Slugger O'Toole

Latest comments from BarneyT (see all)

BarneyT has commented 554 times (30 in the last month).

1. Comment on “Republicans should remember that the third colour in the Irish flag is Orange…”
   on 20 May 2013 at 4:21 pm

   Morpheus….that sounds grand…and it would remedy many of the interface and confrontational issues presently. However, its a 12th demonstration, and sadly I do not believe there are many (from the “guys with sashs and bowler hats”) that would adopt your festival approach and would prefer to retain the confrontational aspect of the marching as a metaphor for the battle and defeat of their enemy.

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2. Comment on “Republicans should remember that the third colour in the Irish flag is Orange…”
   on 20 May 2013 at 3:21 pm

   Mick: I’ll bite.
   Banning Irish. Short answer: No
   Well, as someone who would like to see Irish embraced by all due to its historical significance to both communities (it appears), I believe the use of Irish to alienate, disadvantage or brandish identity is vulgar, particularly when it is delivered from someone with a mere smattering. – “cupla focal”

   Electing to use your own native Irish language in a government chamber (on the Island if Ireland) is a right however and it should be exercised consistently with sufficient resources in place to allow for translation and the message to be understood. Anything else is obstructive and non-cooperative.

   If minimal Irish is flung across the table to serve no other purpose but to assert linguistic supremacy, it serves the same purposes as the most triumphalist orange marches. Rather than ban the language, I would implore those that fall victim to it to take it upon themselves to learn the language and offer sufficient retort.

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3. Comment on Fionola Meredith: Can what has been divided by language also be brought together by it?
   on 20 May 2013 at 11:23 am

   If the language is to emerge on this island it not only needs to be depoliticised but de-weaponised. I also find that accepting Ulster-Scots as a language in itself attracts nothing but ridicule to those organisations and folks supporting and promoting it a) as a language and b) as alternative to English and Irish. It’s and English dialect, like much of the English spoken in Scotland or the North East of England. Mere colloquialism and use of umlauts here and there is not going to change that.

   I don’t want to derail this but it is unhelpful introducing Ulster Scots into the equation when talking about the establishment or the re-emergence of a genuine language in East Belfast.

   It would be helpful to the East Belfast Irish Language cause if they examined the variant spoken in parts of Scotland. Granted many from plantation extract have little to do with a Gallic speaking Scotland, I believe the modern day bond that Ulster folks have with Scotland and the reinforcement of the use of Gallic in that region would allow Gaelic\Gallic to continue to be less demonised and as as a consequence tethered to an Irish Republican cause.

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4. Comment on Team Jasil – that’s John and Basil – say: “Get off your backsides and vote for people that are trying to make a difference”
   on 16 May 2013 at 3:41 pm

   I can see why many regard Unionist and Pro-UK as splitting hairs, however, as simular as they are, there is a subtle difference in terms of how they allow their unionist ambitions to define them.

   If you are a unionist or a nationalist, your colours are nailed to the mast for all to see. It suggests that you are not perhaps prepared to accommodate or show tolerance to an alternative view point.

   Being Pro-UK allows them to state that they believe it is in N Irelands interests to retain the union. That suggests they are open to discussion and debate on the matter and if they felt N Ireland was better served by alternative unions, including repatriation, they might consider it.

   Thats how I interpret it.

   Jasil has no choice but to pitch for moderate unionist votes (hence the pro-UK branding) and in doing so, perhaps make the Alliance their first casuality.

   This is surely the start of a new traditional pro-UK party and in time they will absorb whats left of the UUP vote, attract the less frantic DUPers and as I’ve said, wipe out the Alliance. They will no doubt attract a percentage of what I will call the “McIlroy Vote”.

   In the short to medium term, they will serve to dilute the “unionist” vote. They may be the party to ensure that SF provide NI with the next first minister.

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5. Comment on Increasing numbers of passengers let the train take the strain … apart from a 10 year decline on the Enterprise
   on 16 May 2013 at 1:57 pm

   Firstly, the enterprise is a must for many reasons, however I am not sure our existing infrastructure can accommodate much more improvement.

   I would argue that it does not correctly serve the business user. A 9:04 arrival at Connolly does not align with the standard business day, particularly if you have an onward connection or a significant stroll to work. It really should be hitting Dublin around 8:30.

   Of course, as it barely travels at 1 mile a minute, that would make the Belfast departure unacceptably early.

   They could replace the stock with the intent of doubling the speed or perhaps more, providing the tracks can cope. This would solve departure and arrival times. However, faster trains would clash with the commuter service south of the border and we’d be back to square one.

