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Books
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Books: Listening to Van Morrison…
Tweet Great little review of Listening to Van Morrison by Griel Marcus… It’s a short book, not a biography or a career survey, but an attempt to follow those moments in Morrison’s music, as he’s made it from his first records with Them, from Belfast in 1965 to the present day, when something happens that [...] read our review »
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Trimble: Biography of an enigma
Tweet Just finished reading Henry McDonald’s biog of Trimble (US). One of those last minute impulse buys waiting for an early morning flight out of Aldergrove. And still Trimble largely remains the enigmatic creature he was before. However the book is a useful reference for some of the action we’ve had since April 1998 (though [...] read our review » -
“This coming 16 June, Radio 4 will be a wall-to-wall Joycefest…”
Tweet As The Observer’s Alex Clark notes This coming 16 June, Radio 4 will be a wall-to-wall Joycefest, kicking off at 9am and running until midnight: a new, five-and-a-half hour dramatisation of Ulysses, narrated by Stephen Rea and starring Henry Goodman, Niamh Cusack and Andrew Scott, will be punctuated by broadcasts by Mark Lawson in [...] read our review »
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Comment on #Flegs: “That’s what we, in many instances, choose to see…”
on 17 January 2013 at 4:50 pm
The juxtaposition is interesting. As I have been pondering the causes of the loyalist flag protests, I am reminded of Patrick Pearse’s graveside oration for O’Donovan Rossa in 1915. One of the more memorable lines was of an Ireland “not free merely, but Gaelic as well; not Gaelic merely, but free as well”. An absolutist position that would make any unionist shudder (although he also said he looked forward to the time when the children of the Sandy Row would curse the Pope in Gaelic!). However, in regards to the flag protesters, it seems that their position could be best summed up in a similar way, ‘not in the Union merely, but culturally British; not culturally British merely, but in the Union as well’. Arguably, if this was truly their position, the non-aligned and others could be attracted but the reality is that it is not British culture that is on offer but rather a loyalist sub-culture that is intimidating, exclusive, and repellent. Additionally, it is one that is both perplexing and alien to your average Briton across the water, who is at a loss to understand at all the sectarian singing, marching, bonfiring, flag-burning, and obsessive flag flying, that pass as stables of this culture. Remarkably at a time when all others are trying to draw the non-aligned to their banners, this group is happy with the mantle of ‘Ourselves Alone’ or perhaps in less loaded parlance ‘Nobody likes us and we don’t care’. The worrying thing is that they may not be reconcilable to the current disposition and it is unlikely that mainstream unionism has the gumption to cut them adrift. In less than a year after Pearse’s oration all had changed utterly and it could be the case here too. Let’s hope it is for the better.
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Comment on Essex, Bacon and the early treachery of (Irish) politicians…
on 20 October 2012 at 8:26 pm
Enjoyed that immensely. Sad I won’t be able to make the lectures.
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Comment on What does McIlroy’s pending decision for Team GB mean to the rest of us?
on 11 September 2012 at 4:42 am
Good luck to him whatever flavour he chooses. Seems very strange that his country of choice for the Olympics is continuing to be debated on this thread. Surely if nothing else, based on his comments, it has to be Team UK or nothing. Opting for Team Ireland now would seem contradictory if he had the choice of Team UK, and completely opportunistic if he didn’t.
That said, the whole thing seems a little ham-fisted. What’s wrong with saying ‘I am both British and Irish’ and continue to walk the line. All this additional commentary about being just a product of Irish Golf (born in a barn?) and being a proud Ulsterman, seems he’s attempting to eschew all Irishness. More akin to what you would expect to hear from Davy Tweed of the DUP (albeit Rugby not Golf). Why go out on that limb to alienate when it is so easily finessed?
