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Books
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A poem for the day – Launching the Whaler Juan Peron
A Belfast epic, and one of my oldest poems, the opener of my first collection, Grub. The gist of the story was found in Moss & Hume’s Shipbuilders to the World: 125 Years of Harland and Wolff, Belfast, 1861-1986, which tells how Eva Peron was due to launch a huge whaling vessel in Belfast, built [...] read our review » -
Do Words Matter?: Book Review of Political Discourse and Conflict Resolution – Debating Peace in Northern Ireland
I share many of the concerns of Andy Pollak, whose recent post ‘My Response to the Slugger Begrudgers’ zeroed in on the ‘relentless flow of negativity’ of some Slugger commentators. Pollak’s post was largely concerned with the medium of the blog. Indeed, I think the anonymity of the online world encourages extreme discourse and allows [...] read our review »
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“You can see Newton’s mind at work…”
To add to the open access treasure trove at the Royal Society, Cambridge University Library is putting online some of its collection of books, maps, manuscripts and journals. We have called the first phase of our work on the Cambridge Digital Library the Foundations Project, which runs from mid-2010 to mid-2013 and has been made possible [...] read our review »
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Comment on SWOTing the parties: Strengths of the SDLP…
on 12 February 2010 at 4:22 pm
Has woman leader
Well versed on policies
Articulate and broader view of politics than SF
Broadly middle class, well educated (double edged sword)
Non-violent
Pro-Europe
Less insular and non-sectarian
History and representatives not contaminated with abuse of human rights
Values and belief system remained constant and consistent
Willing to sacrifice self for perceived greater good
Politics not power seems to be main motivation unlike SF for whom power is everything.
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Comment on “It will be made up by 3 MLAs from the DUP and 3 from Sinn Fein.”
on 9 February 2010 at 4:12 pm
Sadly it illustrates just are confident the chiefs are of managing their tribes. The exclusion of the other parties is disgraceful, it’s time the SDLP and the UUP stood up to the bully boys in the DUP/SF.
This whole sage is beginning to look like something out of Austin Powers.
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Comment on Tyrell challenges Gerry Adams’ account
on 25 January 2010 at 6:54 pm
Who are the feminists in Sinn Fein?
Not that you have to be a feminist to concern yourself with child abuse and sexual violence but Sinn Fein women are followers not leaders within the party. They worship at the alter of Gerry and the party’s record on women’s rights does not stand up to scrutiny.
It must also be born in mind that many women participated in the cover up of all sorts of crimes by the Provos.
Intellectually they justify this by crying ‘freedom of country first’ but this is and always was a smokescreen.
Even if such an arguement was to be accepted one just has to look at the treatment of women and children by the Irish state after 1922.
And before we hear the defence of ‘but the republican cause was not yet finished’ to those in the south it was.
Republicanism for women and children meant repression and control, not freedom, equality and so on.
The women in Sinn Fein are representative of Sinn Fein.Expect silence and obedience.
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Comment on Gerry Adams replies to Sunday Tribune on latest cover-up charges
on 22 January 2010 at 6:35 pm
The details of who approached who or who said what is distracting from the fundamental issue at the heart of this matter. The attempt at the character assasination of Breen and Calder is nothing more than shooting the messenger, and falls into the ‘whataboutery politics’ category, road to nowhere.
An inquiry into the child abuse and its cover up by all parties and organisations since 1922 and particularly the past 40 years should be instigated.
As Bernadetter McAliskey and others have commented, this isn’t about one person but a whole society. There are enough existing bodies who could co-ordinate and implement such an inquiry.
On Attwood,his interpretation of child abuse as a private affair is unhelpful to the victims and society, there is or should not be any such thing as ‘private crime’.
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Comment on From the Rape Crisis Centre on Sinn Fein’s response to the Sunday Tribune
on 20 January 2010 at 9:04 pm
Information isn’t evidence. The RUC and the IRA collaborated as did the RUC and loyalist paramilitaries, leaving the general populace vulnerable.
The Historical Enquiries Team, Police Ombudsman, various inquiries are all potential mechanisms for uncovering the truth about state abuse,
where is the same for the paramilitaries who have already declared that they have no intention of pariticipating in any truth commission?
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Comment on “a grave injustice to the whole aspect of truth..”
on 20 January 2010 at 8:40 pm
I noticed that Sinn Fein attempted to duplicate the DUP’s show of strength for Adams on the steps of Stormont. I had difficulty recognising any of them, apart from Anderson,other high profile members e.g. Maskey, Murphy, Ruane were absent.
Maybe nothing in it.
Many deluded ‘provos’ insist that the British have the most to lose from the truth – I don’t think so. The British state is a much more sophisticated and experienced entity – it is those who lived amongst the community and who participated in gross abuses of human rights of their neighbours and their neighbours children (and in some cases their own children) who have the most to fear.
Grandiose statements such as ‘..the most important peace processes in the world’ are illustrative of the bubble they live in.
Why doesn’t Martin call for an inquiry?
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Comment on From the Rape Crisis Centre on Sinn Fein’s response to the Sunday Tribune
on 20 January 2010 at 8:21 pm
Adams was in a position of authority – and one of considerable power, you cannot equate that with the ordinary person in the street.
When it comes to sexual abuse ‘faffing’ around isn’t good enough.
Protecting his family has obviously been a consideration for Gerry Adams but subjecting other families to danger is reprehensible.
As a public representative your integrity is crucial, Adams’ has been seriously damaged.
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Comment on Northern Ireland isn’t ready for women leaders
on 20 January 2010 at 7:01 pm
Iris’s disgrace will have no impact on the number of women in politics. Iris’s affair packed such a punch because of her own hypocritical rantings about homosexuality and evangical moral superiority which came crushing down around her.
Thankfully Iris is not representative of women in NI. I doubt she would have made it in politics without her husband. The same cannot be said for Arlene who is a very capable politician.
Many men would not be in politics either only for their connections.
Nepotism is rife throughout politics in the North and although connections matter in every walk of life, politics is an area in which you can hide inadequacies, your name just has to be on ballot box, people vote in party not person.
One just has to listen to Paul Maskey!
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Comment on From the Rape Crisis Centre on Sinn Fein’s response to the Sunday Tribune
on 20 January 2010 at 6:37 pm
Could anyone clarify whether or not Gerry Adams advised his niece to go to police. According to BBC timeline Áine and her mother went to police, Adams wasn’t made aware of abuse until later that year.
Does Gerry Adams claim that he did so?
There is a clear attempt to muddy the waters around this issue.
An inquiry should be set up, there are enough statutory bodies equipped to do so. It’s time they were put to good use.
The Victims Commission, Human Rights Commission, Children’s Commission are all funded to the tune of millions to promote the protection of rights etc. I haven’t heard a peep from them on this.
What are they for?
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Comment on Alleged abuser is a Newtownabbey Borough Councillor…
on 18 January 2010 at 9:52 pm
Agree, the organisation is corrupt at its core. The Adams affair is proof of this, just as parents lay down the moral values and standards they expect their children to live and act by, so do the leaders of organisations set the standards they expect their underlings to adhere to.
The Adams family as the head of the ‘provisional movement’ were the bearers of the standards applied throughout both organisations, Sinn Fein and the IRA.
Sometimes I think this place was nothing but a training ground for British counter-insurgency strategies.
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