United Ireland,” means that a Unionist utopia is presently under construction (without a provision for republican shrines).”

    Mick Fealty @ 07:40 AM

    Some detail on that abuse…

    The Irish Independent has more detail on the specific abuse that Darren Graham took in the course, primarily, of his senior playing career as the only Protestant playing GAA in Fermanagh.

    Mick Fealty @ 07:01 AM

    Low key is the key for our latest ‘historic’ event…

    Lousie Richardson, notes that at the low key end of ‘Operation Banner’ comes the quiet triumph of politics over military action and an elusion of the zero sum calculus which still holds and may continue to dominate Northern Irish discourse for some time to come.

    Mick Fealty @ 06:22 AM

    Newshound in temporary dwelling until noon…

    John Fay at Newshound tells us that a last minute server move means today’s links will be available here, and not in the usual place. Normal service to be resumed at noon.

    Mick Fealty @ 06:20 AM

    Dust-Me Selectors

    Dust-Me Selectors is a Firefox extension (for v1.5 or later) that finds unused CSS selectors.

    Slugger O'Toole Admin @ 02:20 AM | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

    Wednesday, August 01, 2007

    A Modern Sporting Tale

    In every sport, there are landmark feats which provide a benchmark of excellence against which others are compared, defining greatness, cultivating legends and providing the inspiration for children to take up the sporting flame for a new generation.

    But we live in an era when the fastest man in the world, the champion of the toughest and most gruelling cycling race on earth and the celebrated figures of many, many sports have forever tarnished their own reputation and that of their life’s achievements through the use of performance-enhancing drugs. In the modern era, sporting greatness immediately arouses suspicions of ‘drug cheats’ at work.

     

    Chris Donnelly @ 09:03 PM

    UPRG reacts to police searches in Bangor..

    Hopefully UTV will update their current brief report on the police searches in Bangor to include the greater detail in the TV bulletin.[added link - item approx one third in]  Namely the references to claims that it was an attempt to destabilise the ‘delicate’ situation within the UDA and the reported reaction to the searches from UPRG spokesman, Frankie Gallagher, who warned that if this was an example of the police going after loyalists “for being loyalists” then “We will stand up to to them” “they would have to stand up against it”.. before adding that there would be “no violence”.. and that there would be a complaint to the Police Ombudsman.  Of course, it’s not the first time Mr Gallagher has said that there would be no violence..  until there was.  [This would involve the ‘good’ UDA then? -Ed] Added link to TV bulletin [item approx one third in] and corrected quote. Update It’s not clear when the attacks on the police noted by the BBC took place.. presumably after the earlier reports.. Adds Just now, apparently. More in this morning’s Belfast Telegraph report

    Pete Baker @ 03:40 PM

    BBC’s anti Army bias?

    Biased BBC notes a couple of complaints about the BBC’s coverage of the end of Operation Banner, in particular, Jeremy Vine, for playing anti British rebel song on his feature yesterday. In itself, inconclusive of bias. But it also carries a complaint a guy on AARSE (I kid you not) that:

    I was watching the BBC World Service this morning and was dismayed by their coverage marking the end of Op Banner which focused on the account of a Sinn Fein spokesman who essentially portrayed the British Army as cold blooded murderers. In the clip I saw there were no other representatives interviewed nor ordinary NI citizens asked for their opinions.

    Mick Fealty @ 12:40 PM

    “careful not to say anything that might upset the peace process applecart..”

    In noting and contrasting the language used in the public statements by Sinn Féin’s Conor Murphy - “We will continue to press for the total end to the British military occupation of the Six Counties.” - with that of members of the British Army, such as Lt Gen Nick Parker - “What I believe the military have done here is make a significant contribution to the security in Northern Ireland that has allowed other people to make the difference through politics, social programmes and economics.” - on the ending of Operation Banner, the Belfast Telegraph’s Lindy McDowell makes an interesting point in wondering what is actually being said in private.

    The ending of the “military occupation of the Six Counties” is one way of putting it.

    But up at the once-hated Stormont a former commander in the IRA is now serving as Deputy First Minister in the once-hated partitionist Assembly, chortling happily at the bon mots of his New Best Friend, the once-hated Ian Paisley.

    Surely even the volunteers must now wonder about the success of republican strategy. And what all those deaths, all that misery and suffering, actually achieved.

    History will take the long look at their long war. But it’s hard to see how it will be judged as anything other than a wrong war. A grubby little campaign of sectarian savagery which in the end divided more than it united.

    The Army hierarchy will, of course, be careful not to make that point. They’re being understandably careful not to say anything that might upset the peace process applecart. The soldiers who have left here are now desperately needed to bolster the overstretched forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.

    To them Northern Ireland is history.