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Comment on “Time for the beginning of a calm debate” on Northern Ireland’s Demographics
on 4 January 2012 at 7:36 pm
I think one likely development that was not mentioned in the article will be the re-birth of the partitionists. Even in the absence of a Border Poll, (let alone one that is likely to be successful), the putative catholic majority will rankle with many on the unionist right. Politically, even a catholic majority that could drive a nationalist majority at Stormont, will have no more power than the protestant/unionist one today. However, psychologically and optically it will discomfort enough unionists to dream of homogenous East Ulster that would restore their rightful place. The spectre of Rome Rule may be long gone but it has been replaced by a very distinctive ethnic characterization that in many ways is even more divisive. I am doubtful that the partitionists would win the day but I do see them entering the debate.
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Comment on #aras11: He doesn’t know it’s a damn show. He thinks it’s a damn fight!
on 17 September 2011 at 7:06 pm
I think a lot of folks in the South will be challenged to put a number next to Martin McGuinness’ name. “What would the protestants think of us after all the things he has done” will be a common refrain. However, there will be a sizable portion of disillusioned Labour supporters and ex-FF’ers that will have no such qualms. I think a food result for SF will be to be there or there abouts at the last count. Builds on their profile in the south, removes more of the taboo for the next election. Also, the impact on those middle-class SDLP voting Catholics in the North will be interesting. Especially when McGuinness switches to Foyle instead of Glenshane at the next Westminster election. You heard it here first
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Comment on Healy-Rae: “…it should make decent Irish people – however innocent – cringe with refracted embarrassment.”
on 2 July 2011 at 7:24 pm
Nice one Mick! I believe there are also some great simian caricature over at Punch.
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Comment on Nationalism’s ‘crise de foie’: most Catholics prefer the United Kingdom…
on 19 June 2011 at 5:07 am
I fully suspect that if 95 years ago the Life and Times had performed a similar survey and their findings were published on Easter Sunday, April 23 1916, the results and reaction would probably been similar. The chattering classes (that’s us – they didn’t have blogs) would have nodded and shaken their heads accordingly. Yet within two weeks things had changed utterly. The moral of story, “its events dear boy, events” that change opinion and history.
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Comment on “The Stormont system appears unsustainable in the long term…”
on 30 May 2011 at 6:23 pm
Brian, I couldn’t agree more. After the trauma of the last forty years, I think the electorate and indeed the political class can be forgiven for not altering the status quo with reckless abandon. Lest we forget, we still have the history, the distrust, the perceived grievances, and a host of all the right ingredients in abundance for the project to go pear shaped once more.
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Comment on #AE11 Open Thread: Strangford (#str11)…
on 9 April 2011 at 8:19 pm
There were five and a half unionist quotas at last year’s Westminster elections, with one and half spread across the Alliance, Nats, and Greens. By my estimation approximately a quarter to a third of a quota was picked up by the UUP (as a result of their candidate choice) by voters who would normally plump for the Alliance or SDLP. Based on this, it is difficult to see both the Alliance and SDLP crossing the finishing line. I would have to go with 3 certs for the DUP and 1 for the UUP. Of the other two, 1 will go unionist (probably UUP) and the other Alliance or SDLP (probably Alliance). So having lost by 291 votes in 2003 and only 31 in 2007, look for another heart-breaker for the SDLP in Strangford.
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Comment on The one thing worse than being talked about?
on 15 November 2010 at 7:07 am
It could viewed from a SF perspective that they have mopped up all the concessions they can from the British during the formative years of the peace process and through milking deommissioning and the cupboard is now well and trully bare. In NI they are in a mutual veto death-grip with the DUP and the only real opportunity for progress will be through the long game; gradually building representation in election upon election while the SDLP’s demise continues and demographics remain favorable. So the only real forum for progress is the South where if the wind blows the right way, SF could gain just enough electoral leverage to deliver a prize such as say speaking rights in the Dail for NI MPs or maybe even a Green Paper on reunification. The Republic’s electorate are a fickle bunch and electoral fortunes can vanish overnight but strategically perhaps this is not such as bad move for SF.
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