   We need an all-ireland strategy to install an improved infrastructure that allows both a commuter service and intercity service to run in parallel. Of course this would tear lumps out of the countryside and perhaps hit the rails (no pun intended) as the A5 project has.

   Its hard to make a business case for improvement given the limits of the infrastructure.

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6. Comment on Ferguson’s departure: Rivals must work to burst “the incumbency bubble” of the EPL
   on 9 May 2013 at 2:04 pm

   Ferguson and Adams perhaps more than Murdoch define and provide branding for their “clubs” and a sense of focus to their supporters. Both need to find a bright new star to fill the void that has and in SFs case will be left behind. I can see the Murdoch juggernaut trundling on nicely with or without him. There are plenty of media moguls waiting in the wings.

   Both Utd and SF have readymade successors. Moyes and Mary Lou. As regards their success, time will tell if Moyes was constrained by resources and resources alone at Everton. Many are pinning their hopes on this limitation.

   SF should perhaps use this change at United as a catalyst to usher in a new era and offer Mary the presidency with Gerry slipping off silently. This must happen 18 months prior to the election (which is about now?) if they are going to make inroads and capitalise on the much needed softer facade she would offer SF in the south.

   Back to matters football? Title next year is going blue and will perhaps have a northern rather than West London twang! Yes, O’Neill will bring the title back to Goodison 

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7. Comment on Poots’ residential care home fiasco shows risk aversion brings its own troubles
   on 8 May 2013 at 10:43 am

   AYM – you have identified the ticking timebomb….mental health combined with increased longevity. Dimentia in particular (having many forms), whilst associated with the elderly, increasingly is affecting folks that we would not consider to be old.

   We need a shared policy and philosophy with regard to residential homes and day care….however much of this will be politically informed so consensus regrettably is not possible.

   Its all very well saying that the elderly are better served in their home, which I can appreciate it, however this is not always possible and in the case where round the clock attention is required, the expertise and resilience within the family will in most cases not be there.

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8. Comment on Taking down walls not popular in interface areas…
   on 8 May 2013 at 10:06 am

   If these walls have become a safety blanket for those on one or either side, that is worth commenting on as it sets a course for prolonged societal fragmentation.

   We should all aim to remove these walls and promote co-existence, however clearly the climate to achieve that is a long way off.

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9. Comment on The struggle for abortion and other reform north and south is far from over
   on 7 May 2013 at 3:44 pm

   Yes Ni Dhuibhir – I’d like to see this issue temporarily removed from the mans sphere of influence…as we surely cannot appreciate what it might be like to have an unwanted pregnancy and all the unncessessary dufficulties as a result of an enforced pregnancy and child birth. I can hear many screaming “she wasnt forced to have sex in the first place” but then if she was, that would not matter much to the prolifers.

   Many pro-lifers will congratulate themselves if they can force an unwanted pregancy to come to fruition resutling in a new human on the planet. Little regard is made for the emotional needs of the reluctant mother and the child, whether she chooses to rear the child or serve it up for adoption. I’d like to avoid this tragedy as early as possible during the gestation.

   I think its time for males to withhold their participation in this debate so we can get a true measure from the side of the community that are mostly affected by this physically and emotionally.

   Dont think I am discounting the fact that males can be emotionally affected however relatively speaking it is irrelevant.

   I am hopeful that attitudes will change on this. I also believe that the EU will kick in on this is EU member states fail to legislate on this matter sensibly and urgently.

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10. Comment on Taking down walls not popular in interface areas…
    on 7 May 2013 at 3:17 pm

    It’s convenient to call for the removal of the dividers when you have no experience of the life that triggered such as drastic measure in the first place and indeed if there is no risk presented to you by their removal. I fall into that category. The only barricades I came up against in South Armagh were those laid by the authorities to prevent cross border access and entry into the local GAA team if you did not toe the official SF party line…or were seen to question it.

    My natural reaction is to remove these “obstacles” as the current climate surely will determine that their need has reduced. It’s also easy to say that the respective communities must be respectful of the law and each other and if they don’t, the might of the police and law courts should come to bear.

    What if they are removed and a KKK style lynch mob descends on the other community and we’re left with another brutal tragedy. Whilst these incidents may prove unlikely or perhaps rare, someone in the short term will suffer…i.e. someone on that interface. Any dismantlement must be driven from those that are directly divided as they are most qualified and also at most risk. That is where the real bravery should come from, not from the likes of me in South Armagh or someone sitting comfortably in South Belfast

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