    Pete Baker @ 12:23 PM

    Northern Irish population increases by 1%...

    The Northern Irish population grew last year by one per cent, (17,000 people) according to estimates from the Northern Ireland Statistics & Research Agency. More than half the growth is due to in-migration, as opposed to natural growth and is significantly up from the year before. The NISRA:

    “Between 2005 and 2006 it is estimated Northern Ireland’s population grew by more than 17,000. Northern Ireland has seen significant migration since European Union expansion in May 2004 and last year for the first time migration contributed more to population growth than natural change.”

    Mick Fealty @ 10:44 AM

    “There’s still nothing taboo about pouring contempt on one’s social inferiors”

    I guess it depends on the subject and the context. East Antrim MP Sammy Wilson didn’t appreciate James Nesbitt’s recent crack about Larne, and (set up as he was) Sammy’s joke about the Pope didn’t quite cut the mustard with Ali G. Tom, at the Prospect blog notes that whilst many jokes remain the same, their subjects move around, depending on whether or not you can get away with it.

    Mick Fealty @ 10:29 AM

    Protestant GAA player gives up sport after sectarian abuse…

    Gaelic Football has a grace and skill about it that is hard to resist at close quarters. It’s not surprising that despite the cultural chill around some of the flags and symbols, it is played with enthusiasm and passion by some (albeit very few) Protestants. Darren Graham is probably more senior than most of those who have taken up the sport, but he has finally given up playing after taking regular sectarian abuse.

    Mick Fealty @ 09:25 AM

    On Claudy…

    Mentioned by David Dunseith yesterday, another anniversary yesterday was the bombing of the Co Derry village of Claudy. He also quoted the powerful last lines of the James Simmons’ poem:

    Mick Fealty @ 09:12 AM

    YSlow for Firebug

    “YSlow analyzes any web page and generates a grade for each rule and an overall grade. If a page can be improved, YSlow lists the specific changes to be made.”

    Slugger O'Toole Admin @ 08:38 AM | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

    Weak cider sales after wet summer…

    Aye, right…C&C’s cider revolution may be one of the first Irish victims of England’s bad weather. After driving two years of unmitigated growth in the cider market, the weather, renewed competition (primarily from English Bulmers, and own brand’s copies), plus major capital investment, sales are down drastically:

    Mick Fealty @ 08:28 AM

    Talkback on Operation Banner from Whiterock…

    Talkback yesterday is worth a listen (indeed the programme should be archived). It was recorded live at the Whiterock Leisure Centre. It has rich witness accounts from people who lived with the troubles at its height on their doorsteps, from newly weds to school teachers. It also has Gerry Fitt quoting James Callaghan in a phone call from a bookmaker’s shop in West Belfast, when he asked for the soldiers to be sent in. Callaghan told him, “It would be relatively easy to bring the army into Northern Ireland, but it would be the devil of a job to get it out”. Just over half an hour in, it has one of the few relatively heated exchanges, between Malachi O’Doherty and Gerry Kelly:

    Mick Fealty @ 08:00 AM

    Syncotype Your Baselines ? RobGoodlatte.com

    “I often have trouble aligning text and graphics horizontally on the Web.  To help horizontally-challenged designers like myself, Wilson Miner wrote a fantastic guide for building pages on a baseline grid.  If you do the?”

    Slugger O'Toole Admin @ 07:39 AM | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

    Tuesday, July 31, 2007

    Big Bird enters Maze controversy…


    AFTER reading Pete’s post below about muppets in Northern Ireland, I emailed Big Bird to get his opinion on the big issues of the day. Since feathers make it hard to type, our yellow friend simply emailed this picture back to me when I asked for his position on where the new national stadium should be. With such illustrious backing for the Maze, Minister Poots can surely sleep more soundly tonight.

    Belfast Gonzo @ 04:48 PM

    Two new muppets for Northern Ireland

    As noted some time ago, Sesame Street Workshops, with $1 million from the American Ireland Fund are producing 26 shows to teach tolerance to children in Northern Ireland [toilet training for ursine mammals? - Ed].  The latest news on the project is that there are to be two new muppets added to the cast list specifically for here..  Could they have anyone in particular in mind.. [“Pity about the mountain”, indeed - Ed]

    Pete Baker @ 02:34 PM

    Leaving the China shop, quietly…

    Just reading back around the circumstances under which British troops landed on the streets of Northern Ireland, what strikes you is the number of tragic incidents that had happened in the run up to their arrival. Lost Lives records that of the nineteen fatalities of that year, eight of them (almost a fifth of the total fatalities attributed to the force over the following thirty years) had been killed by a tiny ‘peacetime’ RUC, you get a measure of why they were sent. More over at Comment is Free.

    Mick Fealty @ 12:40 PM
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